Nutritious and healthy Sorakkai kootu / bottlegourd kootu. This instant pot recipe of a classic South Indian dish is perfect with a cup of steaming hot rice or rotis!
What is a kootu?
Kootu is a classic South Indian dish which is basically a dal with lots of veggies and aromatic spices. Most of the kootu uses coconut, although there are some recipes which don’t use coconut as well. You could even call it a dal, but the texture of a kootu is more chunkier and thicker than a dal. Also the amount of veggies is usually more than what you would add in a dal.
Kootu has been an integral part of my childhood. Growing up we used to have this atleast 2 to 3 times a week, if not more. Every weekend, we would almost always have a full meal course which consists of Rasam, sambar/ vathal kuzhambu, kari/ vegetable stir fries and kootu.
I never had sorrakkai kootu growing up though. My parents said they did not eat bottlegourd in our family and so I never knew such a vegetable existed. But we did eat other types of kootu like chow chow kootu, cabbage kootu, snakegourd kootu etc. It was after my wedding and after I started cooking and doing grocery shopping by myself, I came across this vegetable and when I asked my parents why they never made this, they gave me a vague reason. But I bought it anyway and asked my mother in law if they ate it. She said they make it all the time at home! I found no reason to avoid this veggie, so I got the recipe from her and have made it several times since then.
What if I cant find bottle gourd/ sorakkai? Can I still make this?
Yes!! Veggies that would go well as a replacement are chayote squash ( chow chow), snake gourd ( podalangai ) , carrots and peas, cabbage, zucchini, yellow squash. You can also make this with a combination of these veggies.
Is there an alternative to moong dal in the recipe?
You can also make these with red lentils!
This sorakkai kootu recipe is a very healthy and comforting dish. You can serve this along side some rice / ghee or oil. It also goes well as a side dish for rotis. Sometimes when I am fasting or want to avoid rice/ wheat, I eat this as such like a soup. It is a complete meal by itself!
Check out the recipe in the recipe card below – INSTANT POT & PRESSURE COOKER recipe available.
Happy cooking!
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Healthy and nutritious South Indian style kootu recipe made with bottle gourd, moong dal, coconut and spices
- 2 cups chopped bottle gourd ( I chopped up 1 big bottle gourd)
-
1/3
cup
Moong Dal 
- 1/4 cup coconut grated
-
1/2
tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 green chillies or to taste (can substitute with dried red chilly)
-
1/2
tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp urad dal
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- dried red chilly broken in half (optional)
-
1/4
tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- salt to taste
- water as needed
- 11/2 tsp coconut oil
- 11/2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves chopped
-
Make a paste of the coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds by grinding it with 1/4 cup water. Set it aside.
-
Switch on the saute mode in your IP or any electric cooker. When it heats up, add the oil and mustard seeds, Wait for the mustard seeds to pop.
-
When its done, add the urad dal, curry leaves, dried red chilly, asafoetida and let everything sizzle.
-
Now add the chopped bottle gourd, turmeric, salt, 3 cups water. ( when you chop the bottle gourd/ sorakkai, you have to discard the middle part which contains the seeds especially if the vegetable is not tender)
-
Switch off the saute mode. Add the moong dal, ground coconut mixture, give everything a mix.
-
Close the lid and cook on manual for 6 minutes. Release pressure naturally.
-
Open up, mix everything well and serve garnished with some fresh coriander leaves and a drizlzle of coconut oil.
-
Make a paste of the coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds by grinding it with 1/4 cup water. Set it aside.
-
Heat your pressure cooker and add oil. When it becomes hot, add the tadka items – mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, dried red chilly, asafoetida and let the mustard seeds pop.
-
Add the chopped sorakkai, turmeric powder, salt, 3 cups water, coconut paste and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles. Release pressure naturally.
-
Serve this Instant Pot Sorakkai Kootu Recipe hot garnished with some coriander leaves and some coconut oil.
If you are using dried red chilly, instead of green chilly, roast it in little bit oil before grinding it along with the coconut. Makes it easier to grind.
I think 3 cups water for pressure cooker makes sense but not for instant pot 🤔
I put 3 cups now in dreading to open my instant pot 😬
It gives you a runny kootu. You can always reduce the quantity of water based on how you like yours.