Pulusu is a generic name for a class of dishes prepared in Andhra - which are best described as stews of vegetables. Of them all, Pumpkin Pulusu is the most famous of all. So keeping in line with the overall theme of this blog, I set out to make the traditional Pumpkin Pulusu with my quirks. Firstly, it is not easy to get the Indian style pumpkin in the USA. Grocery stores here abound in a variety of squashes. Butternut squash is an excellent substitute for pumpkin, and I have used it in my own version of a traditional kerala dish called Avial with great results. But this time, I chose to experiment with a new squash - the Spaghetti Squash which is shown below.
To Cut:
1. Peel and Cut the Spaghetti Squash.
2. Remove the seeds from the center.
3. Cut into medium sized pieces.
Peeling: Peeling seems unavoidable for this squash since the skin is quite thick. I tried peeling it partially as shown below, but in the end I found that the skin is too thick to be easily eaten.
4. 1 Onion cut into medium pieces
5. A few green chillies chopped.
To Saute:
1. In a cooker, put some oil.
2. Add mustard seeds, heeng and a little jeera.
3. Add green chillies, onions, and the cut squash pieces and saute for a while.
The smell of sauteed squash is just an experience beyond description !! Now the thing should like below.
To Boil:
1. Add water to the above mixture and let it boil for 15 mins or so.
2. To this mixture add tamarind water and coconunt powder.
3. At this stage, I added half a cup of besan to increase consistency. Tradionalists will cringe at this, but well... it came out awesome.
Now you should have something like below.
Final Seasoning:
Make a final tadka with
1. Chana Dal Seeds
2. Urad Dal Seeds
3. Curry Leaves
and put the tadka on the Pulusu. Crush and add a piece of Jaggery or a tsp of sugar into the Pulusu.
Mix well, boil for a while and turn it off and let it stand for a while.
This goes best with hot rice and papads.
To Cut:
1. Peel and Cut the Spaghetti Squash.
2. Remove the seeds from the center.
3. Cut into medium sized pieces.
Peeling: Peeling seems unavoidable for this squash since the skin is quite thick. I tried peeling it partially as shown below, but in the end I found that the skin is too thick to be easily eaten.
4. 1 Onion cut into medium pieces
5. A few green chillies chopped.
To Saute:
1. In a cooker, put some oil.
2. Add mustard seeds, heeng and a little jeera.
3. Add green chillies, onions, and the cut squash pieces and saute for a while.
The smell of sauteed squash is just an experience beyond description !! Now the thing should like below.
To Boil:1. Add water to the above mixture and let it boil for 15 mins or so.
2. To this mixture add tamarind water and coconunt powder.
3. At this stage, I added half a cup of besan to increase consistency. Tradionalists will cringe at this, but well... it came out awesome.
Now you should have something like below.
Final Seasoning:
Make a final tadka with
1. Chana Dal Seeds
2. Urad Dal Seeds
3. Curry Leaves
and put the tadka on the Pulusu. Crush and add a piece of Jaggery or a tsp of sugar into the Pulusu.
Mix well, boil for a while and turn it off and let it stand for a while.
This goes best with hot rice and papads.
Final results came out excellent ! Spaghetti Squash turned out to be quite an appropriate substitute for the pumpkin.
you can get the "Indian type" pumpkin ( kaddu right ?) from any Korean/Asian store, they call it "Mexican Pumpkin" , although, I got this from Shoppers, it was already cut and wrapped in a plastic, but it was definitely the "Original kaddu"
ReplyDeleteAlso, you can substitute "Jaggery" with Brown Sugar :D
ReplyDeleteOh I see... thanks for the tip... will be on the look out for them. By the way, we tried Besan Taporia Mirch from Gunajn's blog this weekend - you should try it - it is just awesome..
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