Parwal ki Subzi (Pointed gourd in onion tomato based gravy)

I Have always had lovely memories of parwal subzi. The crispy exterior with soft juicy interior and the occasional crunchy seeds, as you dig into this soupy-tangy gravy, is pure comfort food for me. Reminds me of winters, when you eat hot tangy gravy with hot-hot phulkas (Indian bread), smothered with ghee (clarified butter). On the side you have grated jaggery immersed in warm ghee. Salads, dal and raita would go un-noticed on such days.

Even now, I feel I am back into my childhood when everybody sits together at the dining table and  mom serves the exact same combo. And dad requests my sis (Renu) and me, to chatter lesser and focus on food. 

You need:

Parwal (pointed guard) – 250 grams (scrape the skin gently to remove stringy texture and cut lengthwise into halves, if they are bog cut lengthwise into 4 pieces, like wedges)

Potatoes – 1 large (boiled)

Onion – 1 large (chop as fine as you can)

Ginger – ½ inch (chop as fine as you can)

Garlic – 4-5 cloves (chop as fine as you can)

Tomato - 1 large (finely chopped)

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Garam Masala – 1tsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Red chili powder – ½ tsp

Mustard oil – 2 Tbsp (use vegetable oil if not available)

Bay leaf – 1

Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp

Green cardamom – 1 pod

Cinnamon stick – ½ inch

Fresh coriander leaves/ Cilantro 

1. Heat oil in a pan and fry the parwal till it becomes a little crispy. You know its done when the edges get crispy but the centre is still soft. Remove from pan and keep aside.
2. In the same oil, add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cardamom and cinnamon stick. Fry for a min on a low flame till you get the aroma.
3. Now add the ginger garlic and fry for another half a minute. 
4. Add the onion and salt and fry till very light brown in color. 
5. Now add the coriander powder, chili powder and turmeric powder. Give a stir and fry on low flame for 2-3 min.
6. Add tomatoes and cove for a min. Once they become a little soft, add garam masala. 
7. Cover and cook for 6-7 min, or till masala is cooked and all the raw taste is gone. 
8. Add roughly chopped potatoes(keep some pieces of potatoes big and some small). This is done to give a creamy texture to the gravy, and at the same time also bite into chunky pieces of  potatoes. Fry for 2-3 min. 
9. Add the parwal, a cup of water and salt as per liking. Cover and cook till you get the gravy of your choice of consistency.
10. Garnish with fresh cilantro. 

Veggie Sandwich

For breakfast today, I made a simple sandwich out of the vegetable cutlet/chop , and it turned out just great! Well, nothing fancy - just your usual lettuce, tomatoes, couple of slices of cheese, salt and pepper.


So there you go - two uses of the same recipe! I am sure you had it all figured out when I posted the cutlet/chop recipe. But in case you hadn't, here's how it looks like!!


Ciao!

Coconut Kofta Curry

I like this one a lot, since it reminds me of childhood. My mom and various aunts who had a big role to play in the grooming and maturing of my taste buds, seemed to specialize on this dish. Sweetness of the coconut, tanginess of the yogurt and the spicy masala all go very well together here. Moreover, I like koftas of all kinds. For some strange reason, I like my food delivered to me in small spherical shapes (Meatballs, falafels, rosogollas, kala jamuns, Malai koftas - the list is endless). I think the shape does something to the taste for me! Well, here goes!


You need

Chana Dal - 1 small cup

Sliced/Diced Coconut - 1+1/2 small cup

Dry red chilies - 2

Finely chopped coriander leaves

Bay leaves

1/2 tbsp Turmeric,

1 tbsp Cumin

1 tbsp Coriander powder

1 big Onion - sliced

1/2 big onion, 1 inch ginger, 3 cloves of garlic blended into a paste

Curd (Yogurt) - 1 small cup

1. Soak the chana dal for 4 hours. The chana dal you get in the US, is softer and somehow gets ready in 30-45 mins. But if you are in India, you have got to soak it well (We must like our dals real strong!)
2. Now, blend the the soaked chana dal, the diced coconut, 2 red chilies and salt well. You will get a thick wet, oily (courtesy the coconuts) paste .
3. Mix the chopped coriander in the dal-coconut paste and make the koftas (small spheres).
4. Fry the koftas in low heat, gently. The koftas taste great when they are softer, but that also means the extra care is needed while frying. Adding a little maida (all purpose flour) helps the binding.
5. In the same pan (I like using the same pan, since it retains the flavor of the coconuts), add some more oil, and the bay leafs.
6. Add the sliced onions and fry till golden brown
7. Add the OGG (Onion-Ginger-Garlic) paste and fry till oil separates
8. Now add the turmeric, cumin and coriander powders and cook well.
9. Once the raw smell is gone, add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil
10. In low heat, add the yogurt to make a thick paste while stirring well.
11. Drop the koftas and warm for 2 more mins

