Yogurt n Squash Curry

I am just praying for summer to get over, as I hate this unbearable heat. But at the same time I should be thankful to summer as I am discovering some dishes, which cools, down our body. Like my cucumber soup the other day and today my yogurt n squash curry, which is popularly, know as “Majjige Huli” in south India.

Somehow my kitchen was way far from this very tasty vegetable for a long time. Recently I was delighted by the taste of Majjige Huli made out of squash that I had it in India. My MIL is an awesome cook and one day she made this for lunch. Every time we go to India, she will ask what do we like to have for breakfast, lunch or dinner. She enjoys cooking and her only aim is to make us eat all three times with tastiest food. Oh god when we go to India we just cannot resist ourselves as food is so tasty. So on a Sunday after having yummy breakfast, my MIL walks up to me and says today for lunch I will make majjige huli, which is simple and healthy for summer. I thought I would have it very little, but I was so wrong I served rice couple of times and enjoyed majjige huli. The minute I finished lunch, I grabbed a paper and pen to write down the recipe. My MIL was very sweet to share the recipe and she wondered if I get squash (pumpkin) in US!!

Well you get fresh squash almost all the time of the year here in US. People here celebrate Halloween with different varieties of squash. New entry for my kitchen this year is squash. Today I made this Majjige Huli, which I named it, Yogurt n Squash curry. It came out very well and thanks to my MIL.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 pound squash (green pumpkin)

2 teaspoons of salt

500 grams of plain yogurt

10 to 12 curry leaves

4 to 5 green chilies

2 red chilies

Pinch of asafetida

2 teaspoons of oil

-Grind coconut, mustard, green chilies, and curry leaves into smooth paste by adding little water.

-Cook the squash cut into big cubes in pressure cooker with little salt. (Just one whistle, don’t over cook squash)

-Heat a pan and add oil, once the oil is hot add asafetida, mustard, red chilies, curry leaves.

-Once they splutter add the paste and cook until it leaves out the raw smell (As you would have put all the ingredients raw).

-Add cooked cubes of squash and mix well with the paste.

- Leave it for a while until it gets cool down.

-Now mix the thick yogurt and additional salt if required in a bowl and then add it to the pan.

- Mix yogurt slowly with squash such that squash doesn’t break.

(You can add yogurt depending on what thickness you would want the curry)

Serve it cold with rice or even hot chapathi’s.