Tiyya Mukkala Pulusu/ Pumpkin Stew

Hi Buddies,

This is my ammamma’s recipe. My grand-mom is a wonderful cook and I like anything she makes. Call it her magic or her experience, her dishes will taste exactly the same every time I eat and never fails (need to know that formula from her!!!). All her recipes have special flavor and her aromatic kitchen is enough to make anyone hungry. This is one of my favorite dishes of her. I got the recipe from her and exactly followed the steps .Though it didn’t taste the same, this is good enough to satisfy my craving. Hope you will try this simple yet authentic dish!!!

Preparation Time:  20 minutes
No of Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Red pumpkin: ¼ piece (of medium-sized pumpkin)
Bottle guard: 1 cup
Ladies finger: ¼ cup (optional)
Toor Dal: ½ cup
Turmeric: pinch
Salt: as per taste
Tamarind: 1 big gooseberry size
Jaggery: ¼ cup (grated and can adjust as per your taste)
Red Chili: ½ tsp. (adjust as per your taste)
Rasam powder: 1 tsp. (optional but i used MTR rasam powder)
Coriander leaves: few
Rice flour: 1 tbsp.

For Tempering:

Oil: 1 tbsp.
Cumin Seeds: 1 tbsp.
Mustard Seeds: 1 tbsp.
Methi seeds: 8
Red chili: 1
Curry Leaves: Few
asafoetida/Hing: pinch

Method:

• Wash and cook toor dal in a pressure cooker.
• Meanwhile, cut pumpkin and bottle guard into big pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Cook them in a vessel with little water (boil them till they are 80% cooked).

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Cut ladies finger and slightly stir fry them in 1 tbsp. of oil. I skipped this as my hubby doesn’t like okra.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Make a thick paste (approx. ½ cup) with 1 gooseberry size of tamarind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Transfer dal, vegetables, tamarind paste to a vessel. Add jaggery, turmeric, salt, red chili powder, water and rasam powder (this is optional and it’s my twist, my granny doesn’t add it).
• Let it cook for 5 minutes on low flame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Take a spoon of rice flour and mix it in 3-4 tbsp. of water without lumps. Add this to stew and mix it well. Let it cook for ½ more minute and turn off the heat. Rice flour is to get nice consistency if stew is too watery. If stew is already thick, you can skip this step.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Garnish it with coriander leaves.
• Heat a pan with 1 tbsp. of oil and add cumin, mustard seeds, methi seeds, red chili and curry leaves.
• When they start crackling, add hing and then transferred it to stew/ pulusu.
• Serve it with hot rice and papad!!!