Aloo Kumro (Pumpkin with Potatoes )

2013-09-20
  • Prep Time : 10m
  • Cook Time : 10m
  • Ready In : 25m

The butternut squash is another vegetable that I was very curious about when I first came to the UK.

So I bought it one day, only to discover that it is the same as as our very own red pumpkin back home.  Yes, there are differences- this one is slightly harder to cut, but the nicest thing is that it has far less seeds compared to the pumpkin.

While the pumpkin is like a big hollow, the butternut squash is chunky all the way through till the bottom rounded bit which has all the seeds- in short, less messy.

I absolutely adore butternut squash. Not only is it a good source of fibre, but it is bursting with the goodness Vitamins A, C and E. And as if there weren’t enough, it also has loads of manganese, magnesium and potassium.

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A few years ago, I had the pleasure of growing a few of these beauties myself. And even now, it is a permanent in my kitchen.

This recipe is a very typical Bengali recipe. Try it.

Ingredients

  • Pumpkin / Butternut Squash- 2 cups- cubed
  • Potatoes- 2 medium (1/2 cup) - cubed
  • Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
  • Chilli powder- 1/4 tsp
  • Coriander powder- 1/4 tsp
  • Ginger, grated- 1 tsp
  • Milk- 1/4 cup max
  • Salt to taste
  • Tempering:
  • Bayleaves- 2
  • Cumin seeeds- 1 tsp
  • Chillies- green or dry red- 2
  • Asafoetida- 1 pinch ( optional)
  • Garnish:
  • Coriander

Method

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Peel and cut the potatoes and pumpkin/ butternut Squash into cubes.

Wash the potatoes and keep in water till you need them for cooking to prevent them from getting oxidised.

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Heat oil in a pan. When hot, but but steaming hot, add in the bayleaves, chillies, cumin seeds and asafoetida.

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In 30 seconds, add in the potatoes.

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Add the turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt. Mix well. Add the ginger.

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Add in the pumpkin. Mix well.

Cover and cook on a medium fire for about 10 minutes. The potatoes and pumpkin both cook around the same time, specially if it is the butternut squash. Red Indian pumpkin tends to cook a little faster.

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Add in the milk. It tends to soften the vegetable and mellows the taste. Try breaking the potatoes and pumpkin with your ladle. If it cuts through easily, the vegetable is cooked and ready. Remove the lid, mix well.

I prefer not to overcook the pumpkin, because it then mushes up. Not that it spoils the taste, but it’s just that the dish has more character, if every vegetable can stand on its own 🙂

Also I think  properly cooked vegetables are easier on the eye and do not resemble baby food 🙂

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Garnish with coriander.

This Bengali recipe is best served hot with rotis, rice or even puris. It is really really tasty.

Tastes best with roti and puri, I think. But we very often  serve it with masoor dal and rice.

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