Sweet & Spicy Lentil-Pumpkin Curry

Lentil pumpkin curry is a traditional south Indian dish known as "mathanga pulingary". It is a perfect blend of sweetness and spiciness from pumpkin and chili flakes.

Cook Time:

20 Minutes

Yield:

4 Servings

Ease of Cooking:

Moderate

What all you'll need?

• Lentils (Toor Dal) – ½ cup
• Pumpkin – 1 cup - cut into small square pieces
  
• Coconut – 1 cup
• Red/Green Chili – 5-6 ( depending on how spicy you like)
• Cumin Seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Tamarind paste – 2 tablespoons
  
• Coconut Oil – 1 tablespoon
• Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Fenugreek seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves – A bunch
• Water – As required
• Turmeric powder-1 teaspoon
  
• Salt – As required

You can substitute the pumpkin with butternut squash as it has the same texture and taste.

Let's cook it!!

1. Grind coconut, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and chili to a fine paste in a mixer/grinder.
2. Heat 2 cups of water in a medium sized pan. Add lentils, pumpkin and turmeric powder. Allow the water to boil and wait until the lentils and pumpkin are cooked.
   
3. Add tamarind paste and salt to the cooked lentil and pumpkin mixture and let it boil for 5-10 minutes.
   
4. Add the spicy coconut paste (step 1) to the boiling curry and let it cook for another 5 minutes so that the coconut spice paste will blend in the curry.
5. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and 1 dried red chili. Wait for mustard seeds to splutter and add it to the curry.
   
6. Lentil pumpkin curry is ready to be served with hot rice.