Bottle Gourd Rice/Sorakkai Rice/Lauki Rice

Bottle Gourd (Sorakkai) is a vegetable used in Indian cooking. We can make Sweet and savory dishes with this vegetable like Dal, Kootu, Korma, Kheer, Halwa etc. This vegetable has many health benefits. It helps in digestion, controls urinary tract infection etc. The juice helps in controlling thirst, sweating etc.

Since I had cooked Rice in the fridge from an earlier meal, I could make this dish in minutes. It turned out to be a very tasty rice dish.

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice – 4 cups

Bottle Gourd – 300 Gms (peeled and grated)

Boiled Fresh or frozen Green Peas – ½ cup

Boiled Moong Dal – ½ cup (must be soft, not mashed)

Oil – 3 tbsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Urad Dal – 2 tsp

Finely Chopped Garlic – 1 tbsp

Grated Ginger – 1 tsp

Large Onion – 1 (sliced)

Curry Leaves – from 1 twig

Asafoetida – 1 pinch

Green Chilli – 2 (slitted)

Green Chilli – 2 (finely chopped)

Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves – 2 tsp

Method:

Heat the Oil in a pan. Add Mustard Seeds and Urad Dal. Let the Mustard crackle and allow the Dal to turn pink. Add Ginger, Garlic, sliced Onion, Curry Leaves and sliced Green Chillies.

Stir fry them for a couple of minutes in medium flame. Add the grated Sorakkai (Bottle Gourd) and Salt. Mix well. Stir cook for 6 to 8 minutes till the Bottle Gourd is properly cooked.

Add the boiled Green Peas and Moong Dal. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the boiled Rice. Mix and adjust salt. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes in low flame.

Add Coriander Leaves, Lemon Juice and mix well.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve hot.