Sorakkai Kootu
Bottlegourd and lentil simmered in a coconut, red chilly and cumin base
Ingredients
- 1 medium bottlegourd / sorakkai / lauki
- ½ cup yellow moong dal / paasi paruppu
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
To grind
- ½ cup grated coconut
- 2 dry red chillies
- 1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
- 1 tsp rice flour
To temper
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp split urad dal
- 2 dry red chillies
- 1 sprig curry leaves
Instructions
- Peel the skin of bottlegourd. Scoop out the middle white part and seeds. Chop them into small cubes and transfer to a vessel.
- Add washed moong dal, turmeric powder and enough water. Pressure cook for 1 whistle.
- Meanwhile grind the coconut, red chillies, jeera and rice flour to a smooth paste adding little water.
- Add the ground paste, salt to the bottlegourd- dal mixture and mix well. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a small pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds, When it splutters, add red chillies, curry leaves and pour into the kootu.
Notes
- Instead of pressure cooking, you can cook the bottle gourd and dal together directly in a vessel. It will take around 15-20 minutes.
- Kootu has a thick consistency, so add water just enough to immerse the bottlegourd and dal.