Pumpkin Cilantro Chutney

I am a big fan of chutney (Thogayal) varieties and would love to have it alongside dosa varieties or paired up with hot rice with a papad to go with. My mother used to make a variety of thogayal like brinjal, coriander, coconut etc. - almost with anything that she could lay her hands on. One such item is this pumpkin chutney. She makes use of the softer inner portion of yellow pumpkin which we tend to throw away normally. You can also add more of the hard veg part, if you have a very little softer portion and more people waiting for the dish! I always love the aroma and taste of fresh cilantro and thought why not add it in my recipe. I try and include cilantro as much as possible in my everyday diet because it is rich in vitamin A and vitamin C. One good thing is I get a lot of fresh cilantro in US whereas in Chennai it is really tough to catch them fresh during summer. Try out this nutritious chutney.

Ingredients:
Pumpkin chopped(soft inner portion without seeds) - 1 cup
Fresh cilantro - half a bunch
Urad dhall - 1 tablespoon
Dry chillies - 3
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Tamarind - a small piece
salt to taste

Method:
1. Add a tsp of oil and fry urad dhall,dry chillies till the dhall turns brown.
2. Add tamarind, asafoetida and chopped yellow pumpkin. Cook till done.
3. Allow the ingredients to cool and grind with fresh cilantro. Of kors, remember to add salt.


I served this with onion Adai and it was super-de-duper. I also mixed the leftover chutney with hot rice for lunch and it tasted wonderful.


Sending this recipe to two events.
1. 15 minute cooking hosted by Mahimaa
2. JFI-cilantro @ cilantro-cilantro.blogspot.com

Cilantro.: Announcing JFI-Jhiva for Cilantro