This vegetarian Indian dish from the state of West Bengal features squash, potatoes, and gourds enriched with ghee and sweetened with grated coconut. Gently spiced with clove, cardamom, and cinnamon, it gets a touch of heat from green chiles. This recipe first appeared in our August/September 2014 special India issue.
What You Will Need
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Ingredients
- 1⁄3 cup ghee
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 6 whole cloves
- 5 small green Thai chiles or 2 serranos, halved
- 2 Indian or regular bay leaves
- 1 stick cinnamon, halved
- 1 lb. kabocha or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1" pieces
- 1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
- 6 potol (pointed gourds) or 2 medium zucchini, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
- 1 loofah (ridge gourd) or 1 large cucumber, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1⁄2 cup fresh or frozen grated coconut
- 1 tsp. sugar
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Instructions
Step 1
Melt half the ghee in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high. Cook cardamom, cloves, chiles, bay leaves, and cinnamon 1–2 minutes. Add squash and potatoes; cook until golden, 8–10 minutes. Stir in gourds and salt; cook until just tender, 4–6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; cook, covered, until vegetables are very tender, 12–15 minutes. Stir in remaining ghee, the coconut, and sugar; cook 2 minutes.
- Melt half the ghee in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high. Cook cardamom, cloves, chiles, bay leaves, and cinnamon 1–2 minutes. Add squash and potatoes; cook until golden, 8–10 minutes. Stir in gourds and salt; cook until just tender, 4–6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; cook, covered, until vegetables are very tender, 12–15 minutes. Stir in remaining ghee, the coconut, and sugar; cook 2 minutes.
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