Hot and Sour Pumpkin Curry

Ingredients:

Pumpkin –500gm, peeled and chopped into 1” squares

Garlic – 6-8 cloves

Onion – 1 big, sliced or 1 cup shallots peeled

Tomatoes – 1 big chopped

Thick Tamarind pulp – about 150 ml (Soak a lime sized piece in warm water, squeeze to extract pulp and filter)

Coriander powder – 3 tsp heaped

Chilli powder – 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Veg. Oil – 1 tbsp

Sesame Oil – 1 tbsp

Tempering:  

Mustard (rai) – 1 tsp

Fenugreek (methi) seeds – ½ tsp

Asafoetida powder (hing) - pinch

Curry leaves – 6-7

Method:

1.Cook chopped pumpkin in water till 3/4th done. Peel garlic and crush lightly

2.Heat a wok and add both the oils, when it heats up, add mustard.Wait for the mustard to pop,then add the fenugreek seeds and asafoetida , as soon as the seeds change colour, add the washed curry leaves. Reduce heat, add garlic cloves and fry on low for 3-4 minutes.

3.Add sliced onions or whole shallots and sauté on low till translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry till pulpy.(about 5 minutes)

4.Add the coriander powder and chilli powder and fry 1 minute. Add tamarind pulp along with 100ml water and salt and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, add the chopped pumpkin and reduce flame to medium. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes till the tamarind is cooked and doesn't smell raw. Adjust the salt and cook for 5 - 10 minutes more till the gravy is reduced to little more than half.

5.Serve with steamed rice