Serve with rice or parathas (I prefer rice and other mild pilafs)

Paneer Butter Masala / Makhni (Cottage cheese in creamy tomato gravy)

This dish needs to no introduction in Indian cuisine. While dining in a restaurant, no special meal is complete without a paneer butter masala. I had earlier posted a healthy paneer butter masala recipe which is super for a regular dinner at home. But if you want to serve finger licking food to your guests or impress someone special, nothing beats this dish. No one will ever guess how little time you spent making this special meal, as the end product looks straight out of a gourmet restaurant! And for those chefs who fuss so much over paneer butter masala - your secret is out! :)

You need:

Paneer/ Cottage Cheese – 200 grams ( cut into triangles or cubes)

Tomato – 3 Large (should be super ripe and red)

Onion – 1 Medium (roughly chopped)

Cashew nuts – ¼ Cup

Butter – 2 Tbsp

Oil – 2 Tbsp

Kashmiri mirch/ Paprika – 1 tsp

Ginger paste – 1 Tbsp

Garlic paste – 1 Tbsp

Tomato paste – Approx. 2-3 Tbsp (superior quality organic, adjust as per taste as paste of one brand is different from another)

Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

Garam Masala – ¾ tsp

Honey – 1 tsp (adjust to taste as one brand sweetness differs from another)

Kasuri methi – 1.5 tsp

Salt

1. In a pan heat a tablespoon of oil and add cashewnuts, onion and tomatoes. (put them all together). Once the tomato becomes soft and pulpy, blend it a very fine paste. Sieve through a mesh to remove all the fibre and coarse ingredients. You should now have a very smooth pulp. Keep it side.
2. In a pan, add the butter with a tbsp of oil (to avoid butter from burning). On a very slow flame, saute ginger and garlic paste till you get a nice aroma. Don't let it brown as this is done just to get rid of the raw taste and smell of the ginger, garlic.
3. Now add kashmiri mirch and stir for 3-4 sec. Don't let it brown. Add the tomato pulp from step 1 and tomato paste. Adjust the quantity of the tomato paste based on how tangy is the tomato puree prepared earlier. This is also done to get the bright red color. Cover and cook for 7-8 min, till the raw taste is gone.  
4. Now add the cardamom powder, garam masala, paneer, salt and honey. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 min.
5. Add the cream and give it a stir .
6. Crush dry roasted kasuri methi between your palms to make it into a fine powder and, add to the gravy. Switch off the flame. Serve hot!!!

* No matter how red the tomatoes are, somehow when I blend them, they turn orangish in color, so I used a fine quality tomato paste along with fresh tomatoes. This gives a nice taste and a deep red color. When you add the cream later, it gives the perfect butter masala color.

* You will have to adjust the salt, garam masala and honey as per taste since most of these ingredients vary from one brand to another. I always use home made garam masala.  

Vegetable Cutlet / Chop

You need

1 medium sized potato
1 carrot
1/4 cauliflower (small)
Peas - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1 inch, shopped into juliennes
Peanuts / Ground nuts -1/2 tbsp
Roasted ground cumin and red chili powder - 3-4 tbsp
Salt and Sugar to taste.
Bread crumbs for coating and oil for frying.
Besan (2 tbsp)
Breadcrumbs - 1/2 cup

1. Boil vegetables, drain extra water and mash them coarsely
2. In hot oil (2-3 tbsp), fry the peanuts, ginger, vegetables, salt and sugar.
3. Once the raw smell is gone and the the vegetables start browning, add roasted cumin and red chilis and fry for 2-3 mins more. Set aside and cool
4. Make a thin besan paste with 2 tbsp besan and 1/4 cup water.
5. Make chops of the veggie mix with your hands, dip in besan fix and coat with bread crumbs.
6. Pan fry the coated chops till golden brown. 

