GOAN PUMPKIN CURRY
Let's face the honest fact: I am not good with vegetables & vegetarian food. Vegetarian people aren't that bad, trust me! Na-na, do not think of this as a confession post out of sudden guilt-pangs. I never really felt bad about ridiculing my vegetarian friends & their choice of food ( all in good humor, I suppose). But then, time teaches you a lot. Especially when life brings us on a direct rendezvous amidst such trying times.
Not only did I re-connect with myself, which was long due over all the hustle bustle and chaos that took over life, but also learnt to look at produce with renewed respect. So here I am, to talk about some vegetarian dishes. Starting the journey with humble Pumpkin, while breathing some Goan life into it. tangy, punchy, spicy & the adjectives can go on & on!!
Already salivating? Let's get cooking folks! Let's have a look at the ingredients:
1. In a bowl measure out 1 tbsp vinegar ( regular white), and soak the following whole spices: 1/2 tsp whole cumin + 1/2 tsp whole coriander+ 4 nos black peppercorn + 4 nos. cloves+ 2 dry red chilies. Soak for about 15-20 mins. Then pound them into a rough paste using your mortar & pestle.
2. Chop up the following next: 500 gm pumpkin to be de-skinned & cut into chunks+ 1 large tomato, chopped + 2 green chilies, finely chopped + 1/2 a large onion, finely chopped+ 2 fat cloves of garlic, finely chopped + a small handful of coriander leaves, cleaned, washed & chopped.
3. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan & add 1 dry red chili (broken), to the cold oil . Once the oil is warm, add in the onions along with a pinch of salt. Give a good stir.
4. Once the onion turns translucent, add in the garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Once aromatic add in the tomatoes and give a good mix. Clamp on the lid and allow it to cook for 3-4 mins on a medium to low flame. This will help the tomatoes to breakdown and disintegrate easily.
5. After 4 mins, remove the lid and add the spice paste and mix well on medium to high flame. It's essential to cook the spices till their raw smell disappears and oil starts to appear on the side. At this stage add the pumpkin to the pan.
6. Give a good mix and cook on high flame for 3-4 mins for the spices and pumpkin to combine well. Clamp on the lid and allow it to cook on medium flame for 3-4 mins. After that add in half a cup of hot water to the pan and continue with the cooking process. Do not forget to stir the contents of the pan, once in a while, to avoid sticking to the base.
7. 5 more mins later, remove the cover & add in 2 cups of thin coconut milk + 1 tsp of freshly ground black pepper and give a good stir. Allow them cook covered for 5 mins more on the same flame, during which the pumpkin would be ready.
8. Once the pumpkin is soft, crank up the heat for the gravy to thicken. Add in 1/2 tsp of sugar & salt to taste and mix well. Add in the green chilies at this stage and also 1 tsp of vinegar. to achieve the sweet & sour balance, with heat playing in the background. Oh yes! I did finish it with a tbsp of butter.
9. Finish the dish with the chopped coriander. Serve warm with steamed rice.
And that's that. No honky-dory, no long list of ingredients, just a hearty simple side dish to bring smile on the face of your vegetarian friends. Also hard-core non-vegetarians like moi, can enjoy this. However, what's important is to be careful about the balance of flavors.
Some observations listed below that might bee of help when you plan to cook this:
a. Do not chop the pumpkins small. You might run the risk of dis-integrating them into the dish, and the dish turning onto a dip.
b. Feel free to add in a generous handful of chickpeas or kala chana and handful of spinach leaves ( to be added at the last minute) to make it into a generous fun fare for your vegetarian friends. Also on good days, you can throw in a handful of de-veined and cleaned prawns and thus uping the pleasure game for sure.
c. Something tells me, adding jaggery next time might be an interesting thing, in place of sugar.
d. For thin coconut milk: mix 2.5 tbsp of Maggi coconut powder in 2 cups of hot water . Well, that's what I did.
e. Please feel free to give the butter a miss. I did it purely out of psychological pleasure: Because butter makes me happy.
