Sorakaya curry or anapakaya curry is a andhra style curry made with bottle gourd, tomatoes & spices. Sorakaya curry can be eaten with rice or chapati.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 cups bottle gourd (or sorakaya (peeled and chopped))
  • ¼ cup channa dal (or senaga pappu (optional))
  • 1 green chili (slit or chopped)
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 pinch hing (or asafoetida (optional))
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric (or haldi)
  • 1 large onion (chopped finely)
  • 1 large tomatoes (chopped finely)
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder
  • 2 to 4 tablespoon Coconut milk (or coconut (optional))
  • 2 tablespoon Oil (as needed)

Method

  1. Optional: If using chana dal soak it for at least 30 minutes in warm water. Drain and set aside.
  2. Pour oil to a hot pan. When the oil turns hot add mustard, cumin and curry leaves. Allow them to splutter. Then add hing.
  3. Add onions and green chilli. Fry until the onions turn golden. Then add tomatoes, salt and turmeric. Fry till the tomatoes break down and turn mushy. Then add the bottle gourd and fry for about 3 mins.
  4. Add chana dal (optional) & red chili powder. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour about ¼ to ½ half cup water. Cover and simmer till the chana dal is just cooked thoroughly. Do not over cook the dal. Or alternately you can pressure cook for 1 whistle.
  5. Taste the curry and add more salt if needed. Pour coconut milk or coconut if using. Mix well. If the curry is runny just evaporate the excess moisture by cooking on a slightly higher flame. Serve sorakaya curry with rice or chapati.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.