Serve with ketchup or mint chutney

Crisp fried prawns served with spicy pineapple dip

A perfect finger food for a cocktail party! The delicate taste of prawns goes so well with this sweet-spicy-tangy pineapple dip. You can also give it a twist by wrapping each prawn along with onion rings, lettuce and the pineapple dip, in an egg wrap. 
This dish evolved. :) It started with just the prawns and the dip. Not wanting to waste the egg wash, I made a  thin crepe omelet and the left over flour to make onion rings. And it all started looking like a nice colorful appetizer - prawns with eggs, onion ring and the dip, all in a single wrap! 

Making the crispy prawns:

Prawns – deshelled and deveined

Corn flour – 2 Tbsp

All purpose flour – 2 Tbsp

Baking soda – 1/8 tsp

Salt

Black pepper powder– ¼ tsp

Chili flakes – ¼ tsp

Egg – 1 no.

Oil

1. In a bowl mix the corn flour, all purpose flour, baking soda, salt, pepper and chili flakes.
2. Break an egg in another bowl and whisk it well.
3. Now dip the prawn in the egg wash and lightly dust it in the mixture of dry ingredients prepared in the previous step.
4. In a pan, add 2 tbsp of oil/olive oil and fry on medium-high flame till golden brown (it can be deep fired but I avoid it to keep it healthy)
5. Serve hot.

Making the spicy-sweet-hot dip:

Pineapple crush – ½ Cup

Orange Juice – ½ Cup

Lemon Juice – 1 Tbsp

Sugar – ¼ Cup (adjust to taste)

Salt – pinch

Cornstarch – 1 Tbsp

Birds eye red chili – deseeded and sliced

Butter – 1 tsp

1. Combine in large mixing bowl cup of orange juice, lemon juice, crushed pineapple, pinch of salt, and sugar. Mix well
2. In a sauce pan, add butter, saute cornflour till light brown. Add ¼ cup of water, pineapple mixture from previous step to saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Let simmer for about 5 minutes while continuing to stir mixture. When you get a dipping sauce consistency, transfer to a bowl to avoid cooking any further.

*Whisk together another egg along with the egg wash leftover egg. On a flat griddle make a very thin omelet (crepe' kind)

**Lightly dust onions rings in the remaining flour mixture and fry in the same pan in which prawns were fried with the remaining oil. (add a Tbsp if all oil is consumed already)

Classic Margarita

2 lime wedges
Kosher salt
1+1/2 part Tequila
1+1/2 part of fresh lime juice
1 part Triple sec (or Cointreau)

Rub a lime wedge around the the rim of a chilled margarita glass, and salt the rim.
Fill the prepared glass with ice.
Shake the ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into the glass.
Squeeze the other lime wedge over the drink, and drop it in.

Black Sombrero

1+1/2 part Tequilla
1+1/2 part Vodka
2 part Kahlua

Pour ice and ingredients into a shaker and shake well.
Strain over chilled cocktail (martini) glass.

Karahi Chargha Chicken

Traditional Pakistani chargha requires chicken to be deep fried. However this recipe is made with big pieces of chicken with bones cooked in a pan/ karahi. 

While the chicken prepared in the traditional way, tasted awesome by itself, I felt adding some crunch from onions would not only add to the texture, but also balance the tangy taste with some sweetness of the onions. So gave it my own twist in the end by adding onion rings. 

Another prominent flavor in this dish comes from the thick grated ginger, sliced chilies and fresh coriander/ cilantro added to the chicken just when ready to serve. As you bite into it, all the different flavors unfold. The end result is thick  masala coated chicken that goes well with paratha and should be served with yogurt-mint raita. (dahi pudina raita). This combo is believed to be inseparable!

You need (Serves 2) :

Chicken – 300 grams 

Chili powder – ½ tsp

Coriander powder – ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp

Chargha Masala – 1/2 tsp (grind 1 black cardamom, 1 ½ inch cinnamon, 10 cloves,1 ¼ tsp black pepper)

Dry red chili- whole – 2-3 nos.

