Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney: Stop!!! Save the Peels

Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney

“Can you guess what’s in it?”

There she was, my Amma, with a twinkle in her eyes and as excited as a little girl of five who just found next best thing to sliced bread!

“Oh, ho… Oh, no! Here comes trouble”, we all thought.

“Common. Don’t sit there like some statutes. Try some and take a guess”, she cajoled.

“Err… I don’t think I have any space left in my stomach, darling. Look at it, it is ready to burst at any time”, coaxed sweetly my Appa.

“Oh, you still have little rice left on your plate. Try it with that”, came back the reply from Amma with good measure of fire added to it.

While their parents were arguing, err, talking, the three brats tried to slip away quietly on tip toes, hoping against hope that their absence will go unnoticed by their mother!!! What were they thinking? No, seriously!!! What were they really thinking?

“And you three, where you think you are sneaking off? Come back and sit in your chairs NOW”, said Amma without batting her eyelashes.

Kids sighed and came back to dining table with dropped shoulders. They knew it was a day to become a guinea pig to their mother’s new recipe. They look at their dad’s face and realise there no excuse is going to work. Slowly they dip there finger to plate, take small pea sized paste and cautiously put it in their mouth. And then suddenly the taste buds start dancing to new burst of flavour which they never experienced before! With in few minutes the plate is licked clean and all four at table are pleading for more for this new tantalising and seriously addictive dish that Amma whipped…

Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney with Garlic Tadka

And that, my friends, was my first encounter with spicy and, at the same time, seriously addictive Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney. One small lick of it and I was its slave for life! who would have thunk that what is usually called a ‘waste’ and is discarded without any thought can be used in whipping up one of the best tasting chutneys?

Yes, I call this Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney a mother of all chutneys. I love the way the bottle gourd peels blend so well with the spices, tamarind and coconut to produce superb tasting chutney that goes well with almost everything! Serve it with a bowl of Ganji/Kanji (Rosematta rice porridge) topped with dollop of Ghee or along with chapatti or dosa or Idli or even as a spread for your breads, it lends its own unique tastes to every dish it touches.

Bottle Gourd peels for Chutney

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Sorekai/Lauki/Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney (Spicy Chutney made using Bottle Gourd Peels and sweet Coconut)
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Makes: About 1½ cups Chutney
Spice Level: Medium to Hot
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner
Recipe Source: Amma
Serving Suggestion: With Ganji/Kanji (Rice Porridge) & Ghee or with any Rice topped with Ghee/Chapatti/Dosa/Idli or even as a spread to Bread/Toast

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Ingredients:
1 medium Bottle Gourd Peels, cut into 1 inch pieces (about ¾ cups)
1 cup grated Coconut, fresh/frozen
1 small marble sized Tamarind Pulp
½ tsp Jaggery/Cane Sugar (Optional)
Salt to taste

For Spice Mix:
1 tbsp Kottambari/Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
4-6 mild dry Red Chillies (I used Byadagi. You can also use Kashmiri Chillies or any other mildly spiced chillies, adjust acc to taste)
½ tbsp Urad Dal
1 tbsp Oil


For Tadka/Tempering:
3 large cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1-2 dry Red Chillies, broken
Few Curry Leaves
A pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
½ tbsp Oil (preferably Coconut oil)

Roasted Spices for Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney

Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney

Method:

Cook bottle gourd peels along with tamarind pulp, jaggery and salt to taste with just enough water. It should take around 5 minutes for it to cook properly.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan and roast all the ingredients listed under spice mix till they turn light golden in colour, about 2-3 mins, on medium to low flame.

Once the bottle gourd peels are cooked, keep it away for few minutes for them to cool slightly. Once they are cooled transfer them to mixer grinder along with roasted spices, salt to taste and grated coconut. Grind the whole mix to smooth paste by adding little water at time.

Transfer the ground paste to a bowl and adjust the seasoning. And also add little more water depending on the consistency of chutney.

Next heat oil in a pan and add sliced garlic pieces to it. When they turn light golden, add all other tadka/tempering ingredients one by one. When mustard seeds starts to pop and crackle, transfer them to Chutney and mix them well.

Serve this delicious, spicy Sorekai/Lauki/Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney with Kanji/Ganji topped with a dollop of Ghee or with just plain rice/Indian flat breads/Dosa/Idli.

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Sia's Notes:

• You can use Ridge gourd peels in place of Bottle gourd peels for another variation for this delicious chutney.