Food Talk
Kaddu katha

A tender green pumpkin can be enjoyed both in sweet and savoury preparations, writes
Pushpesh Pant

Khatta-Meetha Sitaphal Ingredients Pumpkin 1 kg Nigella seeds (kalonji)1tsp Hing a small pinch Cumin seeds (zeera) 1 tsp Mustard seeds (rai) ½ tsp Poppy seeds (khus khus) 1 tsp Fennel seeds (saunf) 1 tsp Fenugreek (methi) seeds ½ tsp Lemon juice 1 tbs Jaggery (gur) 50 gm Salt to taste Mustard oil 2 tbs Red chilies 4-6 for tempering Green chilies and coriander fresh for garnish Method Clean, pick and wash rice and the mash lentil separately, soak in water for about half an hour. Heat 1tbs ghee in a pan. When hot, dissolve the hing in it add rice and lentils pour water about 500 ml stir in the turmeric powder and salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium cover and cook till rice and lentils are done to desired consistency. Pour the remaining ghee on top and garnish with ginger juliennes and serve with yogurt.

GOOD old pumpkin enjoys a much better status in the West than it does in the orient. At Halloween time, the round vegetable is in great demand. Slits are expertly made to make eyes and the mouth to claim ‘trick or treat’ but that is a non-culinary digression.

Pumpkin is used for soups, for assorted pies and as a receptacle for sweet and savoury delights. The writer cherishes memories of an aromatic fried rice redolent with the fragrance of pumpkin served in its shell during a Hong Kong food festival. Its devaluation in popular mind seems absurd considering its nutritious value and healthy properties. It is extremely healthy and low in calories, only 31 per 100 gm. The recipe given here is for the traditional ritual fare cooked during marriage feasts and on other religious rituals.

Kushmanda, as the pumpkin is referred to in Sanskrit ayurvedic that extol its virtues, belongs to the family of squash vegetables and is enjoyed both in sweet and savoury preparations. We can’t understand why kaddu is used in a derogatory manner more often than not. Other names more respectable are used euphemistically kashiphal and sitaphal. It is much more common for this to be called kohnda. Petha,
a close cousin, is more fortunate as an interesting sweet is made out of it that has become the signature dish of Agra, but that again is a different story.

But what is in a name. Sitaphal or kaddu or kohnda is not just a standby but the staple fare. The perennially favourite accompaniment of puri in orthodox meals at naming, food tasting, house warming and marriage ceremonies, it is easy to serve on a pattal, can be cooked with very little grease and doesn’t loose out on flavour even if garlic and onions are totally astute. The vegetable, dried in the sun, has a long shelf life though once cut tends to spoil fast.

The Bengalis use almost all that pumpkin has to offer stalk, leaf, flower and fruit. In that delectable dish called charchari. And, in Uttaranchal the mini-kaddu endearingly termed phuluara is considered a delicacy. It is cooked with just cumin seeds and green chillies. Down South in Tamil Nadu, they use kaddu enthusiastically in the sambhar. And in Hyderabad, it is married with meats to concoct a fascinating daalcha. Long live
the kaddu!

The recipe we share with our readers this time is the traditional classic from UP. It tastes equally served hot or cold.

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