Kumror Chhechki (Pumpkin stir fry in Bengali way)

Kumror chhechki is a popular item served in a Bengali household with ruti/ paratha/ luchi. The recipe retains the nutrients mostly because it is lightly stir fried in little oil. Turmeric added in this recipe should be kept minimal to lend the dish the beautiful colour that pumpkins naturally have. If you live abroad, try this with butternut squash, which would be more readily available there.

 

Ingredients –

• Kumro/ Pumpkin (peeled and cubed)
• Potatoes (peeled and chopped into cubes — optional)
• Nigella seeds/ Kalo jeere
• Green chillies
• Salt & sugar
• Cooking oil (preferably mustard oil)
• A pinch of turmeric powder

Preparation –

• Heat oil in a pan
• Temper it with nigella seeds and slit green chillies
• Add the potatoes at this stage if you are adding them and when half done, then add the small cubed pumpkins (this is because potatoes take more time to cook)
• Add salt
• Cook till the vegetables are done
• Now add a little sugar.
• Serve hot with luchi/ ruti/ parota

 

Note: 1. In place of nigella, the oil can also be tempered with panch puran (phoron) – the Indian five spices mix.

2. In any cooking that requires sugar, the sugar should be added once the ingredients are cooked properly. This is a default tip for most recipes. Once sugar is added, vegetables, meat etc. gets difficult to cook, unless they have been fried or boiled beforehand.