Parangikai Halwa

I have tasted Ash gourd halwa aka Kasi halwa at many a weddings, so why not red pumpkin halwa. Reason why I tried this - I had a half red pumpkin sitting idle in our fridge.

Ingredients
Red Pumpkin - 3 cups (grated)
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 5 tbsp
Milk - 1 1/2 cup (optional)
Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp
Cashew Nuts and Raisins to garnish

Method
Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan, add grated pumpkin and saute till raw smell is gone.
Add milk and cook pumpkin till its mushy and thick. Keep mashing it using a potato masher. If your arent using milk, add sugar in this step and cook till mushy in ghee and sugar.
Add sugar, and the remaining ghee and keep stirring continuously, till ghee oozes out and the halwa is non sticky.
Switch of heat add cardamom powder, raisins, cashews and serve hot.

Im sending this to Celebrate Sweets and the event is hosted by Rak's Kitchen Sweets/Desserts with fruits & Vegetables, to Radhika's Diwali Special - Sweets and Savories and Anu's Diwali - "Festival of Lights"


Bon Appetit!!
Rudra

Pumpkin Subji

Red Pumpkin isnt used much in our cuisine, save kootu and coconut kari. I had this subji once at my aunt's place and since then its been something I prepare many a times.

Ingredients
Red Pumkin - 1 cup
Tomato - 1
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp
Dhaniya Powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking

Method
Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, tomato and chopped red pumpkin.
Add red chili powder, dhaniya powder and salt and mix. Mix it well when the pumpkin is raw and hard.
Add some water, close with a lid and cook.
Serve it hot with chapthis.

Bon Appetit!!
Rudra

Parangikai Pal Kootu

Olan as its called in Kerala, is a part of their Onam Sadhya. A favorite in our households, its prepared with red pumpkin in a coconut gravy.

Ingredients
Red Pumpkin - very small
Coconut Milk - 2 cups
Black Eyed Peas - 3 tbsp
Green Chili - 4
Raw Rice - 2 tbsp
Curry Leaves - a littlle
Salt to taste
Coconut Oil for cooking

Method
Dry roast black eyes beans and pressure cook.
Deseed the pumpkin and cut into small cubes. Cook till soft in little water along with slit green chilies and salt.
Add 1/2 of the coconut milk, curry leaves and cooked black eyed beans. (While extracting coconut milk, keep aside the first extract. Add rice and water and extract more millk. Use the last extract first).
Once a nice consistency is reached, add the rest of the coconut milk and temper with mustard seeds.

Bon Appetit!!
Rudra

Vathal Kozhambu

Vathal is basically sun dried vegetables. Most TamBram homes would have a stock of sundakkai or manathakkali vathal. But vathal kozhambu can also be made from fresh vegetables. But our family loves the tomato vathal kozhambu.

Ingredients
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Channa Dal - 1 tbsp
Tamarind - size of a lemon
Curry leaves - a little
Red Chili - 1
Asafoetida - 1/4 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking (Gingelly Oil preferably)

Method
Heat oil in a pan and add fenugreek seeds. Add mustard seeds and once they splutter add channa dal, asafoetida, curry leaves and any vathal or fresh vegetables and saute (Use anything from Drumstick, Cluster Beans, Brinjal, Okra, Bitter Gourd, Broad Beans to Tomato). We have used red pumpkin.
Add tamarind extract, sambar powder and salt and allow to boil until the raw smell is gone.
Once a saucy consistency is reached, add some jaggery(optional) and serve hot with Parupu sadam (Dal Rice) and Sutta Appalam (Roasted Papad).

Instead of the fresh vegetables/vathal you can make this with pearl onions and garlic. My hubby is an ardent fan of this version.

Bon Appetit!!
Rudra