Lal Bhopla Bhaji / Dudde Upkari

During festivals, auspicious days, I try to follow my Mom's customs to cook food with no onion garlic. One of my Mom's recipes I love is this stir fry Pumpkin or Lal Bhopla or Kadoo... with lots of chillies and jaggery. In Konkani, we call this Lal Bhopla Bhaji as Duddhe Upkari.

Ingredients:

Pumpkin/Kadoo/Lal Bhopla - 250 gms
Curry Leaves/Kadipata/Karbeo - a sprig
Green Chilies - 5
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs
Mustard Seeds/Sasam - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp
Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp
Jaggery or Brown Sugar - about 1 tsp
Oil preferably Coconut Oil

How to cook Lal Bhoplyachi Bhaji:

• Peel the pumpkin skin and cut it into bite size pieces. Wash the curry leaves, green chilies and pat them dry.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadhai/wok and add mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida.
• After mustard seeds pop, add pumpkin, turmeric and lengthwise slit green chilies. Stir and cook it covered at low flame. Keep checking after every 2 minutes.
• When pumpkin gets cooked and turns soft, add salt, jaggery, grated coconut and chopped cilantro. Add more coconut if you like.
• Cook it covered for 5 more minutes and Bhople Upkari is ready. Garnish with cilantro and/or coconut.