Himachal Pradesh -- Auriya Kadoo (Pumpkin/ Butternut squash in Mustard sauce)

Blogging Marathon# 39 - Indian States: Day 10
State: Himachal Pradesh
Dish: Auriya Kadoo

Himachal Pradesh is a tsate in North India. It is famous for its scenic landscapes and aabundant natural beauty. The literal meaning of the state's name is In the lap of Himalayas. Himachal Pradesh is a multireligional, multicultural as well as multilingual state like other Indian states. Some of the most commonly spoken languages are Hindi, Punjabi, Pahari, Dogri etc., The state has both Hindu communities as well as tribal communities.

Cuisine: Day-to-day food of Himachal Pradesh is very similar to the rest of the North India. They have lentils, rice, vegetables and bread. Non-vegetarian food is preferred and the cuisine is dominated by red meat and wheat bread. Thick and rich gravy, with aromatic spices, is used in abundance as the base for many dishes.
Specialties: I was so happy to find thefoodfairy blog that has so many traditional dishes from Himachal Pradesh called the Pahari food. Pahari literally means mountains and since the author's family is mostly Pahari she has a wide array of little known Pahari food. This link has some very delicious looking dishes that hopefully, I can try in the near future.

Today's Dish: When I saw this recipe for pumpkin with mustard seeds, it sounded so much similar to an Andhra mustard based curry -- aava pettina kura. I wanted to give it a try to see how different or similar it would taste to what I'm used to. I have to say it tasted quite different since the spices used in both the curries are different, but I enjoyed this version as much I enjoy the Andhra version. It's spicy, tangy and very delicious. I used butternut squash instead of pumpkin since that is what I had in the pantry.

Recipe adapted from thefoodfairy.

Ingredients:

Pumpkin/ Butternust Squash - 1 medium, peeled and cubed, about 6~8 cups
Panch phoron - 1tbsp
Hing/ Asafoetida - pinch
Bay leaves - 2
Dry Red Chili - 2~3
Turmeric - ¼tsp
Ground Coriander - 1tsp
Amchoor powder (dry mango powder) - 1tsp
Cilantro - 3tbsp, finely chopped
Mustard seeds - 2tbsp
Rice - 1tsp
Salt - to taste

Method:

• Soak mustard seeds and rice in 3tbsp water for 30 minutes. Then grind them to a fine paste.
• Heat 2tbsp mustard oil, add bay leaf & panch phooron; cook for 1 minute or until the seeds start to splutter.
• Add the dry red chili and asafoetida/ hing. Cook for 30 seconds. 
• Next add the chopped pumpkin/ squash and turmeric. Cover and cook for about 12~15 minutes or until the veggie is tender.
• Add ground coriander, amchoor powder and cook for 1~2 minutes.
• Finally add the ground mustard paste and cook for 2 more minutes. Switch off the heat and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with steamed rice.

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 39.

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