Mishti Kumro r Aloor Dom ~ Sweet pumpkin and Potato curry(bengali style)

Even though Pumpkin is available all around the year nowadays, but Pumpkin is mainly Summer vegetable and it's a must vegetable in all Bengali Households. It's sweet taste makes anything better, Like, we fry pumpkin pieces with Bitter gourd to lessen the bitterness of Bitter gourd. When we make green, we add pumpkin there, in one word it plays a sweet and important role in Bengali cuisine. And no doubt it's one of my favorite vegetable, too. I assume there is no need to mention how beneficial this vegetable is for our health. Look down for some health benefits it has and add immediately to your diet as much as you can.

• It is one of the low calorie vegetable and that's why it is one of the food items recommended by dieticians in cholesterol control and weight reduction.
• Pumpkin is a storehouse of many anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin-A, vitamin-C and vitamin-E. Pumpkin has highest level of Vitamin A among Cucurbitaceae family(cucumber, squash and cantaloupe etc. come in this family)
• This is also a good source of B-complex group of vitamins like folate, niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin and pantothenic acid. It is also rich source of minerals like copper, calcium, potassium and phosphorus.
• Pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of dietary fiber and mono-unsaturated fatty acids, which are good for heart health. In addition, the seeds are concentrated sources of protein, minerals and health-benefiting vitamins. 

So, now to the recipe I want to share is Kumro-Aloor Dum, i.e., Pumpkin-potato dum. It's a very simple dish, made with very few ingredients and with very less spices but the taste is heavenly just because of the presence of Pumpkins. The Bengali name of pumpkin is "Kumro".

You Need :
Pumpkin : cut into big chunks
Potato : 2, big, cut into medium chunks
Bay leaf : 1
Whole Garam masala(for tempering) : 2 cardamoms, 3 cloves & 1 cinnamon stick
Onions : 1, finely chopped
Ginger paste : 1 tblsp.
Tomato : 1, chopped
Green chilli : 1, chopped
Turmeric Powder : 2 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 2 tsp. or as per taste
Salt to taste
Sugar : 1 tsp.
Oil : 2-3 tblsp.
Bengali Garam masala Powder : 1 tsp.(grind together 2 cardamoms, 3-4 cloves and 1 cinnamon stick)

How To :

• Peel both potatoes and Pumpkin. Cut potatoes in medium chunks and Pumpkins a bit bigger than potatoes, because pumpkin cooks faster.
• Heat little oil in a pan, saute potato pieces with a pinch of salt for 3-4 minutes in medium heat. remove and same way, saute pumpkin pieces also with a pinch of salt. Do not fry them, just in continuous stirring brown them a bit. Remove and keep aside.
• Now heat rest of the oil in the same pan, add bay leaf and whole garam masalas, when they start to crackle, add slice onions, in low flame, stir them until onions change color, now add ginger paste, chopped green chillies, saute for a minute, then add chopped tomatoes.
• Add turmeric and red chilli powder and saute until tomatoes softens and oil seperates from the spices. Add sauted pumpkin and potato pieces and mix well with the spices. Season with salt and add sugar. Mix well.
• Then add just enough water to cook the veges, about 1/2 cup-1 cup depending on the quantity of your vegetable. Cover with a lid and in low flame let them cook. When all water evaporates and vegetables are just cooked, not mushy, sprinkle garam masala powder, mix well and cook 1 more minute. Remove from heat.

 Eat with rice or roti or with any Indian flatbread...I had this with chapati and no doubt it's a foos for soul. Enjoy

This is going to be a part of Blogging Marathon, Day 5 of Kolkata Food Bloggers..other bloggers participating are :

• Silence Sings with Kamalika C
• Sweet 'n' Savoury
• My Food My Life
• A Homemaker's Diary