Anapakai pulusu| sorakai | bottle gourd stew is an Andhra recipe that makes a meal wholesome. Stir fried with curry powder and simmered in tamarind juice till it’s soft and juicy, this pulusu|stew is an interesting, simple and homely food that you must have tasted sometime back in your moms/grandma’s kitchen.

It’s been long since I had it and somehow the tangy and soft bottle gourds taste crossed my mind and left me drooling for it. You must have guessed already, yes, that is exactly what I cooked for lunch the next day. And here we go with the recipe helping you how to make Anapakai Pulusu.

Ingredients to make Anapakai pulusu| sorakai | bottle gourd stew.

Mustard seeds: 1/2 a teaspoon
cumin seeds: 1/2 a teaspoon
Chana dal: 1/2 a teaspoon
Curry leaves: few
Dry red chili: 2
Asafoetida: 1/4 of a teaspoon
Green chili: 1 split
Bottle gourd: cubed one bowl
Turmeric: 1/4 of a teaspoon
salt: to taste
curry powder: 1 and a 1/2 teaspoon
sugar: 1 teaspoon
Tamrind juice: One cup
Coriander leaves: few

Method to make Anapakai Pulusu:

Take a pan, heat some oil and add mustard seeds, cumin, chana dal, asafoetida and let the tampering pop.

To the tampering now add curry leaves, dry red chili and split green chili and cook for few seconds.

To the tampering now add the washed, peeled and cubed bottle gourd followed by some turmeric powder and red chili powder. You can also add the turmeric, red chili powder in the hot oil, this gives a great colour to the dish. Once done add a bit of salt and cover the pan with a lid and cook for 2 minutes.

Add in the curry powder and cook for few seconds. Meanwhile, prepare the tamarind juice.

Once the bottle gourd looks transparent add in the tamarind juice. Cover and cook till it reaches the required consistency. Finish off by adding a spoon of sugar.

Fear not if you are not a fan of sweet recipes since you won’t taste any sweetness as a result of the added sugar. The sugar just neutralises the sourness of the tamarind juice and enhances the colour of the whole recipe.