Chop bottle gourd into one inch pieces.

Soak cowpeas (thattaipayaru) for an hour.

Pressure cook for 4 or 5 whistles until cooked soft. No need to cook them mushy and overcooked thattaipayaru may lose its shape. Hence cook accordingly.

Grind the coconut, fried gram and jeera seeds into a fine paste. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard and jeera seeds.

Let the seeds splutter and add chopped onions and curry leaves.

When onions turn transparent, add chopped tomato and cook until they become soft.

Now add turmeric, chilli powder and sambar powder. Saute the masala well.

Add chopped bottle gourd and add enough water to cook the vegetable.

Boil the bottle gourd for 8-10mins until they're cooked well. Add some more water if required to cook the Suraikkai.

When the vegetable is soft and cooked, add tamarind water.

Now add the boiled thattaipayaru (cowpeas) and required salt for the Suraikkai thattaipayaru kuzhambu.

Mix well and let it boil for few minutes.

Now add the ground coconut masala and a cup of water to adjust the consistency of the bottle gourd cowpeas gravy.

Cover with a lid and cook the gravy for 5 mins until the froth settles down completely as shown.

Switch off and serve with hot rice.