Sorakaya Pulusu Koora / Bottlegourd in Sweet and Spicy Tamarind Sauce ------- Goodies from home

Last weekend i got a package from my sister filled with goodies from back home. My mom made the savories Manubulu( from urad dal flour ) and Spicy sanna perugu vampoosa ( with yogurt and rice flour ) and Guthi vanakaya karam( Spice powder for eggplant curry ) especially for us with an extra dollop of love!!! My dad sent us Nethi Mysore pak( Chana dal flour and clarified butter sweet ) from Ongole Alluraiah Sweets Shop which is apparently famous for pure ghee mysore pak. These delicacies just melt in your mouth leaving you asking for more... That store has been open for years and the quality is still excellent, pure and tastes divine.... They make only limited sweets fresh everyday and if you wanna grab a piece you should make sure you go between 9am to 4pm, yep they go real fast in the town... People do order these special mysore paks from abroad too. And last but not least Mamidithandra( Dried mango fruit bars ) from Vijayawada( Its famous for Rasalu, juicy mangoes ) added to the list. We are still relishing these sweets and savories and hope they could last at least one week..

From left(top): Minapappu Manubulu, Perugu vampoosa, Ongole Alluraiah Mysore pak
From left(bottom): Vijayawada Mamidithandra and Mom's homemade Guthi Vankaya Masala

Bottle Gourd, in India, it is known as Lauki in Urdu, Dudhi or Ghiya in Hindi, Lau in Bengali, Sorakaya in Telugu, Dudhi-Bhopala in Marathi, Sorekayi in Kannada,Suraikkaai in Tamil and Calabash or Opo Squash in English. Sorakaya takes me down through the memory lane where when kids we used to collect the seeds and roast them over the flame and they tasted more like roasted corn.. We kids used to fight over those and i remember, we took so much effort to sort them on a skewer.. oh i could never forget the aroma...

I just googled about the bottle gourd and was surprised to know that "Sorakaya when harvested mature and dried used as a bottle, utensil, or pipe, hence the name Bottle Gourd. Further the dried and core

Lauki is very light on stomach and as it is 90 % water, there's no wonder it cools down the body temperature and aids in digestion..Always have this vegetable cooked and you should never have this vegetable raw as it could harm the stomach..When buying Lauki / Opo look for fresh, tender, small, thin and light pale green ones.

This Sorakaya pulusu( tamarind sour sauce ) kura is my grandmas signature recipe, and i haven't had this anywhere else... She makes the best curry, not too sweet not too sour .. just right... Since she puts so much love and care while cooking, anything she cooks tastes delicious...The curry calls for tamarind and methi( fenugreek ) seeds. She simply avoids making this curry if methi seeds aren't available..yep the whole flavor is in methi seeds and tamarind. And my grandma says " Add hing every time you use tamarind as it helps in digestion "

Ingredients:

• 1 medium tender sorakaya
• 1 onion
• 4-5 green chillies
• 3-4 inches tamarind
• 1/2 - 1 tsp methi seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• a dash of hing ( Inguva )
• a pinch of turmeric
• 6-8 curry leaves
• 1 - 2 tsps sugar / jaggery ( bellam / gur )
• 1 - 2 tbsp oil
• salty to taste

Method of preparation:

• Peel the skin of the gourd/sorakaya and chop into 1/2 inch cubes( chop out the inside flesh if the seeds are hard and big )
• Chop onions and Slit the green chillies length wise
• Soak tamarind in hot water and extract thick pulp or juice
• In a pressure pan, heat oil and add cumin, mustard and methi seeds
• Once they crackle add curry leaves, turmeric and hing
• Saute onion and green chillies for a min and then add chopped opo cubes
• Add 1/3 cup of water and Close the pressure pan lid and let it cook for 2 whistles
• Alternatively you can cook in a sauce pan covered with some water until the gourd pieces fall apart
• Once the pressure comes off, cook on the flame uncovered until desired thickness( either for thin or thick gravy ), add salt and sugar.
• With potato masher or back side of the round laddle mash the curry a bit
• Add coriander/cilantro and adjust salt and sugar to taste

My grandma usually serves this curry over steaming rice with ghee and papads on the side..We had this pulusu kura with some fresh rotis.. Even though the curry has green chillies, Methi seeds and Tamarind, nothing is overpowering, keeping the curry subtle and flavorful

This Sweet and Sour Sorakaya / Lauki / Opo squash curry is on its way to:

• JFI - Jihva for Tamarind
• Vow - Vegetable fo the Week - Bottle Gourd

Tags: Bottle gourd, Opo Squash, Lauki, Sorakaya, Pulusu Koora, Tamarind