Sorakaya Pachadi ( Bottle Gourd Chutney)

Sorakaya Pachadi is a spicy, hot and tangy Andhra style bottle gourd chutney. Pachadi translates to something crushed and here sautéed bottle gourd is crushed with cumin seeds, garlic, chilies, lentils and tamarind. It is finished with a tempering of cumin, mustard seeds, garlic, red chilies, hing and curry leaves for a flavor packed dish.

About Sorakaya Pachadi

This Sorakaya Pachadi is a nutrition packed side and is a staple in the Telugu speaking households and restaurants. Our traditional meal is incomplete without a fresh roti pachadi (chutney made in a mortar pestle) on the side. Mixed with hot rice and ghee, it’s a delight to the taste buds.

Sorakaya is the Telugu word for Bottle gourd. Though they are not a squash they are known as opo squash and the longer variety are known as long melon. In Hindi these are known as lauki and used to make numerous dishes like Lauki sabzi (curry), Stir fry Bottle Gourd curry, parathas and Sorakkai Kootu.

The next time you are too bored with a lauki sabzi or stir fry, try out this recipe and I am sure you will love it. Though traditionally this was made using a stone mortar pestle, you can make it using a mixer/grinder or a blender.

Unlike the other kind of Indian chutney, this is not made super fine or smooth. A slight coarse texture is desired and you can easily get that by pulsing the ingredients in your blender. You can make a small batch of this and serve it for a couple of days. I reheat it in the IP for a few minutes but it can be done on the stovetop in a pan. This sorakaya pachadi can be eaten with rice, dosa, chapati or roti.

Make sure you use a tender and firm bottle gourd. Avoid using old/ mature veggie with plenty of seeds as they can taste bitter. I use a small amount of white sesame seeds here, you may omit them if you do not have.

Photo Guide

Step by step Instructions

1. Dry roast red chilies, chana dal and urad dal to golden and aromatic. To the same pan, add sesame seeds and cumin. Roast until the sesame seeds begin to splutter. Transfer to a wide plate and cool.

2. Add a tsp of oil to the same pan, fry green chilies and garlic or ginger until the chilies are blistered. Remove to a plate. Add the peeled and chopped bottle gourd. Saute on a high flame for 3 to 4 mins. Cover and cook until they turn completely soft and lose the raw flavor. I have sauteed the gourd and tomatoes separately but if you want, you can do them together.

3. Transfer the cooled dal to the chutney jar and move the bottle gourd to the plate.

4. If you don’t like to use tomato, you can omit this step. Add chopped tomato to the pan and sprinkle turmeric and salt. Saute till the tomatoes turn completely mushy. Move this to the plate and cool down.

5. Powder the dal to a fine powder.

6. Scrape off the sides and add cooled bottle gourd, tomato, green chilies, and ginger/ garlic.

7. Grind to a coarse chutney. Heat oil in the same pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, broken red chili, crushed garlic and curry leaves (pat dry to avoid splatters). When the dal turns golden, turn off the heat. Add hing, tamarind paste and the sorakaya pachadi. Mix well and taste test to adjust salt and tamarind. If you want you may add 1 tablespoon coriander leaves but they are not used traditionally.

Serve sorakaya pachadi with rice and ghee or with dosa , chapathi.

Expert Tips

• You can substitute green chilies with red chilies and ginger with garlic. Using 2 kinds of chilies impart better flavors. If you want you may use only red or only green.
• If you want you may add tamarind at the time of grinding.
• I prefer not to cook down the lentils with veggies because the nutty flavor is lost. But if you want, you may saute and cook down all the ingredients together.

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