Bottle Gourd Masala

Anapakaya Masala.

Bottle gourd / lauki is chopped up and boiled in sufficient water or steamed till soft and whole. A masala paste is prepared from roasted spices and onion. Bottle gourd is finally cooked in the masala paste till it absorbs all the flavors. Serve bottle gourd masala with roti or with plain steamed rice and dollop of ghee.
Makes: around 4 Servings of Bottle Gourd Masala.

Ingredients:

• Bottle Gourd 3 Cups (Chopped)
• Onion 1 Small
• Tamarind 2 inch Piece
• Turmeric Powder a Pinch
• Curry Leaves a Few
• Salt to taste

Masala:

Mustard Seeds 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal 1/2 tsp
Coriander Seeds 1 Tbsp
Whole Dried Red Chiles 3 – 4
Oil 2 tsps

Method of preparation:

Soak tamarind in quarter cup of warm water and extract all the juice discarding the veins.
Break the red chiles into pieces and discard some of the seeds.
Peel, remove ends and chop the bottle gourd.
Boil the bottle gourd in around 2 cups of water till its just soft while still holding its shape.

Heat a tsp of oil in a pan, add all masala ingredients in order.
When the color of the red chiles change color and the mixture becomes aromatic, remove the masala from heat.
In the same pan, add another tsp of oil and chopped onion and fry till its translucent.

Grind the masala ingredients into fine powder using a spice blender.
Then add the onion to the powder along with tamarind extract and salt.
Grind the mixture into smooth paste and remove from the blender.

Heat a pan on medium heat, add boiled bottle gourd, ground masala paste, curry leaves, turmeric powder and salt if required.
Add around quarter cup of water if the water left from boiled bottle gourd is not enough.
Cook the bottle gourd for around 5 minutes till it absorbs all the flavors.
Serve bottle gourd masala with roti or chapati or with steamed rice and dollop of ghee.
Notes: Make sure bottle gourd is cooked properly.

Suggestions: If the bottle gourd is very young and tender, skip the boiling step and cook the bottle gourd in the masala paste directly. Cook the bottle gourd in the masala till the bottle gourd is very soft and whole. Don’t overcook the masala paste. Add few pinches of red chile powder for more heat.
Variations: Check out other bottle gourd recipes here.
Other Names: Bottle Gourd Masala, Sorakaya Masala, Anapakaya Masala