Bottle Gourd with Mustard Seeds

Ava Pettina Anapakaya.

Bottle gourd / lauki is chopped up and boiled in sufficient water or steamed till soft and whole. Oil is tempered with spices and bottle gourd is briefly cooked in freshly prepared mustard seeds and red chile paste. Serve bottle gourd with mustard seeds over plain steamed rice and dollop of ghee.
Makes: around 3 Servings of Bottle Gourd with Mustard Seeds.

Ingredients:

• Bottle Gourd 2 Cups (Chopped)
• Whole Red Chiles 2 – 3
• Mustard Seeds 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder a Pinch
• Salt to taste

Talimpu:

• Mustard Seeds 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida a pinch
• Curry Leaves 5
• Oil 1 tsp

Method of preparation:

Soak red chiles in few tablespoons of warm water and keep aside.
Peel, remove ends and chop the bottle gourd.
Boil the bottle gourd in a cup of water till its tender while still holding its shape.
Just before removing the bottle gourd from heat, add sufficient salt and let it boil for another minute.

Using a mortar and pestle, grind the mustard seeds with few drops of oil into paste and add the red chiles and grind again into coarse paste.
Alternatively, use a spice grinder to first grind the mustard seeds with a pinch of salt into fine powder.
Then add the soaked red chiles and grind again into coarse paste.

Heat oil in a pan, add all talimpu ingredients in order.
When mustard seeds start spluttering, add boiled bottle gourd, ground mustard seeds red chile paste, turmeric powder and salt.
Cook till most of the moisture is gone and bottle gourd pieces are soft and whole.
Serve bottle gourd with mustard seeds with steamed rice and dollop of ghee.
Notes: Make sure bottle gourd is cooked properly.

Suggestions: If the bottle gourd is not cooked properly, cook covered on low flame with a splash of water till done.
Variations: Using a mortar and pestle to grind the mustard seeds results in a better texture of the hot mustard paste.
Other Names: Bottle Gourd with Mustard Seeds, Sorakaya Ava Pettina Kura, Anapakaya Ava Petti.