The following recipe has a vegetable I sympathize with, for all the abuses it faces in every corner of the world. It is carved into scary faces and ‘Halloween’ to ward away bad spirits. ‘kaddu’ as called in Hindi, is used to refer to all that is dumb and lifeless. Yes you guessed it right- it is Pumpkin!

Despite of all that, the low calorie, rich beta-carotene and powerful anti-oxidants  makes it a very much sought after vegetable and a delight for the weight watchers. A great lunchbox option, the bright colour pumpkin is loaded with many nutrients to fight diseases.

Ingredients:

• 200 gms.bright orange pumpkin
• 1 green chilly
• 2-3 garlic pearls
• a pinch of asafoetida
• salt as desired
• 1/4 tsp.fenugreek seeds(mehti)
• 2 tsp.oil
• Fresh coriander for garnish

Method: Peel and dice the pumpkin in bite size pieces. Heat oil n a kadai add fenugreek seeds and brown it lightly. Add garlic cut in very fine pieces and cook for 2 seconds. Add rest of the ingredients and cook for 5 minutes. Mash the cooked pumpkin a little with the back of the ladle. Sprinkle fresh coriander and serve hot with chapatti or just pre-cooked plain rice.

Note: Makes a good spread for sandwich and chapatti rolls.

Pack the Pumpkin – Veggies made easy and ward away diseases.

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