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Kumror chhokka
Pumpkin, potato and chickpeas
কুমড়োর ছক্কা: pumpkin, potato and chickpeas with panch phoron and a touch of sugar
Kumror chhokka is the soft, sweet-savoury pumpkin dish that turns up on the niramish bhog plate at Durga Puja, next to khichuri and luchi, and at Bengali vegetarian feasts all year. Red pumpkin and potato are cooked down with soaked chickpeas, panch phoron (the Bengali five-spice), ginger and a pinch of sugar, until the pumpkin half melts and coats everything. There is no onion or garlic, which keeps it fit for the offering. It is mild, a little sweet and comforting. Common mistake: cutting the pumpkin and potato the same size; pumpkin cooks much faster, so cut it into bigger pieces, and stop when the potato is soft and some of the pumpkin has broken down. Chef's tip: a teaspoon of ghee and a pinch of roasted cumin powder stirred in at the very end makes it taste like the pandal version.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ⅞ oz dried kala chana or chickpeassoaked overnight and boiled until tender, or 240 g cooked
- 1 ⅛ lb red pumpkinpeeled, in 3 cm cubes
- 2 potatoespeeled, in 2 cm cubes
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp panch phoron
- 1 tbsp fresh gingergrated
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 green chilliesslit
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ½ tsp roasted ground cumin
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil in a kadhai until it just smokes, then lower the heat. Fry 2 potatoes for 5 minutes until lightly golden; lift out.
5 minStep 2: Add 1 tsp panch phoron, 2 dried red chillies and 2 bay leaves to the oil and fry for 20–30 seconds until the seeds pop and smell fragrant. Do not let the fenugreek in the mix go dark, or it turns bitter.
1 minStep 3: Add 1 tbsp fresh ginger, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder with a splash of water and stir for 1 minute.
1 minStep 4: Add the potatoes, 1 ⅛ lb red pumpkin, 1 tsp salt and ¾ cup water. Cover and cook on a medium-low heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the potato is tender.
15 minStep 5: Add 2 ⅞ oz dried kala chana or chickpeas, 2 green chillies and 2 tsp sugar. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, gently mashing a few pumpkin pieces against the pan so they coat everything. It is done when it looks thick and glossy with almost no liquid.
5 minStep 6: Sprinkle with ½ tsp roasted ground cumin, toss and serve warm.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kumror chhokka take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of dried kala chana or chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
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