SRI LANKAN PUMPKIN CURRY

In Sri Lanka the large orange pumpkin is a popular vegetable. This is a traditional Sri Lankan preparation and has a delicious flavour. Coconut milk is the major ingredient in sri lankan cooking as Indonesian and thailand foods. But Srilankan foods do have the blend of our Indian foods, especially south indian foods. So try this contempary food and have fun.

Ingredients:

 1. Pumpkin - 450 gms
2. Desiccated coconut -  2 tablespoon
3 Garlic -  5 cloves
4. Curry leaves - a few
5. Onion -  ½ medium-sized
6. Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
7. Cumin powder - ½ teaspoon
8. Turmeric -  1/4 teaspoon
9. Black mustard seed -  1/4 teaspoon
10. Oil - . 1 teaspoon
11. Salt - to taste
12 Creamed coconut -  2 tbs
13. Hot water - 1 cup

Method:

 1. Wash the pumpkin. Peel off the skin and remove the seeds and the fibrous flesh around the seeds. Cut the pumpkin into  (1") cubes.

2. Roughly chop the garlic and the onion.

3. In a heavy-bottomed frying pan, over a low heat, dry roast the coconut until dark brown. It requires constant stirring to prevent the coconut from burning. In a food processor transfer the peeled garlic, the chopped onion and the roasted coconut. Add 2 tablespoonsful of water and grind to a smooth paste.

4. In a medium-sized pan heat the oil, add the mustard seeds and cook covered on a low heat until the seeds 'pop'. Add the curry leaves and the coriander powder, cumin powder and turmeric powder and fry for half a minute.

5. Dissolve the creamed coconut in the hot water and add it together with the salt. Add the ground ingredients and lastly add the pumpkin pieces and bring to the boil. Simmer covered for 12-15 minutes or until it get cooked well, but not smashed (when a fork inserted, it goes through).

6. Serve it hot with white rice or with coconut milk rice or even with roti.

Note :- This recipe which I have received, don't have any chillies or red chilli powder. Still it tasted good. If you want to add a touch of spicyness to this curry, you can add 4-5 pepper corns while grinding masala in a blender or you can add 2-3 green chillies while seasoning mustard seeds and curry leaves.