Sorakaya Pulusu Recipe or Bottle Gourd Curry Andhra Style is a delicious tamarind based gravy prepared with bottle gourd, the curry has a little sweet and tangy taste. It just takes around 30 minutes to cook and requires moderate level of cooking skills. This is a traditional recipe which is very nutritious and rich in flavours. The seasoning/tadka given to the pulusu takes it to the next level.
Sorakaya aka Anapakaya (Lauki in Hindi and Bottle gourd in English) is a storehouse of nutrients. It has always been regarded as one of the healthiest veggies as it contains so much water and minerals which keeps our body hydrated. It helps in controlling cholesterol level, is a rich source of vitamin C,K and calcium. So, try to include this bottle gourd in your diet….not a fan?……Then, definitely this recipe is for you as you will thank me later ????.
Another favourite bottle gourd recipe of mine is Sorakaya Palu Curry or Bottle Gourd Curry with milk. I also like to include it in Sambar and Mukkala Pulusu Recipe.
Quick Video: How to make Sorakaya Pulusu
Off to the detailed Sorakaya Pulusu Recipe!!
Steps to follow for Sorakaya Pulusu Recipe:
Prep work:
- Peel the skin and roughly chop bottle gourd. Size depends on how you want the gravy to be, finely chop for a very mushy curry and chop to big pieces if you like to have chunks of bottle gourd pieces.
- Roughly chop 1 onion and slit 3 green chillies.
- Roughly chop 1 tomato and set aside.
Let’s get into the cooking process:(Pressure cooker method)
1- Transfer bottle gourd pieces, onion and green chillies to the pressure cooker.
2- Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and mix well.
3- In a separate bowl (pressure cooker safe), add tamarind & red chilli powder.
4- Add tomato pieces to this bowl and place it on top of the bottle gourd pieces.
NOTE: Placing tomatoes and tamarind separately is important as this way the tang in the tomatoes will not come into direct contact with the vegetable and lets it get cooked properly.
5- Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 2-3 whistles over high heat and then turn off the heat. Open the lid once the pressure subsides.
6- First mash the contents in the bowl with tomatoes and then transfer into the rest. Now mash up everything together. Add required salt and a little sugar/jaggery. Bring it to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat with constant stirring and turn off the heat. Garnish with finely chopped coriander.
7- Tempering: Crush or chop garlic pods. Heat oil or ghee in a small pan over medium heat and add garlic. Once garlic starts to turn light brown, add red chillies, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, add a pinch of asafoetida. Now turn off the heat and add curry leaves. Transfer the tempering to the dal.(Watch Video)
8- Mix well and serve with rice or roti.
Serving:
- Serve pulusu with hot steaming rice along with a drizzle of ghee or it also goes well with roti.
- Sorakayi pulusu is a nice combination when mixed along with Mudda Pappu (plain thick dal), it’s a part of any traditional Andhra Vegetarian meal.
- It pairs perfectly with any fry on the side but my favourite is with a Potato fry or a chicken fry.
- I wouldn’t mind a crunchy Papadam or Vadiyalu (Fryums) on the side.
A Quick Summary:
Sorakaya Pulusu Recipe | Bottle Gourd Curry Andhra Style
Ingredients
- 500 g Bottle gourd peeled & roughly chopped
- 1 Onion chopped to big chunks
- 3 green chillies slit
- Gooseberry size Tamarind
- 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 1 Tomato chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon grated jaggery/sugar
- Coriander finely chopped
For Tempering:
- 1-2 Tablespoons oil or Ghee
- 4 garlic pods crushed or chopped
- 2 Dry red chillies
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- A pinch of asafoetida
- A sprig of curry leaves
Instructions
- Transfer bottle gourd pieces, onion and green chillies to the pressure cooker.
- Add turmeric powder and mix.
- In a separate bowl (pressure cooker safe), add tamarind, red chilli powder & tomato pieces. Place this bowl on top of the bottle gourd pieces.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 2-3 whistles over high heat. Turn off the heat. Open the lid once the pressure subsides.
- Mash up everything together till you get the desired consistency.
- Add required salt and a little jaggery/sugar. Bring it to a boil & garnish with coriander.
Tempering:
- Heat oil or ghee in a small pan over medium heat and add garlic. Once garlic starts to turn light brown, add red chillies, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, add a pinch of asafoetida. Now turn off the heat and add curry leaves. Transfer the tempering to the curry and mix.
My Notes:
- Adjust spice and tang to suit your tastebuds. Balancing the spice, tamarind and salt is the only tricky part of such recipes.
- This curry is supposed to be on the sweeter side, you can reduce/increase sweetness to your liking.
- You can also prepare this curry directly on the stove top.
Check out other Vegetable Gravies and Andhra Recipes from blog!!
Similar Recipes:
Many more to come!!…..STAY TUNED!!
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Happy Cooking 
Cheers!!
Padma.
