By Ujjainee Roy
April 24, 2024
This summer don't stick to pumpkin kadhis and stir fries; there are plenty of regional pumpkin dishes which you can make this season. Make sure you stock enough seasonal produce and the right ingredients before you embark on this delicious journey!
Kootu is a South Indian dish made with vegetables, lentils, and coconut. To prepare pumpkin kootu, boiled pumpkin pieces are cooked with a spiced lentil mixture and coconut paste, seasoned with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Kumro Chhokka is a traditional Bengali dish made with pumpkin and potatoes. It's essentially a dry curry where pumpkin and potatoes are cooked with spices and sometimes shrimp or dried fish (known as shutki maach) for added flavour. It typically includes ingredients like onions, garlic, ginger, green chilies, turmeric, cumin, and mustard oil.
Mathanga Erisheri is a traditional Kerala dish made with pumpkin and coconut. It's a mildly spiced curry that combines the sweetness of pumpkin with the richness of coconut. It also has a tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, and red chilies.
Poriyal is a dry vegetable dish from Tamil Nadu. To make pumpkin poriyal, pumpkin is tempered with mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, and dried red chilies. It's then stir-fried with grated coconut and spices.
Pumpkin halwa is a popular dessert in Punjab. Grated pumpkin is cooked with ghee, milk, sugar, and flavored with cardamom and nuts until it thickens into a rich, sweet halwa.
This traditional Andhra dish made with pumpkin is essentially a pumpkin curry cooked with spices and sometimes lentils or beans for added flavor and texture. It's usually served with roti or coconut rice.