This was one of the first things I had cooked…when I started to cook way back but stopped cooking it for some unknown reason. After many years, my quest for cooking new (read old, forgotten ones) recipes for my blog brought out this jewel my Mom used to cook….in the process filling the entire house and the staircase with the wonderful smell of roasted spices.
Kochu-Kumro’r chhokka– Diced Pumpkin and Colocasia/Taro/Arbi flavored with roasted spices
Ingredients :
Pumpkin – Remove the outer skin if it’s yellow, leave it on if its green. Dice themKochu(Arbi/Colocasia/Taro) - Boiled and peeled. You can peel and then boil but boiling first does two goods: a) the nutrition remains intact b) It is much easier to peel after it is boiled. The coat just slips out like opportunities in my hand.
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Dried red chillies: 2 long ones or 4 cherry onesGinger: ½ tsp
Paanch Foron: ½ tsp – if you donot like the flavor of Paanch foron, which you may not, if you are not a Bengali, you could use a mixture of jeera, saunf and mustard – lends a slightly different flavour, works just as well.
Oil: 1 tsp (I used mustard, you can use any oil of your choice)
Salt
Turmeric
How to:
1. Roast the cumin seeds and the chillies and grind them in a mixer. You add according the quantity of your dish. You can keep the remaining powder in an airtight container an use it within 15 days. I always make it a point to roast a little more than I need and keep it to be used later in my Masala muri (Bhel puri) or alu kopir chochchori {dish of chopped potatoes and cauliflowers usually taken along with roti’s/plain triangular parathas/ luchi’s(puri’s) as a part of breakfast in a Bengali household}.
2. In a wok, heat any oil of your choice and add the paanch foron. Now add the diced pumpkin and the boiled arbi cut in a somewhat same size. Add salt, turmeric and the ginger, mix well. Cover and let the pumpkin cook.
3. When the pumpkin is done, add the ground jeera-chilly, mix well and ........
DONE IT IS !
