Anapakaya Ava Kura is a flavor bomb of bottle gourd cooked with mustard, sesame, and fresh grated coconut, plus other spices! Everything comes together in this delicious Andhra dish that leaves you with a smile. Literally. And the best part is that it is not really a complex dish to cook.
Ava Kura (Mustard Curry)
Although the masala (sauce) in this dish has several ingredients, it is still named after mustard seeds. I believe this is because of the dominant, somewhat sharp flavor of blended mustard seeds. I love the aroma. My mom would use this sauce not just with bottle gourd but also with drumsticks, Malabar spinach and other vegetables. Check out our Drumstick (Moringa) Mustard Curry recipe which uses similar sauce ingredients.
Anapakaya (AKA Bottle Gourd, Lauki, Doodhi)
Because of its mild flavor and texture, bottle Gourd is one of my favorite gourds. It is super easy to cook with, versatile and takes on any flavors you add to it. And the best part is it is so healthy! Being very low in calories, it is a great vegetable for weight watchers. I have bottle-gourd based meals at least once or twice a week.
Here are some of our bottle gourd recipes you should check out:
- Bottle Gourd Fenugreek Curry
- Opo Squash Sesame Sauté
- Opo Squash Yellow Mung Curry
- Spicy Buttermilk Soup
Anapakaya Ava Kura
Undoubtedly, this is a kid-friendly recipe. It is flavorful, without being spicy. While mustard is the dominant flavor, the other ingredients complement this with a great texture and taste. I think this is a simple recipe, with just three steps. First is to prepare the curry sauce, second is tempering and the third is to cook the vegetable with the sauce. At the end of it all, you have a delicious dish to dish out.
Bottle gourd is a low-calorie vegetable, providing just 14 calories per 100 g. It is one of the vegetables recommended by dietitians in weight-control programs. Mustard had a host of health benefits, most important being that it helps lower cholesterol levels.
Andhra Recipes
Check out our unique collection of Andhra recipes here:
- Undrallu | Kudumulu Recipe
- Andhra Tomato Pappu
- Mango Dal (Mamidikaya Pappu)
- Dosavakaya: Raw Yellow Cucumber Pickle
- Malabar Spinach Chutney (Bachalakura Pacchadi)
- Opo Squash yellow Mung Curry (Aanapakaya Pappu Kura)
- Smoky Eggplant Chutney (Vankaya Iguru Pacchadi)
- Eggplant Potato Spicy Medley (Vankaya Bangaladumpa Mudda Kura)
- Tangy Stuffed Eggplant (Vankaya Ulli Kharam)
- Yellow Mung Detox Soup (Pesarakattu)
- Ridgegourd Curry Powder Sauté (Beerakaya Podi Kura)
- Cucumber Dal (Dosakaya Pappu)
- Raw Dosakaya Salad
- Indian Lime Pickle (Nimmakaya Pachadi)
- Easy Rasam Recipe (Chaaru)
- Pepper Rasam (Miriyala Chaaru)
- Garlicky Amaranth Curry (Thotakura Vellulli Kharam)
- Andhra Gongura Pappu – Sorrel Leaves Dal
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Anapakaya Ava Kura: Bottle Gourd Mustard-Sesame Curry
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Bottle Gourd - Peeled, small pieces
Ava Kura (Curry Sauce Blend)
- 2 Teaspoons Mustard Seeds
- 2 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds
- 1/2 Cup Coconut - Fresh, grated
- 1 Pepper Green Chili Pepper - (Optional)
- 1 Teaspoon Rice Flour
- 1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Tamarind - Paste
- 1/2 Tablespoon Jaggery - or Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt - or to taste
Tempering
- 1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 8-10 Leaves Curry Leaves
- 1/2 Pepper Dry Red Chili
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Urad Dal
Instructions
- In preparation for the curry sauce, get the following ingredients ready: mustard seeds, sesame seeds, rice flour, green chili pepper, fresh coconut, salt, turmeric, tamarind and jaggery.
- Blend to a course paste. Add about 1/8th cup of water before finishing up.
- Set sauce aside in a bowl.
- Set Instant Pot (IP) to sauté mode and add oil. When the 'hot' sign comes up, add tempering ingredients (dry red chili, curry leaves, urad dal, cumin and mustard seeds). Mustard and cumin seeds will crackle shortly. Now add peeled and cut bottle gourd and stir for a minute.
- Add 1/8th cup of water, set lid, and set IP on 'steam' mode for 2 minutes. Allow for natural release and remove lid.
- Now set IP back on 'sauté' mode, add sauce and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Serve hot with Healthy Mung-Radish Greens Dal, steamed brown rice an papadam.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Nostalgic for my Amma’s cooking! Good and authentic Andhra recipes, thanks. Please add urad dal with quantity to the list of tempering ingredients, for the sake of completeness. Best wishes.
Thanks for catching the urad dal. It has been fixed. So glad this dish brought nostalgia for your mother’s cooking.