Bottle Gourd Lentil Curry/Sorakkai Poricha Kozhambu

Poricha in Tamil means fried. So, when you fry a few items and make a Kozhambu (Gravy), you can call it as Poricha Kozhambu. The dish which we are going to see here is a traditional recipe from the Tirunelveli region of Tamilnadu.

There are two distinct types of this recipe – one is with Dal and another without any Dal. My mother used to make this with different vegetables. The Oil used in this recipe is in general Coconut Oil which gives a distinct flavor to this dish. This Kozhambu goes well with steamed Rice.

Ingredients:

Bottle Gourd – 300 Gms

Moong Dal – 1/3 cup

Drum Stick – 2 (cut into 2 inch long pieces

Tomato – 1 (finely chopped)

Peanuts – 2 tbsp

Turmeric Powder – 1 pinch

Red Chilli Powder – ¾ tsp

Salt to taste

To Grind:

Grated Coconut – ¼ cup

Cumin Seeds- ½ tsp

For Tempering:

Coconut Oil – 1 tbsp

Mustard Seed – 1 tsp

Onion (medium sized) – 1 (finely chopped)

Curry Leaves – from 1 twig

Method:

Wash the Moong Dal. Pressure cook it with a cup of water and a pinch of Turmeric Powder. Keep aside.

Cut the edges of the Bottle Gourd. Peel the skin of the Bottle Gourd and discard. Cut the Bottle Gourd into two or four pieces. If there are seeds, scoop them out along with the spongy portion in the middle and discard.  Now, cut the Bottle Gourd into cubes.

Grind the Coconut and Cumin seeds together into a fine paste with little water. Keep aside.

Take the Bottle Gourd pieces in a vessel. Add Tomato, drum stick, Pea Nuts, Turmeric Powder, Salt and Chilli Powder.

Add 2 to 3 cups of water. Cook them till the vegetables become soft.

Add the cooked Dal. Mix and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes in medium flame.

Add the ground Coconut paste. Mix well. Adjust Salt. Simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes.

In the meanwhile, heat the Coconut Oil in a pan. Add Mustard Seed and allow them to crackle.  Add Onion and Curry leaves.

Stir fry and transfer to the simmering Kozhambu.

Serve hot with steamed Rice.

Notes:

You can also use Brinjal, Drumstick, and Broad Beans etc. for this recipe.