Gummadikaya, also called as squash is usually orange in color when ripe. Tastes heavenly when served along with steamed rice, mudda pappu and vadiyalu. Here is how we cook this dish.

We need….

Pumpkin – 2 cups diced (remove the seeds and cut them to cubes)

Green chillies – 3 slit into two each

Dried Red chillies – 2

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Coriander leaves – 1 small bunch (finely chopped)

Garlic – 3 cloves and Jeera/Cumin seeds – 1 small tsp (crush coarsely together)

Jaggery – 1 cup (grated/powdered)

Onions – 5 medium size (diced)

Tamarind – 1 big lemon sized (soaked in about 1/4 cup water)

Turmeric – 1/4 tsp

Chillie powder – 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil – 2 tbsps

How to….

1. In a sauce pan heat 1 tbsp of oil and fry half the diced onions till the raw smell disappears and the onions start
changing their color.

2. Transfer the fried onions from the pan to a plate, allow to cool and grind them to paste without adding water. Set
aside.

3. Add remaining oil (1 tbsp) to the sauce pan. Once the oil is hot, add green chillies, red chillies, curry leaves and
fry for about 2 mts on medium flame till the chillies turn their color.

4. Add remaining diced onions and turmeric. Fry till soft and the onions turn light golden brown.

5. Add diced pumpkin, salt and chillie powder. Mix well and cover the pan with lid. Allow the diced pumpkin
cubes to turn soft on medium flame. This would take about 6-8 mts.

6. Remove the lid, add ground onion paste and 2 cups of water. mix well.
7. Squeeze pulp from soaked tamarind and add it to water.
8. Add powdered jaggery and bring to boil.
9. Add coarsely crushed garlic and jeera to it, mix and simmer the flame. Allow to cook for about 10 mts with
lid covered till the stew turns a little thick resembling the consistency of a cream soup. Keep stirring in
between.

9. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with a dollop of ghee, rice, mudda pappu and papads/vadiyalu.