Sorekayi Kootu | Sorekayi Masale Kootu | Lauki Masala Kootu
Author: 
Recipe type: Lunch
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4 people for lunch
 
Hot, spicy kootu with sorekayi/lauki
Ingredients
For Masala:
  • 1 Tsp edible coconut oil
  • 1 Tbsp dhania/coriander seeds
  • ½ Tsp jeera/cumin
  • 7-8 black peppercorn
  • ½ Tbsp raw rice (sona masuri variety or any regular rice used to make steamed rice)
  • ½ Tbsp chana dal/kadale beLe/gram dal
  • 2-3 Dry red chilli/sukha lal mirch
  • ¼ Tsp methi/menthya/fenugreek
  • A small crystal of hing or a pinch of powdered hing
  • 4-5 curry leaves/karibevu
  • ¼ Cup packed freshly grated coconut
For Kootu:
  • 300-350 Gm or ½ of medium sized lauki/sorekayi
  • ½ Cup toor dal/pigeon pea dal/togari beLe
  • ½ Tsp haldi/turmeric
  • A pinch of hing/asafoetida
  • Pulp of lemon sized ball of tamarind or ½ Tbsp tamarind paste
  • Small piece of jaggery/bella/gur (1/2 lemon sized)
  • Salt to taste
For Tadka/Tempering:
  • ½ Tbsp edible coconut oil
  • 1 Tsp urad dal/uddina beLe
  • A small pinch of hing
  • 3-4 curry leaves
  • ½ Tsp rai/mustard/saasuve
  • 2 Tbsp groundnuts/kadale beeja/shenga
Method
  1. Clean and wash toor dal atleast twice. Add 2½ to 3 Cups of water and pressure cook for 5-6 whistles or boil till soft and done
  2. While dal is cooking, prepare lauki. Peel and chop to ½" cubes or dices
  3. Boil sorekayi/lauki with water just covering them. Cover the pan and cook till sorekayi are just soft
  4. In a pan, heat coconut oil for making masala. Add all ingredients except grated coconut and curry leaves
  5. Fry masala till lightly golden on low-medium flame
  6. Add curry leaves and fry for a minute. Turn off heat and allow masala mixture to cool
  7. In a mixer grinder, add grated coconut
  8. Add cooled masala ingredients, add water as required and grind to a paste
  9. Mash dal lightly and keep aside
  10. To boiled sorekayi, add masala paste
  11. Add turmeric, jaggery, tamarind and mix well
  12. Add salt and mix well
  13. Add cooked dal into the sorekayi-masala mixture and mix well
  14. Let it come to a slow boil
  15. In a pan, heat coconut oil for tadka/vaggarne. Add mustard let it splutter
  16. Add urad dal and hing, fry till dal turns light golden
  17. Add groundnuts and fry till groundnuts lightly change colour and appear crispy. Add curry leaves and fry for a minute
  18. Pour this tadka over boiled kootu. Mix well
  19. Serve hot with steamed rice and some happala/sandige
Notes
Do not overcook sorekayi. Boil them outside till just soft. They will further cook with the dal when it is boiled

Adding rice along with the roasted spices gives a thick consistency to the kootu

Sunflower/Groundnut oil can also be used in place of coconut oil

The masala can be roasted previous day and ground with grated coconut next day to save time
Recipe by Food Of Interest at https://foodofinterest.com/sorekayi-kootu/