Curry In Kadai ~ An Indian Cooking Blog: April 2010

Sorakaya Pesara Pappu ~ Lauki / Bottlegourd Dal

15 COMMENTS Posted by KALVA at 5:24:00 PM

Bottlegourd( Sorakaya/Anapakaya) aka Lauki is a very simple vegetable yet very versatile. Sorakaya tastes very subtle, mild and easily absorbs any flavors or spices its cooked with like a sponge. I have recently learnt that Bottle gourd aids in weight management, when taken either as raw( juice ) or cooked form. Since its full of water grandma says its very good in bringing down the body heat. Mom made this for me when i was pregnant since it brings down body heat and made sure i eat this veggie regularly ( In telugu, vantiki chalava chesthundi ). One simple sumptuous way to have this vegetable is to cook with Moong Dal( Pesara Pappu ). This Bottle gourd with Moong Dal tempered with Cumin Seeds in very little ghee and curry leaves is very subtle in taste, and i promise you can finish the whole bowl as is and it tastes so good like a soup , or along with steaming hot rice or fresh chapathis. It will be even satisfying as a complete meal when taken as soup along with some fresh Papads. Dont forget to add Cumin seeds as they add earthiness to the comforting Lauki / Sorakaya Pesara Pappu.

Ingredients required:

1/2 bottle gourd / lauki / sorakaya
1/2 cup of moong dal / pesara pappu
3-4 garlic cloves
1 red chilli
curry leaves1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ghee / butter
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 -3/4 cup of water

Method Of Preparation:

Peel, wash the sorakaya / bottle gourd and chop into 1 inch pieces
In a sauce pan, add water and bring it to boil and then add lentils( moong dal ) and chopped bottle gourd and turmeric.
You can add more water if the water isn't enough for the lentils to be cooked
Once the lentils are cooked( they should fall apart completely ), switch off the heat and keep aside
Now do the tadka aka tempering with ghee instead of oil. Heat ghee/butter add cumin seeds, garlic, red chilli, urad dal and curry leaves. Once the urad dal and cumin seeds are golden brown, remove from heat and add the tadka to the dal.

Mom makes the best Sorakaya Thiyya Pappu. I prefer a lot of lauki( sorakaya mukkalu ) chunks in the dal, so adjust the proportions to your preference. Usually mom makes Chinatakaya Pachadi( Tamarind Pickle ) to eat along with this Pappu, since this dal/curry is mild in taste, Chintakaya thokku( tamarind pickle ) is very sour and spicy in taste along with crunchy onions. Not to mention again, mom makes the best chintakay pachadi(( thokku ). This pappu( curry ) is not even spicy not too many spices and no masalas , yet there is some magic in this lovely dal.

Moms Lauki Moong Dal Curry is on its way to: