Mahanandi

Living in Consciousness ~ Indi(r)a’s Food and Garden Weblog

Boodida Gummadi Pulusu

Photo Purchase Keywords: Noodles, Pumpkin
(It takes money, time, effort and energy for food photography. Please don’t photosteal. Click on the links and purchase the photos legally to digital download and to print. Thanks.)

I have become an enthusiastic fan of boodida gummadi this season. It’s nutritional qualities, versatility and low cost are the big plus points, but what made it irresistible for me is the sweet taste and no pumpkin smell. This white fleshed boodida gummadi also known as ash gourd and winter melon is nothing like red pumpkin. Do try if you come across this one at Indian or Chinese grocery shops.

I was talking to my mother this morning, and asked her what to make with boodida gummadi. The following is her recipe. No onion-garlic-ginger masala, no seeds or tomatoes, it’s a very light kind of dish. A good recipe for detox diet, and what I needed today. Amma saved the day, once more again.

Winter Melon, Ash Gourd or Boodida Gummadi
Boodida Gummadi (Ash Gourd or Winter Melon)

Recipe:

1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 sprig fresh curry leaves, pinch each cumin, mustard seeds and hing
Boodida Gummadi: white part cut to ½-inch cubes, four cups
2 tablespoons watery tamarind extract, freshly squeezed from pulp
2 tablespoons jaggery
2 tablespoons rice, powdered (any variety will do, I added rosematta)
¼ teaspoon each – turmeric, red chilli powder
Salt to taste

Place a saucepan on stove-top. Add peanut oil and when it’s hot, add and toast curry leaves, cumin and mustard seeds, along with a pinch of hing. Don’t forget hing (asafoetida), this is what livens up this detox diet. Toast for couple of seconds.

Add the boodida gummadi to the pot, along with a cup of water. Cover and simmer, until the white become translucent pearl, for about ten minutes.

Now add the tamarind extract, jaggery, rice powder, turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Mix. Simmer, covered for another five to ten minutes. Serve warm.

This is a watery preparation, traditionally served with rice and papads. We had it with buckwheat (soba) noodles for our meal.

Boodida Gummadi Pulusu with Buckwheat Noodles
Boodida Gummadi Pulusu with Buckwheat Noodles ~ Health Rejuvenator & Meal Today

Recipe Source: Amma, Nandyala
Boodida gummadi cultivation in India using traditional methods – Link

~ Indira

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Amma & Authentic Andhra,Pumpkin (Wednesday February 6, 2008 at 6:44 pm- permalink)
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Flavors of Life ~ Pumpkin Blossom

Pumpkin Blossoms, Painting by Sree
Flavors of Life ~ Pumpkin Blossom
Painting by Sree (Colored Pencils on Paper)

It’s rarely that a pumpkin vine grows to its prime to bear fruit in our garden. At my place, we are crazy about the pumpkin leaves (tender ones), buds, flowers and the young pumpkins. Hence any growth is literally ‘nipped in the bud’. Might sound like a heartless act of greed, but just try a pumpkin flower stir-fry or crisp deep-fry, and you will know why! However, this vine crept up beside the home inconspicuously amidst a huge rose tree (yes, the rose bush has grown into a tree beyond the first floor), and one fine day we noticed a huge pumpkin (seven Kilos!) ‘harvested’ in time for Sankranthi.:) I wish the remaining flowers, leaves and buds as much luck this year.:)

~ Sree

Previously on Flavors of Life:

Click on the image to see the

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Indian Ingredients,Pumpkin,Sree (Saturday February 2, 2008 at 8:59 am- permalink)
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Teepi Gummadi Kura for Sankranthi

(Pumpkin Subzi with Winter Melon from Nandyala)

Photo Purchase Keywords: Pumpkin, Subzi
(It takes money, time, effort and energy for food photography. Please don’t photosteal. Click on the links and purchase the photos legally to digital download and to print. Thanks.)

Winter melon, Ash Gourd, Gummadikaya, Gummadi

Pumpkin kura sweetened with jaggery is a Sankranthi tradition at Nandyala and in many parts of Andhra, Bharath. Pumpkin is a winter vegetable, and jaggery is made fresh from sugarcane during this season. So on Bhogi, the first day of three day festival Sankranthi, we cook these two together as part of harvest celebration. The pumpkin cubes coated with jaggery-spice mixture glisten like an early morning Sunshine on wintry day in this curry. Usually we serve it with Sajja Rotte (Millet Roti) on Bhogi.

The white fleshed pumpkin is called boodida gummadi in Telugu. Here in US, it is sold as ash gourd or winter melon, often cut into small portions like shown in the image. Winter melon tastes like cucumber, mildly sweet and no smell whatsoever. If this variety is available in your area, do try this recipe. Sweet, aromatic and with ruchi, this curry is a hearwarming wintry delight and a must try for winter-melon fans.