Garlic – 4-5 cloves

Ginger – 1 inch (grated thick or fine juliennes)

Fresh red chili/ Birds eye chili – 3-4 (slit)

Fresh coriander leaves – 2-3 Tbsp

Yogurt – 1/2 Cup

Onion - 1 medium size (cut into rings and separated)

Salt 

Oil

1. Blend garlic to a fine paste (use a little yogurt if the quantity is too less to blend, but don't use water).
2. Marinate the chicken with salt, garlic, yogurt, garam masala, cumin seeds, chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Leave it for minimum 1 hr. 
3. Heat oil in a wide mouth pan and add whole red chilies. Once lightly fried, add the chicken. 
4. Fry the chicken till it turns brown. Now cover, reduce heat and let it cook.
5. When the chicken is almost done, add onion rings, cover for 2-3 min and cook. 
6. Once  the onion rings become translucent and soft (should still have some crunch), and the raw taste goes, add the grated ginger, slit red chilies and fresh coriander leaves. Give a stir.
7. Switch off the heat. Serve hot!!

*If you want to make the traditional karahi chergha, just skip the onion rings.

Pudina Raita (Yogurt-Mint Sauce )

Raita is condiment with a yogurt/ curd base and used as a sauce or a dip. There are a lot of variations that can be done by adding, mint, bond, onions etc. Not only does it add to the taste but also helps in digestion. 

You need:

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Pepper corns - 1/2 tsp

Garlic - 1 Clove

Yogurt - 1 Cup

Mint leaves- 14-15 nos.

Green chilies - 2 nos.

Coriander leaves/ Cilantro - 1 tbsp

1. Grind cumin seeds, pepper corns together. 
2. Add garlic, 1 tbsp of yogurt, mint leaves,  green chilies, coriander leaves and blend to a fine paste. 
3. Add this paste to a cup of yogurt and adjust salt to taste.

*This goes very well with any kind of paratha, stuffed paratha, pulao. 

**Chicken chergha is almost always served with this raita.

Kala Jamuns

Now what can I say!! 


You need:


Mava milk powder - 1 Cups

Plain flour (maida)- 2 Tbsp 

Fine semolina/ Suji – 1/2 Tbsp

Baking Soda – Pinch 

Cardamom (elaichi) powder - 1/4 tsp 

Ghee – 1 Tbsp

Sugar – 2 Cups + 1 Tbsp

Water – 2 Cups

Lime Juice – 1 tsp 

Oil/ Ghee for deep frying 

For the sugar syrup:

1. Combine 2 cups of sugar sugar with 2 cups of water in a heavy bottom pan and bring to a boil.
2. Add the lime juice (this helps the syrup from crystallizing) and cardamom powder. Simmer over a slow flame till the syrup becomes sticky or 1 string consistency. Keep the syrup warm. 

For the Kala Jamuns : 

1. In a bowl, combine mava milk powder, plain flour, suji, baking soda, 2 tbsp of sugar and 1 tbsp of ghee. Mix well and knead into a firm dough with minimum amount of water. Divide this mixture into 12 equal portions and roll into oblong dumplings. These should have no cracks on the surface as otherwise the jamuns will crack while frying.
2. Deep fry in ghee/oil over a low flame till the jamuns are golden brown in colour (for approx 10 to 12 minutes). Pull them out and cool for 4-5 min. Put them back in the oil and fry on a very very low flame till dark brown in color. (this will ensure firm crispy outside and a juicy center).
3. Drain and immerse in the warm sugar syrup. Soak for 30 minutes.
4. Serve cold.

Potato-Spring Onion Stir Fry

A nice, mild flavored stir fry which I learnt from my mom recently. Simple yet so full of flavor. Give it a try if you haven't already.

You need: 

Potatoes – 1 cup - Peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes

Spring Onion – 4 cups – 1 cm long (both white and green part)

Panch phoran - 1 tsp

Green Chili – 1 no. (slit into half)

Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Salt

Oil- 1 tsp

1. Heat oil in a pan and panch phoran. Once it crackles add green chili and fry for a minute.
2. Now add the potatoes, salt, turmeric and fry till they become golden brown. 
3. Add spring onion and mix well. Cover and cook till almost done. Don't over cook the spring onion as they will loose the crunch and color. 
4. Serve with hot parathas. 

*Panch phoran (Five spice mix). If you don't have the ready-mix, you can mix the following in equal quantities (I  put lesser fenugreek since its quite bitter) - Saunf/Fennel seeds, Methi/ Fenugreek seeds, Rayi/Mustard seeds,  Kalaunji/ Nigella seeds, Jeera/ Cumin seeds

**If you don't have panch phoran, substitute it with mustard seeds.

Crispy Stir-fried Raw Banana

Very healthy and easy to make. Eat it as a snack or serve it as a side. You can also do this with potatoes, eggplant etc. 

