Ingredients and Method to make butternut squash curry
1 butternut squash peeled and cut into 3/4 inch pieces = approx 4 cups of cut pieces (or pumpkin/ kaddu / parangikkai)
1/2 cup chickpea lentil ( chana dhal/ kadalai parappu)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder ( haldi/ manjal podi)
Salt to taste ( namak/ uppu)
Grind together
1/3 cup fresh grated coconut ( or frozen thawed to room temperature ) ( nariyal/ thengai)
3 Thai or Indian variety green chilies ( or to taste) (hari mirch/ pachai molagai)
Seasoning
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / kadagu )
1 tsp split black gram lentil ( udad dhal/ ulatham parappu)
8 to 12 curry leaves ( kadi patha/ karvapillai ) torn into small pieces for garnish (optional but recommended)
Soak
chick pea lentil (chana dhal) in sufficient water for 1/2 an hour to an
hour. Drain the lentils after an hour, place in a heavy bottomed pan
with sufficient water and cook on stove top until it is almost cooked.
Add
butternut squash/ pumpkin pieces, add turmeric powder and salt to
taste, add a little water, close with a lid and cook until the butternut
squash is cooked and soft, yet retains it's shape.
In
the meanwhile grind coconut and green chilies with a little water until
it becomes a smooth paste. Add the coconut paste to the cooked
butternut squash, adjust water as needed to achieve required consistency
and simmer for a couple of minutes until the flavors mingle.
In
a small pan heat oil, add mustard seeds, when the seeds begin to
splutter, add split black gram lentil to it. Stir a few times, when the
lentils begin to redden, pour the entire seasoning on the kootu/ curry.
