Dish of Pumpkin in Mustard Sauce
(click to enlarge)

Pumpkin in Mustard Sauce


India - Bihar   -   Kohra Sarson Ké Latpat Sabji
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 1-3/4 #
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1-1/4 hrs
Yes		 This is a squash dish that will require NO apologies. It's too intense to be a side dish, but great as a vegetarian main dish with rice.




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Kabocha Squash (1)  
-- Sauce
Tomato
Onion
-- Tempering
Red Chili, dry (2)
Garlic
Mustard Seeds (3)
Fenugreek Seeds
-- Seasonings
Mustard Seeds (4)
  yellow
Coriander Seed
Turmeric
Chili Powder (5)
Garam Masala (6)
Salt
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Mustard Oil (7)
Water
Lime Juice
-- Garnish
Cilantro Leaves
-- Serve with
Basmati Rice
PREP   (40 min)
  1. Peel and seed "PUMPKIN" (Kabocha Squash). Cut into about 3/4 inch cubes. Weight is after peeling and seeding.
  2. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water, peel, and chop fine.
  3. Chop ONION fine.
  4. Prepare Tempering: Break Red Chilis in half and dump as many seeds as will go. Peel Garlic, but do not crush of chop. Mix all Tempering items.
  5. Prepare Seasonings: Grind together Mustard Seed and Coriander Seed. Mix together all Seasonings items.
  6. Squeeze Lime Juice.
  7. Chop CILANTRO coarse for Garnish.
RUN   (35 min)
  1. In a spacious sauté pan or wok, heat Oil. ONLY IF using Mustard Oil, heat until you see the first wisp of smoke, then take off the heat and let cool to normal frying temperature.
  2. Stir in Tempering mix and fry stirring until the Mustard seeds are popping well.
  3. Stir in Onions and fry stirring over moderate heat until light golden, then stir in Tomatoes until soft.
  4. Stir in Seasonings mix and fry stirring until nearly all tomato liquid is gone (see Note-8).
  5. Stir in Pumpkin and fry stirring for about 3 minutes.
  6. Stir in 1 cup Water, bring to a boil, cover, and Simmer until Pumpkin is just tender. Sample until there is just a trace of crunch on the skin side and the rest is tender.
  7. Stir in Lime Juice and take off the heat.
  8. Serve hot, garnished with Cilantro and with plenty of steamed Basmati rice.
NOTES:

  1. "Pumpkin":

      (Kabocha Squash)   Weight is peeled and seeded. This is what a "Pumpkin" is almost everywhere except North America. In India, the Kabocha would be called a "Red Pumpkin" from it's deep orange inside color. For details see our Kabocha Squash page.

  2. Red Chili

      What small red chili you use can be quite hot, or not. It will not greatly affect the chili hotness of the finished dish.

  3. Mustard Seeds:

      The mustard seeds used for Tempering in India are always black, but yellow ones will work if you don't have black.

  4. Mustard Seeds, Yellow

      For an Indian recipe to call for Yellow Mustard Seeds is unusual, but so is the quantity and the grinding called for here. The northeast is a mustard growing region, so they know what they're doing.

  5. Chili Powder

      For northern India, a mild Chili Powder is appropriate. 1/2 teaspoon of Kashmir is barely noticeable in this recipe. Use your own best judgement here. For details see our Indian Chilis page.

  6. Garam Masala

      Our Garam Masala - Bihar would be appropriate, but other good ones will work OK.

  7. Mustard Oil:

      This is the traditional cooking oil of Bengal and north central India. It is handled differently from other oils. Mustard oil is heated in the pan with no other ingredients until it reaches a temperature where the first wisps of smoke appear (about 480°F/250°C). Immediately take it off the heat and allow to cool to a more reasonable frying temperature (around 360°F/180°C) before adding other ingredients. This procedure removes the acrid taste of the raw oil and renders it quite pleasant. Mustard oil is available in markets serving an Indian community. It will always be labeled "For Massage Use Only" due to lack of FDA approval, based on reasons no longer considered valid. For details see our Mustard Oil page.

  8. Frying Tomatoes

      The pattern recipe says to fry the Tomato mix until the oil separates. This is a common instruction in India and Africa, "to remove the bitterness of the tomatoes". I have never detected any "bitterness" in tomatoes, and what this over-cooking really does is destroy the fresh tomato flavor. For that reason, I always violate that instruction and stop the frying before the tomatoes are dry. This over-cooking may be a hang-over from when it was presumed all nightshade berries needed long cooking to detox.
  9. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove, in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste

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