Sorakaya Pulusu Recipe - Anapakaya Pulusu andhra Style - Bottle Gourd Recipe

Sorakaya Pulusu Recipe. Sorakaya/Anapakaya/Lauki in english is called bottle gourd and Pulusu means mild flavoured tamarind juice brewed along with some spices. Also referred as Anapakaya Pulusu. 

I love south indian bottle gourd recipes  a lot and this Sorakaya Pulusu recipe is one of my favourite.

I love the aromas coming out of the pan when it is brewed. Steamed Rice, Dal Tadka and this Bottle gourd in Tamarind Gravy tastes heavenly. Bottle gourd pieces nicely cooked in tangy tamarind gravy will be soft, juicy and yummy. 


There are many other stew recipes using different vegetables such as Bendakaya Pulusu using Ladies Fingers, Yam Pulusu using Yam, Mukkala Pulusu i.e. pieces such as carrot pieces, Potato, Sweet Potato pieces, Brinjal Pieces etc. Forgot to mention two more tasty recipes, Egg Pulusu and Onion Pulusu.

Sorakaya Pulusu Recipe - Ingredients

1. Bottle gourd (Lauki or Sorakaya) - 250 gms (Peel skin, Chop to 1 inch pieces,
remove seeds and gooey part on each piece)
2. Onion - 1 Large (Slice vertically)
3. Tomatoes - 2 Medium sized (Slice vertically)
4. Green Chillies - 4
5. Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
6. Spring Onion Leaves - 2 to 3 sprigs (Finely chopped)
7. Coriander Leaves - 5 to 6 sprigs (Finely chopped)
8. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
9. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
10. Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp
11. Tamarind - A big lemon sized
12. Garlic Pods - 6
13. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
14. Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
15. Coriander Powder - 3/4 tsp
16. Salt - To Taste
17. Fenugreek Powder - 1/4 tsp
18. Hing - 1/2 tsp
19. Oil - 3 to 4 tbsps
20. Water - 1 n 1/2 glass (To soak tamarind)

Procedure: 

How to Prepare Anapakaya Pulusu andhra Style

1. Wash and soak tamarind in water for 1/2 hour
2. After 1/2 hour, squeeze and extract thick tamarind juice and keep aside
3. Heat oil in a pan, when oil is hot add mustard, fenugreek seeds
4. Crush garlic pods and cumin seeds together, add this too
5. Now add green chilli, onion pieces, spring onion leaves fry till onion pieces turn
transparant
6. Add Fenugreek powder, hing, add Bottle gourd pieces, cover and cook for 5 minutes
till they become soft and tender
7. Now add tomato pieces, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and mix, cover and cook for 2 minutes till tomatoes become soft and gooey
8. Now add tamarind juice, curry leaves along with their sprigs, finely chopped coriander leaves, mix once, cover and cook on medium flame for 10 minutes
9. Keep stirring meanwhile, after 10 minutes, switch off the flame and your tangy recipe is ready.

 

Bottle Gourd Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits:

 

- Rich in fibre and is a low calorie veggie. 14 Calories per 100 gms
- Aids in digestion and acidity
- Helps in hypertension, liver diseases, weight loss and Grey hair
- Treats Urinary disorders


Things you should know:

1. 1 large onion should be added for pulusu as it gives a nice creamy texture
2. Tamarind juice should be thicker. For pachi pulusu we use only small jujube sized tamarind soaked in 1 glass water and we get thinner juice. Whereas for pulusu we used 1 big lemon sized tamarind soaked in the same amount of water i.e. 1 glass to get thick juice.
3. Adding Fenugreek seeds and fenugreek powder give a nice taste and refreshing aroma to the recipe
4. For Pulusu, sambar, pachi pulusu and Dals we use only crushed garlic not ginger and garlic paste. Ginger n garlic paste is used for curries, gravies, Frys, some sort of flavoured rice varieties and all non-veg recipes
5. Adding curry leaf sprigs while it is boiling gives a nice flavour to the recipe, this is also a point to be noted while preparing these recipes. You can remove these sprigs later while eating

Sorakaya Pulusu or Anapakaya Pulusu is ready to serve, you can serve it with steaming hot rice and any dhal of your choice.

Read more Dhal recipes:

   Gangavalli Kura Pappu
   Methi Pesarapappu or Methi Moong Dal
  

How to make Kasuri Methi at home, Methi Leaves Nutrition Facts

Making kasuri Methi at home is very simple and easy to store. Methi leaves nutrition is very good for health. Kasoori Methi Powder which is available in markets is nothing but dried fenugreek leaves. Let us know the difference between methi and kasuri methi, methi leaves are cooked by itself as a vegetable or can be mixed with others vegetables or moong dal, where as this methi powder is used for seasoning to enhance the flavor generally used in north indian recipes.

It is most commonly used in gravy recipes. It gives a nice flavor and
aroma to the recipe and also gives a restaurant like look and feel. Kasoori Methi is crushed in palm and added to the recipes which mostly contain milk cream as one of the ingredient.

I have shown sun dried procedure. You can wash, pat dry and roast the leaves to make the instant version. But sun dried version stays for longer time.

Methi Leaves Nutrition facts

Methi leaves are rich in vitamins and minerals includes carbohydrates, protein, calcium, iron. As it is rich source of calcium it is good for arthritis and iron is good for treating anemic condition.

 

Methi in pregnancy

Good for lactating mothers as it increases breast milk production. Reduces labour pain, but caution, excess intake may cause miscarriage or premature child birth. Include this veggie in diet as its is good source of iron because women are more prone to iron deficiency during pregnancy

How to make Kasuri Methi at home - Procedure

(Makes: 50 gms of Powder)

1. Take 10 small bunches of Fenugreek Leaves
2. Wash and spread mint leaves along with stems in a plate
3. Put the plate in sunlight for 1 or 2 days
4. The leaves should become very crisp because of the hot sunlight
5. Now crush the mint leaves along with their stems using your hands and store them in
an air tight container

Also try this recipe:
Methi Moong Dal - Fenugreek Leaves with Green gram

Kasuri methi recipes:

We can also make parathas and puris using this Methi powder. 
It is also used in many recipes like Methi Matar Malai, Methi Chicken, Methi Paneer, Aloo Methi etc.