Gummadi, Winter Melon, Ash Gourd, Kaddu
Winter Melon, Coconut, Dalia and Jaggery

Recipe:
(for two, for two meals with roti)

Boodida Gummadi (Winter melon): Peel the skin, remove the seeds and cut the white part to bite-sized cubes : 4 cups

Jaggery-spice Paste:

Dalia (putnala pappulu, Bhuna Chana) – quarter cup
Jaggery, crushed to small pieces – 3 tablespoons
Coconut, fresh or dry, grated – 1 tablespoon
Dried red chilli – 4
Coriander seeds – half teaspoon
Take them all in a mixer, blend to fine consistency.

Kura Preparation:
In a pot, heat a teaspoon of peanut oil. Add and toast a sprig of curry leaves, pinch of cumin and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds start to pop, add the pumpkin cubes. Also the jaggery-spice paste along with a glass of water. Mix. Stir in a pinch of turmeric, and salt to taste. Mix, and simmer, covered for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the pumpkin pieces cook to tender.

Serve the teepi gummadi kura with chapati, sorghum roti or sajja roti. (This curry is not that good with rice.)

Teepi Gummadi Kura, Pumpkin Curry with Roti
Teepi Gummadi Kura with Roti, and Boondhi Mixture

Recipe Source: Amma, Nandyala
This kura is also prepared with orange pumpkin. The recipe is same except the change in pumpkin.
Kura=Curry, Teepi=Sweet, Gummadi=Pumpkin, Ruchi=Flavor (from Telugu to English)

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Amma & Authentic Andhra,Chana Dal-Roasted (Dalia),Jaggery,Pumpkin (Wednesday January 9, 2008 at 2:35 pm- permalink)
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Kandula Kura

Kandulu (Whole and Dried Tuvar or Toor Beans
Kandulu (Tuvar or Toor Beans)
Dried Beans, Rehydrated Beans and Cooked Beans
(Clockwise from the bottom. Notice the color change)

Aloo Kurma with Tuvar Beans
Kandula Kura with Potatoes ~ for Jihva

Aloo Kurma is a good thing. Add the earthy, tooth-some tuvar beans, you have something even better. A fantastic Kandula Kura substantial enough to nurture an Olympic trainer.

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Amma & Authentic Andhra,Pumpkin,Toor Dal (Friday December 7, 2007 at 1:12 pm- permalink)
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Green Split Peas with Acorn Squash

Dazzling Dals ~ Matar Kadoo Ki Dal

Last week I watched a documentary on pumpkins called “Lords of the Gourd,” on PBS. The effort that goes into the giant pumpkin production was really amazing to see. Pumpkins were bathed in milk for prize winning looks, fed on bathtub sized fertilizer solutions, and grown to a groan-inducing size of 800, 1,200, 1,500 pounds – it’s pumpkin passion, godzilla style. The documentary covered many aspects of this competition craziness, but they forgot to mention how these giant pumpkins taste. It doesn’t matter I guess.

If I ever participate in such competition, my pumpkin would be nourished on food blogs feed.:) Thousands of food blogs and all those mouthwatering recipes, the baby pumpkin would have no choice but turn in to a big balloon. Here is the rough sketch of how-to setup. The overfed champion would not only be big, but I am confident that it would also win in taste department. If not, I can always rely on my prized pumpkin recipe “Matar-Kadoo ki Dal”, the kind of dish that will thrill the taste buds and delight the eyes.

“Matar-Kadoo ki Dal” is a traditional Indian recipe, with green split peas and pumpkin. Typical Indian masala seasoning, and for special spicy touch, wadis (sundried dal-spice rounds) and peppercorn are added. Perfect for cool weather, but watch out for those intracranial explosions.:)

Acorn Squash and Green Split Peas for Matar Kadoo Ki Dal
Acorn Squash and Green Split Peas for Matar Kadoo Ki Dal

Recipe:
(for two, for two meals)

2 cups green split peas
2 cups pumpkin, peeled and cubed. (I used acorn squash)
½ cup wadis (available at Indan grocery)
1 big red onion, finely chopped, about a cup
1 teaspoon, ginger-garlic-cilantro paste
1 teaspoon goda masala powder (or garam masala)
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns- coarsely crushed
Salt and turmeric to taste
For tadka or popu:
2 tablespoons peanut oil,
Pinch each, cumin and mustard seeds
8-10 curry leaves

Take green split peas in a vessel. Cover with water and simmer to tender (but not too soft).

While the split peas are cooking, in another big pot, heat peanut oil. Add and pan-fry the wadis to crisp. Remove them to a plate and set aside.

In the same pot, to the heated oil, add and toast cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Next goes the onion and ggc paste. Cook until onions are soft. Add the cubed pumpkin, and saute for about five minutes.

