Thootla Pulusu

This dish is a traditional bottle gourd dish from the Godavari Dist. of Andhra Pradesh. I learnt this dish from my DH's paternal grandmother. She is an amazing cook, what ever she makes turns out delicious. Even a simple dish turns delicious maybe that's the magic of grandmother's hand. So today am sharing this authentic recipe with everyone. One important thing is the bottle gourd has to be very tender only then the real taste of this recipe will come out. Thootlu means holes in telugu , as we poke holes into the bottle gourd this dish dish is called thootla pulusu.

INGREDIENTS:
Bottle Gourd - 2 cups (big chunks)
Onion- 1 large
Ginger Garlic Paste- 1 tbsp 
Coriander seeds - 1tsp
Jeera - 1tbsp
Cinnamon- 1" piece
Cloves - 2
Milk - 4-5tbsp
Tamarind juice - 4-5 tbsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Red Chilly powder - 1-2tbsp (please adjust acc to taste , i added 2 tbsp). 
Oil- 5-6 tbsp

METHOD:
-Take the bottle gourd and fork and poke holes into the bottle gourd.These holes help the flavors penetrate the gourd well.
-In a mixer take the cinnamon , cloves , coriander seeds , jeera , ginger garlic paste and grind to a fine paste, finally add the onions and grind once again to a smooth paste.
-Take a pressure cooker , heat oil , add the left over jeera and curry leaves , fry for 1 min.
-Add the onion paste, add the salt and turmeric and cook till raw smell goes.Add the red chilli powder and cook for a further 2-3 min.If the mixture goes dry add 1-2 tbsp of water.
-Now add the bottle gourd pieces, mix well and cook for 5 min.
-Add the milk and tamarind juice and little water.Let the curry come to a boil.
-Close the lid and wait for 2 whistles.
-After the pressure is down open and serve with rice.