You need:

Raw banana

Cumin seeds

Salt

Oil

1. Peel and cut banana into thin discs.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Wait till they crackle.
3. Add banana, salt. Stir and cover for 3-4 min.
4. Now remove the lid and continue to cook on a very low heat. 
5. Remove once it becomes golden brown.

Tomato Khajjur chutney (Tomato and Date Chutney)

One of the quick, easy and tasty treats from Orissa - this one is a great accompaniment for Dalma and Rice meal. It can also be had as an individual dish as well with rice or paratha. It's a sweet and sour chutney, but I like it a little bit sweeter than normal since I have a sweet tooth!


I have also tried it with an extra green chili, and I think the combination of sweet, sour and hot makes a thrilling trio!


You need


1 tbsp panch phoran
2 tbsp sugar
1 green chili - slit down the middle
2 big tomatoes chopped in small pieces
1/2 inch ginger ,chopped into very thin pieces
5 dates, soaked and deseeded
4/5 curry leaves
1 tbsp refined oil

1. Heat oil and add panch phoran
2. When it starts to splutter, add slit chilies, curry leaves, chopped ginger and fry for 1 min
3. Add chopped tomato, dates and sugar and cook till tomatoes get dry. (Retain water based on consistency needed - I like mine a little gooey)
4. You can garnish with coriander if you like

Suji Upma/ Rava Upma

Classic South-Indian breakfast and snack.  Some how it took me a lot of time (read attempts) to get  this recipe right, so I decided to share it with everyone . This upma is the soft, granular and fluffy kind and not the sticky variety. 

Eat it with chutney, pickle or sambhar.

You need:

Suji/ Semolina – ¾ Cup (fine variety) 

Onion – ½ medium size (fine chopped)

Oil – 3 Tbsp

Cumin seeds – ¾  tsp 

Mustard seeds – ¾ tsp tsp 

Curry leaves – 7-8 nos

Green Chili – 2 nos. (adjust to taste)

Hing/ Asafoetida –  Pinch / 

Lime juice (optional) – 1 tsp

Chana Dal/ Split bengal gram – 1.2 Tbsp

Urad dal/ black gram washed – 1 Tbsp

Salt

Water – 1.5 Cups

Green peas – 1/3 cup (I use frozen baby sweet peas)

1. In a pan, roast suji in a tbsp of oil, on a very low heat, till it becomes golden brown. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Now heat the remaining oil, add the mustard and cumin seeds. Once they crackle, add hing, green slit green chilies, chana dal, urad dal and cook till chana dal gets a pinkish color. Now add the curry leaves. Stir for 30 secs. 
3. Add onion and fry till translucent. Now add the peas, water and salt and bring it to a boil. 
4. Add suji while stirring continuously. 
5. Keep stirring till all the water dries up. Now lower the heat, cover and cook for another minute.
6. Stir again, switch off the flame and cover. Open after 3-4 min.           
7. Ready to serve! 

*Adding roasted peanuts is optional (though I prefer not to put any)

** You can also add chopped veggies like carrot, beans, tomatoes etc.   

Tandoori Chicken/ Oven roasted chicken in a tangy marinade

Chicken lovers don't need an introduction. It's pretty simple to make. And now you won't have to depend on store bought tandoor masala. Make your own marinade and give it your own twist if you wish!

You need:

Whole chicken – cleaned and skin removed (use a young chicken, weighing around 800- 900 gram)

Lime juice – 2 tbsp

Salt – 1 tsp

Kashmiri mirch/ Paprika – 2 tsp

Ginger paste – 2 tsp

Garlic paste – 2 tsp

Yogurt/ thick curd – 1 cup

Red chili powder  - 1/ tsp (adjust to taste)

