Bottle Gourd Stew (Sorakaya Pulusu)
Lip smacking, delicious curry made with bottle gourd.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3 cups bottle gourd 2 inch cubed
- 2 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 ripe tomato
- 2 inch ginger finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 cup buttermilk mix ¾ cup yogurt with about ½ cup water and whisk
- ¼ cup tamarind pulp or as per taste
- 1.5 tsp coriander powder
- ¾ tsp cumin powder
- ¾ tsp red chili powder or to taste
- salt to taste
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 2.5 tbsps oil
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 3 tbsp coriander leaves
- 1 tsp jaggery or sugar
- pinch asafotedia
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 to 1.5 cups water (1.5 cups for stove top method)
Instructions
Prepping the ingredients-
- Wash and Peel the bottle gourd. If the bottle gourd has lot of mature seeds, you may want to remove them. If not it will spoil the taste of the stew. If the seeds are tender you can keep. Cut them to two inch long cubes.
- To make butter milk- take ¾ cup plain yogurt ( not sour) and ¼ cup of water. Whisk till no lumps.
- For tamarind pulp - soak small piece of tamarind in ½ cup of hot water for ten minutes. Mix and remove any impurities.
Stove Top Method -
- Heat a table spoon of oil in a pan and add the bottle gourd pieces, quarter tea spoon of salt and turmeric. Cook till the bottle gourd are soft but not mushy. Set a side.
- In a pan heat rest of the oil. Add mustard seeds and let them pop. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves and asafotedia. Cook for 15 seconds.
- Add the onion, turmeric and pinch of salt. Cook till onions turn soft. Its important to cook till onions are soft, before going to the next step.
- Add the ginger garlic pieces and cook for two to three minutes.
- Now add the tomato and cook till soft and mushy.
- Add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder,salt and jaggery. Cook for three minutes.
- Now reduce the flame to low and slowly add in the buttermilk. Mix well and cook till the oil oozes out, about three to four minutes.
- Add the tamarind pulp and water and mix well. Check for the seasoning and adjust.
- Add the cooked bottle gourd, mix and simmer for ten minutes.
- Finally add coriander leaves and switch off the flame.
- Serve the Sorakaya Pulusu with rice or roti.
Instant Pot Method-
- Turn the instant pot on saute mode. Heat the oil and add mustard seeds. Let mustard splutter. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves and hing. Saute for 10 seconds.
- Add onion, ginger, garlic and turmeric. Cook for two minutes.
- Now add the bottle gourd pieces and coat with oil.
- Add the tomato, spices, salt and jaggery. Cook for a minute.
- Add the tamarind juice and 1 cup of water. Mix well and cancel the saute mode.Close the lid, vent in sealing position.
- Change the instant pot setting to pressure cooker or manual mode. Cook on high for five minutes.
- Do natural release after 10 minutes. If the pressure is still up even after ten minutes, release the rest of the pressure and open the lid carefully.
- Slowly add the butter milk and mix well. Turn on the saute mode and cook for two minutes or until you get the desired consistency.
- Turn off the saute mode and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Stove Top Pressure Cooker Method-
- Follow the same instructions as the instant pot method but for the stove top pressure cooker, cook the stew in medium flame for two whistles.
- Once the pressure release naturally add the buttermilk and cook for couple of minutes till you get the desired consistency for the gravy. Garnish with cilantro.