Sapaadu the way amma made it

Bottle Gourd Kootu (Sorakkai Kootu)

A gentle, everyday South Indian kootu — bottle gourd pressure-cooked soft with dhal and turmeric, then finished with a fragrant mustard-and-curry-leaf tempering.

Rice & Curries
Bottle Gourd Kootu (Sorakkai Kootu)
Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4

Everyday comfort

This is the kind of soft, soothing kootu that turns up on a South Indian lunch plate alongside rice and rasam. Bottle gourd (sorakkai) cooks down with dhal into something mild and nourishing, and the mustard-and-curry-leaf tempering at the end lifts the whole thing. Easy, forgiving, and naturally vegetarian (use oil instead of any ghee to keep it vegan).

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle gourd (sorakkai / lauki), about half the length of your forearm
  • 1/2 cup moong dhal (paasi paruppu)
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil (vegetable, corn, or sesame)
  • 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp urad dhal
  • 1/4 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
  • 2 green chillies
  • 1 dried red chilli
  • 4 curry leaves
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
  • salt, to taste

Method

  1. Wash the dhal well, rinsing a few times.
  2. Slit the green chillies down the middle (dice them instead if you'd like it spicier).
  3. Peel the bottle gourd and dice it into small pieces.
  4. Set a pressure cooker over medium heat (or use an electric pressure cooker). Add the dhal, water, and turmeric powder.
  5. Once the water comes to a boil, add the diced bottle gourd and green chillies, and close the lid.
  6. Cook for 2 whistles on a stovetop pressure cooker, or 12 minutes on high pressure in an electric cooker, then let the pressure release.
  7. Make the tempering: heat the oil in a small deep pan over medium flame. When hot, add the mustard seeds and let them burst. Add the urad dhal, jeera, and dried red chilli, stirring constantly so the urad dhal doesn't burn.
  8. Add the curry leaves and turn off the heat.
  9. Pour the tempering over the cooked squash and dhal in the cooker. Mix well, add salt to taste, and serve.

Tips

Don't overcook the bottle gourd — it should be soft but still hold its shape, not mushy. A squeeze of lime at the end brightens it nicely.