Stir in the cooked green split peas along with the water they simmered in. Also, add the goda masala powder, peppercorns, salt and turmeric. If the dal looks too dry, dilute it with water, about a cup. Mix, cover, and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, till the pumpkins reach the softness you desire. (Both pumpkin and green split peas cook to soft in short time.)

Sprinkle the crisp wadis and serve with rice or roti. It tasted great on its own also.


Green Split Peas with Acorn Squash (Matar-Kadoo Ki Dal with Wadis) and A Palate Refresher, Mandarin

From Hindi to English: Matar = Peas, Kadoo = Pumpkin
Recipe adapted from “The Spice Box by Manju Shivraj Singh”

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Peas (Split),Pumpkin (Monday November 5, 2007 at 7:38 pm- permalink)
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The New Home of Mahanandi: www.themahanandi.org

Pumpkin Halwa with Butternut Squash


Pumpkin Halwa with Butternut Squash and Almonds ~ For JFI:Deepavali Treats

When talented food writer, photographer and blogger Vee of Past, Present and Me announced special edition of Jihva to celebrate Diwali festival, I was really elated and thought it was an appropriate idea. “Jihva for Ingredients” (JFI), is an online food blogging event, created to celebrate the natural ingredients and what they can do for our Jihva.

The ingredients that we use in our cooking may not be constant but love, family and tradition, the natural, real ingredients that we share to celebrate the Deepavali festival are going to be constant and would always be there to sustain us through our life journey. Also if there is one festival that truly unites India, it is Deepavali~the festival of lights. All ages and religions joyously participate – Lighting the divas, sharing sweets, presents or enjoying firework displays. The festival has something for everyone. Even the grinch among us would shine and smile during this time.

Deepavali is also about giving and receiving a second chance in life and I am glad to share with you my second chance with pumpkin.:) To tell you the truth, I am not a big fan of pumpkin, I never was. My dislike of this vegetable started in my childhood, continued through upto now. But after seeing several of my fellow food bloggers’ fabulous creations with this vegetable, I too wanted to join the fun. But would the pumpkin accept me, I was skeptical. So I took the help of almonds, milk kova and of course our true friend that would instantly bring joy to any occasion, ‘the sugar’. With the help of all these ingredients I have prepared pumpkin halwa with butternut squash. Boy, oh boy, what a delight that was. I was astounded by how generous the pumpkin was with its gentle sweetness and its ready mixing with other ingredients. It may look all bulky and intimidating, but the vegetable has a sweet taste of a kind giant.

Many thanks to my fellow food bloggers (dear InjiPennu , where are you?), to my new friend pumpkin for inspring me to take this second chance and also to lovely Vee for hosting this special edition of Jihva. If it’s not for you guys, I would have never tried pumpkin again, I think. And this pumpkin halwa sweet truly is a special Diwali treat for us, and is going to be a tradition from now on in my family.


Butternut Squash ~ Cut in Half and Grated

Recipe:

Butternut Squash, almonds, milk and sugar
Ghee, rose water and cardamom

Prep work:

1. Almonds – Soak half-cup almonds in warm water for about 2 hours. Remove the skins and make a smooth powder in a food processor.

2. Butternut squash (2 pounder) – Peel the skin and cut into half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and finely grate using a mandoline. Comes about 3 cups of tightly packed grated squash.

3. Meanwhile prepare milk-sugar syrup: take 5 cups of whole milk and 2 cups of sugar in a big, thick-bottomed vessel. Cook the mixture until is gets thick and is reduced to about one fourths of the original quantity. Takes about 30 to 45 minutes.

4. Take 8 cardamoms, remove the skins and in a mortar pound the seeds into fine powder with a pestle.

Showtime:

1. In a big sturdy, wide bottomed vessel, heat about 2 tablespoons of ghee on medium heat.

2. Add the grated pumpkin to the melted ghee. And with a big slotted spoon, gently mix and cook the pumpkin. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring in between, until the raw smell of pumpkin disappears and color changes from yellow to orange-yellow.

3. Add the almond powder and condensed milk-sugar kova. Add cardamom powder and two teaspoons of rose water. Gently mix and constantly stirring, cook the whole mixture until it comes together into a solid firm mass. Takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Remove the halwa to a pan. Level it even and let cool. Keep it in the freezer for about one hour to firm it up even more. Remove and cut into squares or use a cookie cutter to cut round shape discs.

5. Serve chilled.

I think this halwa can stay fresh upto one week, when refrigerated.


Pumpkin Halwa ~ Our Diwali Treat ~ For 101 Indian Sweets
and My Entry to VKN’s “Festival Foods” Event

Recipe source: My own creation
I have prepared this halwa on less sweet side. My preference. Increase the sugar quantity if you like more sugary sweet taste.

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Almonds,Indian Sweets 101,Milk,Mitai,Pumpkin,Sugar (Thursday October 19, 2006 at 2:08 pm- permalink)
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