Pumpkin Chaaru – A sweet sour spicy soup

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“What! Not another pumpkin recipe! This Saffron Trail blogger has gone bonkers.”

I’m sure, you, my dear reader, are exclaiming thus, on seeing my new post alert in your mailbox.

But I have a couple of good reasons for this.

1. Pumpkins are good for you. (okay, you already knew this)

2. Autumn is pumpkin season in many parts of the world, and as a blog, I am trying to cater to a global audience 😉 (clears throat)

3. But the most important reason is that once you taste this dish, you are going to want to make this again and again.

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I have had the good fortune of tasting some delicious dishes from Telugu cuisine thanks to my neighbour aunty in Hyderabad, for the short time that I lived there. It was quite unlike the mass produced Andhra meal thaalis, which I don’t care for much.

A few weeks ago, I dropped into a neighbour’s house to borrow something. It was before lunchtime and I was surrounded by a cloud of incredibly delicious aromas. It felt like a rasam was simmering, but I could tell from the aroma, that there was something more to it. Shamelessly (yes, we food bloggers are like that) – I asked her, “What’s cooking?”. “pumpkin chaaru,” she said, and seeing my expressions, she herself offered me a bowlful to drink. It was ab.so.lute.ly mouthwateringly good. The balance of spicy-sour-sweet-salt was perfect and I (again, shamelessly) served myself some more. I asked her for the recipe (well of course), but it was her Telugu sister-in-law’s recipe and she said she would have to get it from her, as the cook had prepared directly from her instructions.

I am still awaiting the recipe. But I couldn’t wait to prepare the Pumpkin Chaaru, one BIG pot full and devour it all by myself. I have tried it thrice since then and I feel the current recipes comes very close in taste to what I tasted at my friend’s place.

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Pumpkin Chaaru - A sweet sour spicy soup

This rasam variant from Telugu Cuisine, with pumpkin, is a perfect match with rice or even a soup to whet your appetite. Do give it a try!

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Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Servings 2 serving

Ingredients

  

• 2 tsps cooking oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 chillies dried red
• pinch asafoetida a
• 1 cup yellow pumpkin cubes
• 2.5 cups water
• 1 tsp tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp jaggery crushed
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Instructions

 

• In a medium sized deep pan, heat the oil.
• Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. After the mustard splutters, add curry leaves, crushed garlic, dried red chillies, asafoetida, and stir for 30 seconds.
• Add the pumpkin cubes (small sized), and toss well.
• Add 2.5 cups water, bring to a boil. Reduce flame, cover and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, until the pumpkin pieces are almost cooked.
• Add tamarind paste, jaggery, salt, rasam powder, black pepper powder and turmeric powder and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
• Serve hot as a soup or with steamed rice.

Notes

TIP:

No rasam powder handy? You can you use sambar powder as a reasonable substitute. No sambar powder either? Lightly roast a few black pepper corns, a teaspoon of cumin seeds and coarsely crush it in a mortar pestle. Mix with 1/2 tsp of red chilli powder.

If you have a traditional pumpkin recipe in your community, do leave me a comment with the details and I'd love to try it out.