I always try to include a variety of vegetables in my diet (and in my recipes on the blog too!). With creative use of spices, even the fussy eater can fall in love with vegetables 🙂 Gojju is a Kannada term used to describe any gravy based vegetable dish. Here I have combined sweet pumpkin with a tangy gravy. The spicy red chilies, the tangy tamarind, and the slightly sweet fresh coconut perfectly blend with the taste of pumpkin. this is indeed a lip-smacking curry.This sweet pumpkin gojju reminds me of temple food in Karnataka 🙂 With just 5 or 6 ingredients readily available in your house you can whip this up in under 20 minutes.
Did you know? Sweet pumpkin has a lot of nutrients – it is rich in Vitamin A and potassium. Pumpkin being rich in fiber will also keep you full longer!
I tried this recipe last weekend and it was like a journey back to all the temple visits during my childhood. While this does not capture the real taste of the piping hot food on the banana leaf, I would say this recipe comes quite close to the actual taste. This gravy can be used with any vegetable of your choice. Some other commonly used veggies are spinach or okra.
Sweet Pumpkin in Coconut-Tamarind Gravy (Sihi Kumbalakayi Gojju)
Ingredients
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400 grams sweet pumpkin
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2 tbsp grated coconut
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1 tsp cumin seeds
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3-4 dried red chillies
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1 tsp Tamarind pulp (If you are using tamarind directly, add about 1 inch piece of tamarind directly to blender in step3)
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1 tsp oil
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1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 5-10 curry leaves
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Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
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Salt to taste
Method
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Remove the skin of the pumpkin and chop it into bite-sized pieces.
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Heat oil in a large saucepan. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add the chopped pumpkin pieces, 1/4 cup water, salt and let the pumpkin cook well.
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While the pumpkin is cooking, prepare the spice mixture. Blend the coconut, red chillies , cumin seeds and tamarind pulp with a little water.
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Once the pumpkin is almost cooked, add this spice mixture. Adjust the consistency as per your taste. Let the curry simmer for 5 min.
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Serve this hot with rice, cracked wheat or chapathi
