Pumpkin Kalasu

Pumpkin Kalasu is a traditional recipe of our community. It is a semi solid, sweetish coconut based curry, which goes very well with hot rice or Chapati.

Usually we use tender, greenish sweet pumpkin for this curry, paired with white Kabuli chana.

Ingredients:

Green sweet pumpkin – ½

White chana – 1 cup

Coconut – 1 bowl

Cumin – 1 tsp

Red chilli – 1 to 2

Salt

Jaggery

Red chilli powder – ½ tsp

Seasoning:

Coconut oil – 1 tsp

Mustard – 1 tsp

Red chilli – 1

Curry leaves – 1 string

Method:

• Soak white chana for 7 to 8 hours or overnight.
• Cut pumpkin into half; remove inner soft pith and seed. Chop this into small pieces with skin intact.
• Wash soaked chana, put fresh water and cook in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles.

• When pressure relieves, open the lid and add chopped pumpkin, salt, red chilli powder and jaggery. If needed add little more water and cook until pumpkin is done.

• Now grind coconut, cumin and red chilli into fine paste by adding required amount of water.
• Add this masala to cooked veggie. Adjust the consistency by adding water. Consistency should be semi solid. Boil this and add seasoning.
• For seasoning heat coconut oil, mustard, red chilli and curry leaves.
• Enjoy this curry with hot rice or Chapati.