Spicy Squash

September 24th, 2009 filed under Dry Vegetables, Gluten Free, Subji (Vegetables), Vegan
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This is a north Indian dish, spicy, sweet and sour taste all in one. Typically this dish is served with puri and kachori (puri stuffed with urad dal).

Spicy SquashIngredients:

  • 1 tablespoons mango powder (amchoor) 4 tablespoons sugar (cheeni)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (hara dhania)
  • 4 cups of sliced squash (kadoo)
  • 3 tablespoon oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon asafetida (hing)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seed (jeera)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (dana mathi)
  • 1 tablespoon coriander powder (dhania)
  • 1 tablespoon coarsely ground funnel seed (saunf)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder (pisi mirch) adjust to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika (dagi mirch) provides a nice color
  • 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
  • 4 whole red chili (sabut lal mirch)
  • 1 tablespoon shredded ginger (adrak)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (nimbu ka ras)

Method:

  1. Peel and cut the squash into cubes.
  2. Save about ¼ of the squash peel and chop them.
  3. In a small bowl, mix the shredded ginger, coriander powder, funnel, red chili powder, paprika, turmeric, and ¼ cup of water to make a paste.
  4. Heat the oil in a pan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed cracks right away oil is ready.
  5. Add cumin seeds and asafetida after seeds crack add fenugreek seeds and red chilies and stir for a few seconds.
  6. Add the spice paste and stir-fry for a minute until spices start leaving the oil.
  7. Add the squash, squash peels, salt, and ¼ cup of water. Mix well.
  8. Cover the pan and let it cook on medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Squash will be semi mushy.
  9. Make sure to stir gently every 3 to 4 minutes. Check if more water needed.
  10. Lastly, add the mango powder, sugar and chopped cilantro. Mix everything and cover for a minute. Adjust the salt to your taste.

Tips:
I have used acorn squash but any squash can be used whatever is available for example banana squash, butternut squash, buttercup squash etc. The only one I know does not work is spaghetti squash and pumpkin.

Suggestion:
The recipe is with many blends of spices and great aroma makes a great dish to serve with plain rice. Just make the dish with extra gravy by adding more water on step 9.


55 Responses to “Spicy Squash”

  1. serenamichelle says:

    Absolutely DELICIOUS! I doubled the recipe (but scaled the oil back to 1.5 tablespoon and used only 2 tablespoons of sugar) and used butternut squash. This dish is definitely going to become a regular in my menu rotation!

  2. DJ Cardamom says:

    Many thanks Manjula! I’ve done this squash three times with butternut, delicatta, and red curry pumpkin and they’ve all be fabulous! I was short on amchur so i used a little anardana and pomegranate molasses! You should give that a try!

  3. AC says:

    Hi – This recipe looks lovely. Thinking of making it for a broup of about 12-14 people. Wondering if you have an idea of how many people the recipe serves as a side dish/Subji?

    Thank hou!!

  4. [...] sure to check out Manjula’s spicy squash recipe as an example. Good [...]

  5. ShaaroShreya says:

    Just made your spicy squash dish. It was absolutely delicious!

    However, I made two changes: I reduced the amount of sugar and I did not use lemon juice at all, only amchur.

    Thanks so much for the recipe.

    Will try another one of your your recipes tomorrow!

  6. Dips says:

    Very tasty recipe :) Turned out awesome. Thanks Manjula aunty :)

  7. [...] sure to check out Manjula’s spicy squash recipe as an example. Good [...]

  8. Amy G says:

    Thank you for your extraordinary Indian recipes! I made your Spicy Squash tonight and it was delectable ! Could I substitute chunked pineapple instead of the mango powder and sugar? I look forward to making more of you fabulous recipes.
    Ciao from Sicily.
    Amy

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