Sorakkai Kootu is a South Indian dish that goes well with rice and roti. It is a healthy food, suitable for kid’s lunchboxes, protein-rich food for vegetarians. It can be given to babies over 9 months with mashed rice, it is a side dish to kara kuzhambu and thogayal varieties. I used a pressure cooker for this dish, you can use a pressure cooker or a regular pan.

Notes

• In this same method, you can replace bottle gourd with cucumber, snake gourd, chow chow, and pumpkin, to prepare kootu.
• Remove the skin of sorakkai, then cut it into small pieces.
• You can cook it in a pressure cooker or pot, it is recommended to use a pressure cooker to make it faster.
• I added cooked dal with sorakkai, you can cook lentils directly with vegetables.
• I used moong dal to make this kootu and instead of moong dal, you can use toor dal or mixture and toor dal and moong dal can be used. If toor dal is used, need to cook it separately.
• When grinding coconut paste it is optional to add roasted gram.

Other varieties – Cabbage Kootu, Keerai Kootu, Drumstick leaves Kootu

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Suraikkai Kootu

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

Sorakkai Kootu is a South Indian dish that goes well with rice and roti. It is a healthy food, suitable for kid's lunchboxes, protein-rich food for vegetarians. It can be given to babies over 9 months with mashed rice, it is a side dish to kara kuzhambu and thogayal varieties. I used a pressure cooker for this dish, you can use a pressure cooker or a regular pan.

Course: lunch

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: sorakkai kootu, bottle gourd kootu

Author: Sivagami Meganathan

Ingredients

• 300 grams Bottle gourd
• 1/4 cup Moong dal
• 1 Onion
• 1 tsp Oil
• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
• Few Curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp Urad dal
• 2 Red chillis
• 1 pinch Turmeric powder
• 1 pinch Asafoetida
• salt as needed

To Grind

• 4 tsp Grated coconut
• 2 tsp Fried gram
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

Instructions

1. Wash and cook the toor dal.

2. Peel the bottle gourd and cut it into small pieces.

3. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a  pressure pan. Add mustard seeds, when it splutters add urad dal, curry leaves, red chillis, and asafoetida.

4. Add the onions, saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until it becomes translucent.

5. Add bottle gourd, saute for a minute.

6. Add salt and turmeric powder, mix everything well.

7. Add cooked dal, bring it to a boil.

8. Cook covered for 15 minutes or pressure cook for 1 whistle.

9. Meanwhile, in a mixer jar, add grated coconut, roasted gram, and cumin seeds and grind a smooth paste with a little water.

10. Once the pressure is released, add the ground paste, cook for a minute and turn off the flame.

11. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Method

Step by Step Pictures

1. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pressure cooker. Add mustard seeds, when it splutters add urad dal, curry leaves, red chillis, and asafoetida.

2. Add onions, saute for 2 to 3 minutes, or until translucent.

3. Add bottle gourd, saute for a minute.

4. Add salt and turmeric powder, mix everything well.

5. Add cooked dal, bring it to a  boil.

6. Cook covered for 15 minutes or pressure cook for 1 whistle.

7. Meanwhile, in a mixer jar, add grated coconut, roasted gram, and cumin seeds.

8. Grind it as a smooth paste with little water.

9. Once the pressure is released, add the ground paste and cook for 2 minutes.

10. Serve hot with rice or roti.