Pan-fried Turmeric-mustard Pumpkin, try a different kind of Pumpkin side-dish for this festive season.

Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, low-carb.

Toasted garlic, parboiled Pumpkin, Turmeric, Onions are the key ingredients in this tasty skillet side dish. if your loved one’s want to try something that is a curry but can also pass as a side dish then you might want to try this recipe for a change.

This is an adaptation of a Sri Lankan dish, the roasted Coconut Pumpkin curry but with less ingredients. 

I’ve tried to keep the ingredients to a minimum but still make the dish flavorful so that it can be an easy dish to create for readers from outside of the Asian region, this way you need not spend time finding some of the spices and herbs needed for the Sri Lankan version.

Not everyone has immediate access to curry leaves and freshly grated coconut(though, I’m using curry leaves here, you can easily do without it or add your favorite herb).

 

How is the texture and taste of this Turmeric-Mustard Pumpkin?

Since we are using parboiled Pumpkin cooked without the usual amount of creamy Coconut milk, there’s a bite to it, an intentional texture, I might add.

When you are used to a certain way of cooking and food that is reminiscent of home, trying a new way of cooking and tasting new textures can be difficult and some may show great reluctance towards new taste on old favorites. This is exactly what happened with my kids. they were so used to the soft, easy Sri Lankan Pumpkin curry consistency that they were not quite convinced that the Pumpkins were cooked properly.

So if you are a Sri Lankan this firm feel of the vegetable can come as a surprise. personally, I liked and enjoyed the dish. 

How long do I parboil the Pumpkins?

Over medium-heat, bring water to boil, once its boiled, add the cubed Pumpkin, cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes, use a fork to check if you can pierce the Pumpkin. Drain water from the pan and set aside until you are ready to cook the Pumpkins

 Pan-fried turmeric pumpkin curry.

Please make sure to read the recipe instructions carefully to avoid mistakes.

Ingredients

1 cup of water(you might need a little less since you will be using the water to slightly parboil the Pumpkins but still have a bite)

500g of Pumpkins( skin removed and cubed evenly)

4-5 finely sliced Garlic

5-6 tablespoons of oil(the following amount is not used at once, it is used only when necessary and in stages so please make sure to follow directions carefully)

1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric

A sprig of curry leaves

1 medium-sized  Onion finely sliced

Method

Remove skin of Pumpkin and cut them into 1 inch cubes.

Place a skillet over medium heat and pour in the water, season with a pinch(1/8th teaspoon) Salt and bring to boil.

Reduce heat, add the cubed Pumpkin and parboil over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until you can pierce the pumpkin with a fork.

Once the Pumpkin cubes are par boiled, drain water and set them aside.

Place the same pan over low-fire, pour in 2 tablespoons of oil, let it heat, then add the sliced Onions, curry leaves and turmeric, leaving it to sauté for 5 minutes.

Once the onion turns soft, add the mustard and garlic slices to sautéed ingredients, let the mustard splutter, then add parboiled Pumpkin cubes to the pan.

Over low-medium heat, gently mix in all ingredients, season with Salt as needed.

Continue mixing the ingredients in slow movements, while adding tablespoons of oil so that the Pumpkin and other ingredients don’t stick to the pan. keep cooking this way on low-fire while all ingredients are mixed well. this should take 10 minutes. serve warm.