Yerra Gummadi Kaayi Kura ( Pumpkin Curry)

3 cups of peeled and cubed pumpkin
1 big tomato chopped
2 medium onions chopped
1 tbsp grated jaggery (Belam, gur)
2 green chillis slit
2 dry red chillis deseeded and split into two
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (pasupu,haldi)
1 tsp coriander powder (dhaniyala poodi,dhania)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (avaalu,ria)
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeelakara, jeera)
1 tsp black gram (minapappu,urad dal)
10 cloves garlic slighly mashed
10 curry leaves
coriander leaves for garnishing


Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.
Add cumin seeds,dry red chillis,black gram,garlic and curry leaves and fry till light brown.
Add the chopped onions and fry till transparent.
Add the cubed pumpkins,tomatoes ,turmeric and salt and let it cook covered on low heat for 15 minutes.
Add chilli pwd ,coriander pwd and jaggery and mix well.Add 1/2 cup water,cover and cook on slow fire till pumpkin is soft and cooked.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with chapati/rice.

Variation:You can add sweet potatoes, chikkidi kaayi (Indian Beans),drum sticks and brinjal along with the pumpkin.Its a very tasty dish with a lot of flavour and usually made as a special mixed vegetable dish during sankranti festival in Andhra Pradesh.
Similarly sweet potato and yam (kanda) can be cooked in the same manner as above (teepi dumpa kanda kura)