Mathanga pulinkari / Kerala style pumpkin curry

Kerala style pumpkin curry, a simple and delicious vegetarian curry in which diced pumpkin pieces are cooked in Indian spices and tamarind sauce.

Recipe for Kerala Style Mathanga Pulinkari

Ingredients

Mathanga / Pumpkin ~ 2.5 cups ( Peeled and chopped to medium sized cubes.)

Tamarind / Puli ~ a gooseberry size ball 

Shallots / Kochu ulli ~ 15-20 nos ( Peeled and sliced )

Indian green chillies ~ 4 nos (Sliced)

Coriander powder / Malli podi ~ 2 tbsp

Red chilly powder / Mulaku podi ~ 1.5 tsp

Fenugreek powder / Uluva podi ~ 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder / Manjal podi ~ 1/2 tsp

Grated coconut ~ 1.5 cups ( Optional - Refer notes )

Curry leaves ~ 1 stem

Mustard seeds / Kaduku ~ 1/4 tsp

Dry red chilies ~ 2 nos

Oil ~3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method

• Wash the tamarind and soak it in 1 cup of warm water for about 15 minutes and squeeze the juice out of it.

• Next cook pumpkin pieces along with green chillies, tamarind water and enough salt in an Indian pressure cooker till one whistle.

• Then heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and when it starts to crackle, add curry leaves and dry red chillies. Add sliced shallots and saute till it becomes soft and translucent. Reduce the flame and add all the curry powders and fry in a low flame for about 30 seconds.

• Finally add cooked pumpkin pieces along with enough water and let it cook in a medium-low flame for about 15-20 minutes or till it reaches your desired consistency. Remove from the flame and enjoy with rice.

Notes: You can even prepare this curry by adding roasted coconut. I mostly stay away from roasted coconut dishes for the sake of my family's health, but if you wish you can add  ground roasted coconut.

Preparing mathanga curry with roasted coconut: Take 1.5 cups of grated coconut and roast it in a low flame till it turns dark brown in color, it would take about 20-25 minutes and then grind it to a fine paste by adding little water or oil. Follow the above steps and add this ground coconut paste along with cooked pumpkin pieces. 

Cheers!!

Jisha