Recipe: Darshana Muzumdar
Serves 2-3 as part of a traditional Indian meal
Ingredients
- 250 gms red pumpkin
- ½ cup or a quarter of a coconut grated
- 1 tbsp or to taste jaggery
- 6-8 dried red bedgi chillies (increase or decrease depending on the variety)
- tsp turmeric powder
- a small lime sized ball of tamarind
- 6 triphal with seeds removed (Indian prickly ash or Sichuan peppercorn)
- Salt to taste
Method
- Remove the seeds, wash and dice the pumpkin into mouth sized pieces.
- Steam or cook these pieces with the jaggery and salt till it is soft but not overcooked. Add half a cup of water if necessary. Remember pumpkin releases water so do not add a lot in the beginning.
- Dry roast or sauté the red chillies in a teaspoon of coconut oil. Grind these with the coconut, tamarind and turmeric powder.
- Crush the triphal and add to the ground mixture.
- Add this ground mixture to the pumpkin and bring to a boil. Add more water if necessary as the coconut will absorb water and thicken as the curry cools.
- Simmer for a minute or so till the flavours all blend well.
- Serve hot with rice, rotis or bhakri.
Note: You can optionally add roasted or fried garlic pieces to this thick curry for added flavour.
For the Whole-Food Plant-Based (WFPB) version:
- Use unrefined salt like rock salt.
- Use a couple of soaked soft dates mashed into a paste with the soaking liquid instead of jaggery.
