Sweet pumpkin pulusu

 

Today I am in the mood for some simple food from the villages of this wonderful state I live in currently, Andhra Pradesh ! The cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is very varied and is most famous for its degree of hotness. Can't blame them as they are the capital chilly growers of India. Also, every region has specialities just like any other state in India, which makes this country possess one of the most complex food histories in the world! Every few hundred kms the style of cooking and the taste of food varies which makes a food lover like me go crazy :)

 

This sweet pumpkin pulusu is like a hot, sweet sour liquid with big chunks of pumpkin in it. Ideal accompaniment to rice.

 

For this you will need -

200 gms - Sweet pumpkin, diced into big chunks
1 - Big Onion (chopped finely)
2-3 - Green chillies slit (up or down the number depending on your spice threshold)
1 tspn - Red chilli powder
1 tspn - Tamarind concentrate
10 gms - Jaggery

For the seasoning -

1tspn - Bengal gram (Chana dal)
1tspn - Black mustard seeds
1/2 tspn - Fenugreek seeds ( Methi)
1/2 tspn - Cumin (Jeera)
2-3 - Whole dried red chillies
5-8 - Curry leaves
4-5 pods - Garlic (crushed)

Method -

Take a big pot and chuck the sweet pumpkin, onions, green chillies and the red chillipowder in it. Add water so that the pumpkin pieces are just submerged and put it on heat for 15 - 20 mins. Let it be cooked with a lid on top, so it cooks faster and the flavours remian intact. Keep it on simmer all the time. Once the pumpkin is soft, add the tamarind and the jaggery. Give it a good stir and cook for another 5 minutes.
Now heat oil in a kadai and add the mustard and cumin. Wait for it to splutter and then add the bengal gram. Fry this till it turns golden, then add the garlic, chillies, fenugreek and fry for a minute. Finally add the curry leaves and switch it off. Pour this onto the pulusu and serve hot!