I honestly can't wait for you to try this in your kitchen. Also would love to hear if you make new versions of this for your friends and family. Difficult times are exposed to us to strengthen our bonds with near and dear ones, good food, always cements it.
Take care of the world. Take care of yourself.
Not only did I re-connect with myself, which was long due over all the hustle bustle and chaos that took over life, but also learnt to look at produce with renewed respect. So here I am, to talk about some vegetarian dishes. Starting the journey with humble Pumpkin, while breathing some Goan life into it. tangy, punchy, spicy & the adjectives can go on & on!!
Already salivating? Let's get cooking folks! Let's have a look at the ingredients:
1. In a bowl measure out 1 tbsp vinegar ( regular white), and soak the following whole spices: 1/2 tsp whole cumin + 1/2 tsp whole coriander+ 4 nos black peppercorn + 4 nos. cloves+ 2 dry red chilies. Soak for about 15-20 mins. Then pound them into a rough paste using your mortar & pestle.
2. Chop up the following next: 500 gm pumpkin to be de-skinned & cut into chunks+ 1 large tomato, chopped + 2 green chilies, finely chopped + 1/2 a large onion, finely chopped+ 2 fat cloves of garlic, finely chopped + a small handful of coriander leaves, cleaned, washed & chopped.
3. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan & add 1 dry red chili (broken), to the cold oil . Once the oil is warm, add in the onions along with a pinch of salt. Give a good stir.
4. Once the onion turns translucent, add in the garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Once aromatic add in the tomatoes and give a good mix. Clamp on the lid and allow it to cook for 3-4 mins on a medium to low flame. This will help the tomatoes to breakdown and disintegrate easily.
5. After 4 mins, remove the lid and add the spice paste and mix well on medium to high flame. It's essential to cook the spices till their raw smell disappears and oil starts to appear on the side. At this stage add the pumpkin to the pan.
6. Give a good mix and cook on high flame for 3-4 mins for the spices and pumpkin to combine well. Clamp on the lid and allow it to cook on medium flame for 3-4 mins. After that add in half a cup of hot water to the pan and continue with the cooking process. Do not forget to stir the contents of the pan, once in a while, to avoid sticking to the base.
7. 5 more mins later, remove the cover & add in 2 cups of thin coconut milk + 1 tsp of freshly ground black pepper and give a good stir. Allow them cook covered for 5 mins more on the same flame, during which the pumpkin would be ready.
8. Once the pumpkin is soft, crank up the heat for the gravy to thicken. Add in 1/2 tsp of sugar & salt to taste and mix well. Add in the green chilies at this stage and also 1 tsp of vinegar. to achieve the sweet & sour balance, with heat playing in the background. Oh yes! I did finish it with a tbsp of butter.
9. Finish the dish with the chopped coriander. Serve warm with steamed rice.
And that's that. No honky-dory, no long list of ingredients, just a hearty simple side dish to bring smile on the face of your vegetarian friends. Also hard-core non-vegetarians like moi, can enjoy this. However, what's important is to be careful about the balance of flavors.
Some observations listed below that might bee of help when you plan to cook this:
a. Do not chop the pumpkins small. You might run the risk of dis-integrating them into the dish, and the dish turning onto a dip.
b. Feel free to add in a generous handful of chickpeas or kala chana and handful of spinach leaves ( to be added at the last minute) to make it into a generous fun fare for your vegetarian friends. Also on good days, you can throw in a handful of de-veined and cleaned prawns and thus uping the pleasure game for sure.
c. Something tells me, adding jaggery next time might be an interesting thing, in place of sugar.
d. For thin coconut milk: mix 2.5 tbsp of Maggi coconut powder in 2 cups of hot water . Well, that's what I did.
e. Please feel free to give the butter a miss. I did it purely out of psychological pleasure: Because butter makes me happy.
I honestly can't wait for you to try this in your kitchen. Also would love to hear if you make new versions of this for your friends and family. Difficult times are exposed to us to strengthen our bonds with near and dear ones, good food, always cements it.
Take care of the world. Take care of yourself.
Vegetarian or not, looks delicious👍
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