Wash dal and add 1 ½ cups water to a pressure cooker or a pot.

Wash and peel the skin off from sorakaya. Cube them. Add them to the cooker or pot. If you wish you can add green chilies too.

On a medium flame, pressure cook for 2 whistles if cooking directly in the cooker or for 3 to 4 whistles, if you are cooking in a bowl and placing it in the cooker. The dal and bottle gourd has to be cooked until soft.

When the pressure goes off, add salt and mash the dal with the back of the ladle. Set aside.

While the dal cooks soak tamarind in ¼ cup hot water. Squeeze the tamarind pulp. Set this aside.

Heat a pan with ghee or oil. Add mustard, cumin and red chili.

When they splutter, add grated ginger, crushed garlic, green chili and then the curry leaves. Fry till you begin to get a good aroma.

Add hing and turmeric.

Pour the tamarind water to a filter and add it to the pan. If you don’t mind you can add the pulp as it is. Let it begin to bubble.

Pour this to the mashed dal. Stir well. Turn off the heat.

Serve sorakaya pappu with rice or roti.