Sunday, September 26, 2010

khade masale wala kaddu ...pumpkin curry tempered with whole spices...

Here i am with another vegetarian recipe , a Banaras special again . There can be nothing more Banarasi than a poori - kaddu ki subzi platter ... Jalebi is missing here but that has been a long forgotten promise i made to someone. I will come back to the spirals of jalebi as soon as i come out of the concentric spirals called life...


Back to the kaddu ki subzi . There are many kaddu or pumpking subzi recipes on this blog and this one is another mushy gooyi warmth to dunk your crisp poori in , sans onion garlic this time .

ingredients...
 For two generous helpings

Kaddu ( pumpkin ) 250 gm
 ripe yellow fleshed pumpkin is more suited for this subzi , the hard skin removed
whole red chillies 5 nos. or according to the heat level you want
cinnamon stick 1 inch long
green cardamom 1 no.
black cardamom 1 small pod
cloves 2-3
star anise 4-5 petals
black pepper corns 1 tsp
cumin seeds 1 tsp
asafoetida a pinch
turmeric powder 1 tsp
salt to taste
mustard oil 2 tsp

procedure...

Chop the pumpkin in batons or cubes after peeling the hard skin.

Crush the green and black cardamoms just so it remains within the skin and yet the seeds are crushed.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker , add asafoetida and as soon as the asafoetida fluffs up add all the other whole spices . Wait till the whole spices are popping , dunk in the pumpkin pieces salt and turmeric powder . Toss to mix properly.

Add half a cup of water , cover and cook under pressure for 2 minutes. If using a regular pan it needs to be covered and cooked for about 10 minutes till soft and mushy.

A little amchoor powder can be added if so desired . I do not add any souring agent with whole spices here , but it is optional . Also i used a lot of dried red chillies but did not break them open , it adds a nice earthy flavor to the curry when the chillies are browned in the oil and there is not much heat as the seeds are not exposed to the cooking liquids. If you need a hotter curry you can break open the chillies in your bowl and mix.


Tastes heavenly with hot and crisp pooris , usually a sunday brunch at our place . I like this subzi with chapatis too and it makes a nice low fat meal with any flat bread.

After a piece of Banaras in this platter i will tell you about the uttar pradesh festival going on in Dilli Haat these days . We enjoyed the food of Banaras and Lucknow in the open air stalls there and it was a great experience . The authentic UP taste of chaats and the non veg kormas and kebaabs is so different from anything available here , even in the old lanes of purani Dilli .

Kashi Chaat bhandar from Banaras has put up a stall there and we enjoyed the golgappe and tamatar ki chaat . I have promised someone this tamatar ki chaat for a long time and i intend to come with that in my next post and i hope i do not procrastinate this time .... I find a lot of contentment when friends and readers have that kind of faith to try my recipes and tell me how it became a family favorite ....that gives me the drive to start again with my pots n pans and the camera ... you know what ..i do this part very enthusiastically , that is cooking has been my interest for a long time ......but when it comes to posting , i am a little neck withdrawn turtle...

21 comments:

  1. sangita, I remember rocky and mayur here for enjoying the same combo at banaras, lovely thankx for posting this one, i shall send u more versions o f kaddu delicacies, (tamil iyengar) style if u wish, me and my mom are huge fans of kaddu, should make this dish for her when i go over to my native thanjavur,

    ReplyDelete
  2. That kaddu sounds divine Sangeeta. Nothing like a few raw spices and the vegetable cooked together. I think it preserves the integrity of the vegetable when the usual onion, ginger, garlic and tomatoes are ommitted. Looking forward to the chat.

    ReplyDelete
  3. wow up festival,...enjoy,...missing everything

    ReplyDelete
  4. wow sangeeta,
    kaddu ki sabzi....yum yum yum...my mouth is watering!
    Looking at the plate I remember the small eateris on the ghats on Sangam:)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sangeeta, I tried your previous recipe--the fried baingans--excellent!

    I like to make my kaddu in a similar way--only, i've never tried adding star anise---this time I will. :) Looking forward to your tamatar ki chaat. I've never had it and am looking forward to a new chaat............ :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Never prepared pumpking curry like this, very tempting..

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you lovely ladies....

    @ Nirupama... i would love to try your kaddu recipes as well , am such a kaddu lover :) Have already posted many kaddu recipes here including the imli wala kaddu you liked .Send me the links of your kaddu recipes .

    @ Jaya ...Yes any such delicately flavored veggie is best cooked without the overwhelming taste of onion garlic tomatoes...but kaddu i have tried in many ways including OGT and have always ended up loving this vegetable...:)
    There are many more kaddus to come...:)

    @ GB.... Thanks for trying the baingan recipe and for the feedback too. This is the real treat i get from my blogs...

