Best Sorakaya Pachadi Recipe | Healthy Bottle Gourd Chutney
Sorakaya Pachadi or Bottle Gourd Chutney Recipe is one of the South Indian Recipes that tastes best when accompanied with breakfasts like idli, pesarattu or any dosa variants. It also tastes great with hot plain rice. In order to enhance the flavor of this recipe, I have added even sesame seeds.
In Andhra Sorakaya or Anapakaya is considered as one of the coolant vegetables as it contains more water and is rich in nutrients. Because of this property, people like to make curries and gravy recipes out of this veggie. But many of us hesitate to make recipes out of this veggie during winters, so making lauki ki chutney best suits.
Sorakaya Pachadi, otherwise bottle gourd chutney, is a chutney prepared in Andhra-style and is an epitome of the region’s creativity towards cooking and a penchant for spicy and sour condiments. Bottle gourd is the Telugu name for the humble vegetable called sorakaya, a low water content vegetable but having mild flavor.
It has the capability to become a scrumptious, fragrant chutney to have with rice, roti or dosa when turned into Sorakaya Pachadi. This essay explores the ingredients, preparation, cultural significance, and health benefits of Sorakaya Pachadi, a chutney that brings Andhra cuisine’s bold flavors and simplicity to life.
Sorakaya Pachadi is prepared with bottle gourd. On its own, bottle gourd is a very mild flavor vegetable. Same boring taste of bottle gourd has been made flavorful through spices and herbs in chutney. Also, some piquant flavor came through adding green chilies and a tangy taste along with the pulp of tamarind has also been given to enhance earthy flavors of garlic. Fresh curry leaves are used for aroma flavoring.
Cumin and mustard seeds are added for the tempering of the chutney. This gives depth to the chutney along with a subtle crunch. Asafoetida (hing), a pinch of it is also commonly added for giving a savory note and digesting well. The finished chutney is garnished with fresh coriander for freshness and color.
Andhra cuisine is not complete without a chutney or, as it is locally referred to, pachadis. Sorakaya Pachadi is loved as much for its taste, but it is also highly valued for the fact that it can turn an apparently non-descript vegetable into quite a tasty side dish. The chutney goes well with rice and has a drizzle of ghee.
Andhra families are said to prepare pachadis using seasonal vegetables which make the most out of the local produce and its flavors. Sorakaya Pachadi is especially made in summer, since this time of the year contains the availability of bottle gourd in plenty. So it gives a cooling sensation when consumed during scorching heat.
It also has a value in the many Andhra homes since it is a “no-waste” preparation. In preparing the dish, often pieces of bottle gourd which otherwise may be discarded-the peel especially-is cooked and used for the chutney. It reflects cultural values about reduction of waste and respect towards nature’s bounty.
You may also like to check bottle gourd stew and sorakaya pappu recipe.
Sorakaya Pachadi | Bottle Gourd Chutney Recipe | Lauki Ki Chutney
Ingredients
Measurement: 1 cup = 200 ml.
- Bottle Gourd/ Sorakaya – 250 gms.
- Oil – 5 tbsp.
- Cumin/ Jeera – ¾ tbsp.
- Coriander seeds – ¼ cup
- Garlic cloves –20-25 no.
- Green Chilies – 7 nos.
- Curry leaves – 3 tbsp.
- Sesame seeds – 1 cup
- Tomatoes – 1 large cup Sliced into large pieces
- Turmeric powder – ¼ tbsp.
- Mustard seeds – ½ tbsp.
- Chana dal – ½ tbsp.
- Urad dal – ½ tbsp.
Instructions
- On a frying pan add 3 tbsp. Oil and add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, garlic cloves and green chilies.
- Saute for a while and add curry leaves.
- Add tomatoes and cook all ingredients on low heat with lid covered.
- Once tomatoes turn soft, keep aside and let it cool.
- In a separate vessel, roast sesame seeds till they turn color, transfer to another bowl.
- Heat 2 tbsp. oil and add sorakaya (sliced into 1-inch pieces)
- Add little turmeric powder and mix well, cook till bottle gourd turns soft.
- Now blend all ingredients one by one and keep aside.
- Let us prepare temper to garnish above lauki ki chutney.
In a pan add 1 tbsp. oil, add cumin and mustard seeds, chana and urad dal.
- Saute all ingredients for a while, add dry red chilies, hing and curry leaves.
- Transfer this temper while it’s hot and pour over Sorakaya pachadi or bottle gourd chutney.
Recipe Video
How to make Sorakaya Pachadi or Bottle Gourd Chutney:
- Heat 3 tbsp. oil and add½ tbsp. cumin seeds, coriander seeds and garlic cloves.
- Continue adding green chilies and sauté for a while.
- Add 2 tbsp. curry leaves and sauté for a second.
- Slice tomatoes into large pieces, add them.
- Cook for a minute by covering it with a lid, let it cool and keep aside.
- On another hand roast sesame seeds and keep them aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a kadai and add a bottle gourd.
- Sprinkle turmeric powder and cook till sorakaya turns soft, keep aside and let it cool.
- Add tomato and spices mix in a blender and make a soft paste.
- Continue adding roasted sesame seeds and blend further.
- Add salt and mix well, transfer to another bowl and keep aside.
- Similarly, blend bottle gourd and mix this paste with the above.
- Heat 1 tbsp. oil, add ½ tbsp. mustard seeds, ¼ tbsp. cumin seeds and chana dal.
- Add urad dal and mix all ingredients.
- Continue adding dry red chilies, 1 tbsp. curry leaves and a pinch of hing.
- Mix well and add this temper to bottle gourd chutney or sorakaya pachadi.
That’s not moong dal urad dal
Thank you for your correction. It’s updated to urad dal.