Poosanikai/Pumpkin Chutney

How to make Poosanikai/Pumpkin Chutney

          I bet we all get tired of the same old chutney varieties. I also like to incorporate  vegetables other than onions & tomatoes into my chutneys. So here's one version of the pumpkin chutney, which tastes more like poosanikai paruppu thuvayal, if you know what paruppu thuvayal  (dal chutney) tastes like. That recipe is for another post, cos' I have a story to go with it. This recipe is from one of Mallika Badrinath's cookbook's - Chutney Varieties; and is being shared with my groupies at - CCC# 40: January -- Week 4.

Ingredients for about 2 to 4 servings:

Chopped yellow Pumpkin/Poosanikai - 2 cups

Dry red chillies- 4 no:

Oil - 3 tsps

Kadalai paruppu/Bengal gram dal- 1.5 tbps

Thuvaram paruppu/Toor dal - 1.5 tbps

Salt to taste

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Urad dal - 1/4 tsp

Stove top Method:

1. Heat a tsp of oil in a pan & fry the red chillies, toor dal, bengal gram dal until it turns golden brown & crisp.
2. Transfer the roasted ingredients to a plate.
3. Heat the pan again with a tsp of oil, add the chopped pumpkin pieces & roast for a few seconds & sprinkling some water, cover & cook until soft.
4. Powder the roasted ingredients from step one with salt & then add the roasted pumpkin pieces. Grind to a coarse chutney.
5. Heat a tsp of oil, add the mustard seeds, when mustard splutters add urad dal & curry leaves, fry for a few seconds, until crisp. Season the chutney with this & serve with idli, dosa or rice.