    Tamatar ki chaat might have to wait a little bit ladies as i am in a fever right now , although i am looking forward to work with all those ingredients to get started again.

    ReplyDelete
  8. golgappe aur tamatar ki chaat :-(. Wish Delhi was nearer, would have hopped in to have these.... Love the sabzi, have got kaddu, was planning to make ras wale kaddu, now am in two minds... shld i make puris or daal puris... ages since I have the latter... kya karein kya naa karein, ye kaisi mushkil haiiii.... ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. sangita shall i email them, where should i mail u, any id, Particularly for u log or any other personal id, pl post, a i shall post a whole lot, though my son started a blog on my behalf i was not interested in posting, as i felt, i dont have enough commitment to run the same, pl check 4th sense cooking blog by nithya, u will enjoy it

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nirupama.. you can mail them at
    sangeetaamkhanna@gmail.com

    Or better still you can post the recipes in the comments section here , that way it will always be there in your name and i will try and post them afterwords whenever i do , i am delighted that i met another kaddu fan here...:)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I make dry kaddu preparation with pooris....but this looks more appealing...

    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sangita, the first one to go, kaddu sambar,
    Big pieces of kaddu 1 1/2 cups, cooked toordal 1 1/2 cups(add a few pieces of kaddu while presuure cooking toordal as it will ensure a better texture and flavour)Tamarind paste 2 tsp( or juice of tamarind as per your taste buds demand).
    Roast and grind
    2 tsp channa dal
    4 tsp dhania
    1/4 tsp methi seeds
    4 to 5 red chilles
    dessicated coconut or fresh coconut 3 tsp
    a small piece of cinnamon(optional)
    cinnamon will give the karnataka flavour

    tadka
    1 tsp mustard
    1 red chilly
    hing
    1/4 tsp methi seeds
    curry leaves a little

    method;

    Heat oil add the tadka items and when they splutter, addonions(optional) (1 onion chopped inbig pieces is enough). ad the kaddu, turmetic and saute for 3 to 4 mts, then add a little water and cook for 5 mts, kaddu should not get over cooked here. then add the mashed toor dal and cook till the kaddu is fully cooked. now add salt, tamarind juice and after 5 to 110 mts when the raw smell of imli is gone add the roast and ground masala and boil it for 5 to 7 mts, This is a simply and a delicious version of kaddu sambar.

    Kaddu gojju:

    chopped kaddu pices(Like the way u have chopped in your kaddu subzi with puri) 2 cups
    tamrind water 1 cup
    jaggery a little to give the sweet and sour taste
    roast and grind along with 3 to 4 tables spoons of fresh coconut
    1 tsp channa dal
    1 tsp cumin
    1 tsp til(sesame)
    1/2 tsp methi
    4 to 5 red chiiles
    Now heat oil add a tadka of mustard and curry leaves, add the kaddu along with little turmeric and cover it for some time.(3 to 4 ) mts
    add the tamarind water and let it boil, when the kaddu is cooked add the roast and ground masala along with jaggery and let it boil for 5 to 7 mts or till the gojju thickens

    points to note

    be it gojju or sambar, the salt, sweet or the sour levels may vary from family to family so u can make your adjustments
    next both should not be too watery or too thick

    Kaddu avial

    this is simple. cook kaddu relatively small pieces with medium water and salt.
    grind 4 to 5 tablespoons of fresh coconut, 1 or 2 green chilles and 1 tsp of jeera to a smooth paste
    add this paste to the cooked kaddu, along with salt and cook for a few mts
    add 1 tbsp of beaten curds as soon as u take the avial off the stove
    tadka in coconut oil with mustard and curry leaves.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks a ton Nirupama...
    kaddu avial is the first thing i am going to try and the recipe will feature here with pictures for sure....stay tuned..

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hey...good one!!I too prepare a pumpkin curry with chana dal....goes gr8 with chappatis.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I did not carry my camera to the haat Devasena... although i clicked a few pics of the tamatar ki chaat with my cell phone camera . Shall post them with the recipe of tamatar ki chaat.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Oriya food... i never tried pumpkin with chana daal though we make lauki n chana daal with some garam masala. Give the link of that post if you have it in your blog .

    ReplyDelete
  17. Sangeeta, is this the one that goes with the Dal puris?

    ReplyDelete
  18. @ '?',

    This kaddu goes with any fried poori,stuffed or otherwise.

    ReplyDelete