Kumror Chakka / Bengali Style Dry Pumpkin and Potato Curry

For the last one year I tried to make a perfect Dosa batter as well as making crispy dosa, idli and uttapam. I have seen my mother and aunts struggling with the same issues for years...and I struggled with the same. But for the first time today I succeeded in making a perfect uttapam. It was crispy round, properly fermented and spongy. If you have not grown up in a house where making idli or sambar is part of the daily diet....then maybe you will understand my frustration. Only I know how much batter, effort and time I had wated on them  and finally ate torn or soggy or rubbery dosa. But finally all those efforts have payed off...really...I am very happy today.

When poured a ladle full of idli batter on the tawa and drizzled some oil around them...I stood in utter nervousness that what will happen next. But slowly that particular fermented aroma started to emerge...and the edges loosened up. I flipped the uttapam and I knew that finally I have nailed it. I share the details in another post..but today lets share the recipe of Kumror Chakka or Potato and pumpkin Curry.

While growing up I used to hate pumpkins. I still do...but the preference shifted a little bit. Now I like pumpkins with some accompaniment. Like prawns, fish, fish heads etc etc and I hate virgin pumpkins like anything. But husband loves this Kumror Chakka / Aloo Kumror Torkari, so on some specific days, when we have to eat some pure veg dishes, I go for Kumror Chakka which I cook with an insane amount of boiled black chickpeas / chola.

The black chickpeas give this dish the right bite and a good nutty feel, which is much needed for a person like me.Kumror chakka goes perfectly with some paratha / luchi, and they both make a tummy friendly breakfast.

Kumror Chakka

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 medium potatoes – peeled and cubed

1 small butternut squash / 350gm pumpkin (approximately 2-3 slices from the whole) – peeled, de-seeded and cubed

1 cup black chickpeas / chickpeas aka garbanzo beans – soaked overnight (the amount can reduced)

A pinch of asafoetida / hing

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ inch stick of ginger – paste

2 whole green chillies – slitted

2 dry red chillies

1 tsp panch foron / mixture of cumin seeds, mustard seeds, kalo jeera / nigella seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds

2-3 tsp mustard oil

Salt

2 tsp or more sugar

Method:

Boil the soaked black chickpeas in water with some salt, until they become soft from inside.

Heat oil in a kadai and put the panch foron, hing / asafoetida, green chillies and dry red chillies into it.

As they start to sizzle put the peeled and cubed potatoes.

Sprinkle some salt and let it cook. Cover and stir in between to avoid any kind of sticking to the bottom of the kadai. If the potatoes become too dry, then add a splash of water but nothing more than that.

Continue cooking like this until the potatoes are half done.

At this stage add the peeled and cubed pumpkin / butternut squash, ginger paste, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Mix and put cover again.

Cook till the pumpkin start to soften, and add the boiled black chickpeas / garbanzo beans.

Give a good stir, add a little water if required i.e if the dish becomes too dry at this stage and put cover again. Generally water is not added into this dish...but it’s better to add some water than letting the entire dish burn.

Stir occasionally and cook till the pumpkins and potatoes are completely cooked.

Taste and adjust seasoning. This dish is more on the sweeter side, so add sugar accordingly. However pumpkins are generally sweet so don’t go overboard with the sugar.

Serve hot with some roti / paratha / luchi / puri / steamed rice and dal / lentils.