Sihi kumbalakai bolu huli | Pumpkin Sambar | Pumpkin Bolu huli : South Canara Recipe

The Udupi or South Canara cuisine is very vast. During every visit to my hubby's aunties house, I learn one new dish. One such dish learnt recently is bolu huli. My son loves the aroma of this sambar & everytime I make this, he is sure to say "amma(mom), what are you cooking? It is smelling very good!". He relishes it with matta rice(Kerala/Udupi red rice).

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients: (Makes around 5 cups of Sambar)

Pumpkin: 1.5 cups, diced

Toor dal: 1/2 cup cooked

Green chillies: 3 nos, adjust according to your family  needs
Turmeric: a pinch

Curry leaves: 5-6 nos, finely chopped

Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp, finely chopped

Asafoetida: a big pinch

Tamarind: 1 tsp, thick tamarind extract

Jaggery/Brown sugar: 1.5 tsp

Rasam powder: 1/2 tsp, optional

Salt: According to taste

Method:

• Add the diced pumpkin, turmeric, slit green chillies & 4 cups of water. Cook on med-high heat covered.
• When pumpkin is 3/4th done, add tamarind, jaggery, salt & cook on a med-low for another 5-7 mins. 
• Mash the cooked dal & dilute it with half a cup of water.
• Add the dal, curry leaves, asafoetida, rasam powder & coriander leaves. Boil on a medium heat for another 5 mins.
• Serve it hot with rice & fritters/papad or chutney.

Notes:

1. Adding a bit of rasam powder, gives a 'kick' to this bolu huli.
2. Do not skip asafoetida.It enchances the flavor.
3. You could make this bolu huli with other vegetables like egg plant or okra/ladies finger.

Pumpkin Idli

Yesterday when I went for vegetable shopping, I found very attractive bright yellow pumpkins in the market & got 1 whole pumpkin without even thinking what to prepare. After coming home, started to look for pumpkin recipes, found pumpkin idli in various blogs. When I looked at the ingredients & the quantity of pumpkin used, I found each blog mentioning varied amount & it was drastically different. So, decided not to experiment just by searching.

Next option was to call my mom or mom-in-law to get some recipes. I called my mom, told her that I have large amount of pumpkin with me & asked her for recipes. The first item, she mentioned was pumpkin idli. I asked my mom, if she was sure about the measurements & ingredients because I don’t remember my mom preparing it for many years & not only that she sometimes tells andaju mele hakamma. (meaning.., do some approximation & add the ingredients).But this time, she was quite sure about the measurements & I just followed her instructions. It was mouth-watering, colorful & filled with nutrition.

Ingredients:

2 cups grated pumpkin
1 cup idli rawa/semolina (donot use the upma rawa for this)
1/4th cup grated coconut
1 tbsp channa dal (soaked in water)
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves/cilantro
Salt according to taste (add less quantity than added for normal idli/dosa batter)
1 drop of oil on each idli mould.

Method:

• Mix together all the above mentioned ingredients (except oil). Don’t add any water, just mix everything thoroughly & keep it aside for 30 mins.
  

• Batter wouldnot be like normal idli batter, it would be just a mixture types. (Grated pumpkin would look predominantly as rawa gets mixed well with it).


• Grease the idli plates with oil. Drop a spoonful of this mixture on the idli plate & spread it (don’t press it hard to spread), gently spread it on the idli mould.


• Steam cook these idlis for 15 minutes. Serve it hot with chutney of your choice or just ghee (clarified butter).
  

We relished this on Sunday morning with ghee.
I’m sending this recipe to the ‘FIC-Yellow’ hosted by Sunshine mom of Tongue Ticklers.

Sihi Kumbala Gojju (Pumpkin Curry)

I rarely buy this vegetable since I do not know many recipes. One & only recipe that I know is what I'm posting now.This curry is also called "Kayi Saasive Gojju"(English: Coconut Mustard Curry). My mother & mom-in-law prepares a lot of dishes that has pumpkin as the main ingredient. Next time, when I visit India, I would learn more recipes from them.



Ingredients:
3/4 kg pumpkin
1/2 cup grated coconut
1 tbsp roasted channa dal/ ಹುರಿಗಡಲೆ/kadale pappu
1 tsp white seesame seeds/ಬಿಳಿ ಎಳ್ಳು
2-3 red chillis
1/2 tsp tamarind juice
1 tsp mustard seeds/ saasive
1/2 tsp powdered jaggery
a pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds (for tempering)
1 red chilli ( for tempering)
salt according to taste
3-4 curry leaves

Method:

• Peel the skin of the pumpkin, remove the seeds & cut the pumpkin into medium sized cubes.
  
• Dry roast the seesame seeds & red chilli separately. Allow it to cool.
• In a broad pan, prepare the tempering by adding mustard seeds, curry leaves, hing & broken red chilli.
• Add pumpkin pieces & little water to the tempering. Cook the pumpkin until soft.
• Meanwhile, grind the roasted seesame seeds, red chilli, roasted channa dal, mustard seeds, coconut & tamarind to a smooth paste.
• Add this paste, jaggery & salt to the cooked pumpkin. Cook the whole mixture for 2-3 mins.
• The pumpkin gojju is ready to be served.