Mustard powder – 1 tsp

Garam Masala – ½ tsp

Gram Flour/ Besan – 3 Tbsp

Salt

Mustard Oil – 2 Tbsp

Vegetable Oil – 2 Tbsp

1. In a bowl place the chicken. Rub the mixture of lime juice, salt and 1 tsp of kashmiri mirch well into the chicken. Now add 1 tsp each of ginger and garlic paste and rub well. 
2. Heat vegetable oil and roast gram flour, till it gives a nice aroma. Make sure you don't burn it as it will turn bitter. 
3. In another bowl take yogurt, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste, garam masala, red chili powder, 1 tsp kashmiri mirch, mustard powder, mustard oil and salt. Mix it really well so that it forms a homogeneous mixture. 
4. Now add this marinade to the chicken and rub well. Make sure the slit on the chicken too have marinade the marinade coated uniformly. Put a cling wrap and keep it in the fridge for 3-4 hours min. 
5. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degree F. Place the chicken on a baking try in the middle rack. After 25 min, baste the chicken with some oil/ butter and let the other side of the chicken face up. Bake for another 25 min. 
6. Sprinkle chat masala on top before serving.
7. Serve with lime wedges, sliced onions and mint chutney. 

*Before marinating, make slits on chicken on both sides as follows – 

- 3 slits on the thigh

- 3 slits each on left and right breast. To simplify, place the chicken on a chopping board (lying position), with neck on top, breast in the center (facing up) and thigh below. Now imagine the chicken  wearing a V neck sweater. :) make the first slit along the neck V, and then 2 more parallel to that. This slit is important as chicken becomes tough if the slits are in the opposite direction.

- Make small cuts in the knee joint, and also the end of the leg piece (usually its call the vein)

Kamikaze Cocktail

You Need:

1 oz. Triple Sec (Cointreau)

1 oz. Vodka

1 oz. Lime Juice

1 wedge Lime

Mixing Instructions:

Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge and a stir stick.

Glass to serve: Cocktail glass

*My personal choice is to have it with a salt rim

Aloo Methi/ Potatoes in Fenugreek Greens

You need:

Potatoes – 2-3 nos (peeled and quartered)

Methi (Hari)/ Fenugreek greens – 250 grams (use just the leaves and wash properly)

Panch Phoran – 1 tsp

Whole red chili – 1-2 nos.

Tomato – 1 nos. (quartered)

Salt

Turmeric – ½ tsp

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add panch phoran and red chili.
2. Add the potatoes, salt and turmeric and fry till potatoes become golden brown.
3. Add methi, cover and cook.
4. Once you feel methi and potatoes are almost done, add the tomato. Cover and cook till tomatoes become soft. Switch off the heat.

*Add the tomatoes when the potatoes are almost cooked, as adding them earlier delays the cooking process.
** Panch phoran (Five spice mix). If you don't have the ready-mix, you can mix the following in equal quantity (i put lesser fenugreek since its quite bitter) to make your own - Saunf/Fennel seeds, Methi/ Fenugreek seeds, Rayi/Mustard seeds, Kalaunji/ Nigella seeds. 

Kaddu / Pumpkin/ Butternut Squash

Takes me back to my childhood. While most kids dislike the word veggies, let alone something like pumpkin, I used to gorge on raw veggies as a kid. And now when I think about it, wonder what made me eat raw okra, beans, and whatever that was cooking for dinner, RAW!!

Anyways, back to Kaddu. I love this simple, no fuss, preparation. The sweet and tangy taste goes so well with poori (deep fried flat bread) or plain simple steamed rice. 

You need:

Pumpkin/ Butternut – 500 grams (peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes)

Panch Phoran – 1 Tbsp

Whole red chili – 2-3 nos

Coriander Powder – 1 tsp

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Turmeric – 1 tsp

Sugar – 1 tsp

Amchoor/ Mango powder – 1 tsp (adjust to taste)

Salt

Oil

1. Heat oil in a pan, add panch phoran. Once it crackles, add hing and whole red chili. 
2. Add turmeric and coriander powder. Let it cook for a min on a very low flame in the oil.
3. Add the pumpkin, salt  and give it a stir for a min. Add garam masala and mix well. 
4. Cover and cook. Intermittently stir. Add very little water if its starts drying up.
5. Once the pumpkin is cooked, add the sugar and aamchoor to taste. Serve hot.

* Half butternut squash may seem a lot, but since it shrinks a lot when cooked, serves 2. 

**Panch Phoran (Five spice mix). If you don't have the ready-mix, you can mix the following in equal quantity (i put lesser fenugreek since its quite bitter) 

- Saunf/Fennel seeds

- Methi/ Fenugreek seeds

- Rayi/Mustard seeds

- Kalaunji/ Nigella seeds

- Jeera/ Cumin seeds