Sorakaaya Pachadi / Andhra Style Bottle Gourd Chutney

Today's condiment is yet another chutney prepared with sorakaya / bottle gourd, Andhra style which is delicious. This is the base recipe I use for most of my chutneys, which is delicious and borrowed from my maternal grandmother's kitchen. One can easily substitute other vegetables (that are usually used in a chutney preparation) like radish, tomato for bottle gourd in the recipe. This style of chutney is usually served as part of a lunch / dinner rather than as an accompaniment to breakfast dishes. It is eaten as first course served with rice and a drizzle of ghee and tastes similar to ridge gourd and chayote chutneys.

Obviously, this is a vegetable based chutney and is vegan. The amount of green chilis used in the recipe depends upon the spiciness preferred in the chutney and how hot the chilis being used are. Add more chilis to the pan than you think are needed if not sure about the heat of the chilies being used. Start with few chilis while grinding the chutney, taste and add extar if needed. A little bit of jaggery can be used in the recipe if preferred. Sometimes I add a pinch of stevia to the recipe. 

Ingredients:

2 cups peeled and chopped bottle gourd 
2 tbsp. oil
2 tsp. skinned black gram / urad dal 

1 tsp. mustard seeds

A pinch of fenugreek seeds (optional)

2 pinches of asafoetida powder

Roughly chopped green chilis as needed (I used 2 spicy ones.)

1/2 tsp. sized tamarind ball

2 pinches of turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp. jaggery (optional and I didn't use.) 

Directions:

* Peel and cube the bottle gourd. Discard the seeds if mature.

* Heat oil in a pan  and add black gram and mustard seeds. When black gram starts to turn golden brown, add fenugreek seeds and stir until they start to change the color. Next add asafoetida and green chilis. Stir for few seconds.

* Then add the chopped bottle gourd cubes, turmeric, tamarind and salt to the pan and stir well.

* Cover and cook on low flame, until done. Stir once or twice in between.

* Turn off the stove when done and let the mixture cool down. Grind the bottle gourd mixture coarsely.

* Transfer the ground chutney to a bowl and serve as a side dish to rice. Leftover chutney can be refrigerated and used within a couple of days.

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon with the theme 'Condiments'. Check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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