Pumpkin

Pumpkin is another easy dish to cook and is also one of the dishes we cook at all Hindu ceremonies--weddings,pujas,shraadhas etc etc. It is cheap and very easy to cook. Butternut Squash can be used instead of Pumpkin and the taste is almost the same, just the texture is slightly different.

Ingredients:

2 lbs pumpkin, peeled and diced.

1 small onion

3 pegs garlic

2 small peppers chopped ( to your taste)

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

2 tablespoon garam masala power

1 teaspoon ground jeera

1 teaspoon oil

1 tablespoon sugar

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in deep pan/karahi.

2. Saute onions until transparent.

3. Add garlic and pepper and stir for 1-2 seconds.

4. Add pumpkin and stir to coat the pumpkin.

5. Add salt and stir to mix evenly.

6. Add sugar and stir again.

7. Add tumeric and stir to coat evenly

8. Add garam masala, stir to coat evenly.

9. Turn down the heat to medium and allow to cook. If the pumpkin does not give off its own water, you will need to add 1-2 teacups of water.

10. Allow to cook until it become mushy.

11. Add ground jeera.

Bhaji

I used Poi Bhaji in this recipe.Any variety of Spinach can be used,fresh or frozen.Some use Coconut milk in this recipe especially with Chorai Bhaji and the variety that is available in North America. Cow's milk can also be used. This is a very easy recipe and does not have any spices,some people add whole jeera(1/4 teaspoon) when sauteing the onions at the beginning or ground jeera when it is almost done.

Ingredients:
2 lbs Spinach chopped(approximately)
1 small onion chopped
3 flakes garlic chopped
2 small peppers
1 medium tomato chopped
1 teaspoon oil
salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in pan/karahi.
2. Stir fry onion until transparent.
3. Add garlic and pepper, stir for 1 second.
4. Add chopped spinach.
5. Sprinkle salt on top of Spinach--they will immediately start to loose water.
6. Add chopped tomato and stir well.
7. If you are adding coconut milk--now is the time to add--about 1/2 teacup.
8. Remove whenever you are satisfied--traditionally,Spinach is allowed to cook until all liquid evaporates.

Katahar(Kathal) Curry

The most difficult part of making Katahar curry is the actual cleaning of the fruit. The biggest turn off is the stain that is left on the fingers. Cleaned Katahar is sold at markets in Guyana and is almost double the price.It is available frozen in West Indian supermarkets abroad. It takes like 1 hr to clean one katahar(less time when you get someone to help).


Ingredients:

2 medium katahar cleaned
milk extracted from 1 grated dried coconut
1 teaspoon ground turmeric(dye)
3 tablespoons garam masala
3 tablespoon ground jeera
2 whole cloves
1 inch piece cinnamon
1 large tomato,chopped
1 large onion, chopped
5 flakes garlic, chopped
2 wiri wiri pepper(any pepper of your choice)
1 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste.

Method.

1. Wash the already cleaned katahar thoroughly in a colander.Drain.
2. Heat the oil in a karahi/deep pot.
3. Add the cinnamon and cloves.
4. Add the drained katahar and stir until coated with oil.Reduce flame to slow.
5. Add salt and stir.
6 .Add the turmeric, stir until all the katahar is coated.Fry for 1 minute.
7. Add the garam masala, stir again and fry for 1 minute.
8. Add the jeera,stir for 1 minute.

9. Add the coconut milk, stir. The milk should cover the katahar.

9. Turn up the flame until it starts to boil then reduce it back to medium.
10.Add the chopped tomato.
11.Cover the pot and allow to cook until all the seeds are cooked.

It tastes best when it is dried-down/cooked down completely and oil starts to come out.Serve with dal and rice(7 curries) or with hot sada or paratha rotis.