Sorakaya Podupu Koora

Ingredients:

• Sorakaya (Bottle Gourd) - Big - 1
• Salt - As desired
• Oil - To deep fry the vegetable pieces
• Sompu - 1/4 tea spoon
• Jeera Seeds - 1/4 tea spoon
• Chakka - 1 to 2 pieces
• Cloves - 5 to 6
• Onions - 2 - medium - Sliced
• Tomatoes - 2 - medium - Finely chopped
• Green chillies - 2 - Make a slit in the middle
• Garlic - 5 to 7 pieces
• Ginger - a medium size piece
• Curry leaves - 1 stem
• Coriander - As required 
• Cashew nuts- 6 to 7
• Chilli powder - 2 tea spoons
• Dhaniya powder - 2 1/2 tea spoons
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Tea spoon
• Garam Masala Powder - 1 tea spoon

Procedure for piercing the Bottle Gourd:

• The speciality of the dish lies in its making procedure itself. The term "Podupu" means we completely pierce the Bottle Gourd and remove the water from it. Later on the making procedure follows.
• Take 1 big bottle Gourd and pierce it completely and deeply with out any gap with the help of a blunt needle or screw driver. You could see water oozes out of the vegetable through the minute holes which we made with the help of the screw driver. 
• Once this is done, coat the vegetable with salt, so that the water will come out completely. If possible put some weight on it after coating with salt and place it in a plate or vessel. After an hour we could see the water comes out completely. Later on cut the bottle gourd into medium size pieces, squeeze them and now this is ready for making curry. The entire process takes time, so make this ready the day before you cook this dish and refrigerate the chopped and squeezed bottle gourd pieces in an air-tight box.

Procedure for making curry with pierced bottle gourd pieces:

• Heat oil in a pan for deep fry, just squeeze the chopped bottle guard pieces and deep fry them till they turn light brown and put them aside.
• Meanwhile, prepare masala. Take sliced onions, ginger, garlic, cashew nuts, corriander and grind the ingredients well as a fine paste.
• Now heat pan with  5 to 6 tea spoons of oil. Add sompu, jeera seeds, cloves, chakka, finely chopped tomatoes, curry leaves, green chillies and fry them well.
• Later on add the paste which has been grounded already. Add chilli powder, Dhaniya Powder, Turmeric Powder, Garam Masala Powder and stir the mixture till the oil comes out of masala and also the masala should leave the borders of the pan.
• Later on add the bottle gourd pieces which have been already fried and kept aside.
• Care should be taken while adding salt, as we already coat the bottle gourd with salt in the piercing procedure. Add salt based on your taste and allow the pieces to  boil along with masala, till the gravy turns thick.
• Serves as a great combination with hot steamed rice.