Skip to main content

Sweet-and-Sour Butternut Squash or Pumpkin

This belongs to a category of Bangladeshi foods known as bharats. Part relish and part vegetable dish, they add extra flavor to a meal. We are beginning to find peeled and seeded butternut squash in our supermarkets now, making this dish a snap to make. Those who cannot find it will need to use a peeler to get the skin off. I like to use mustard oil here, as it gives a very Bengali taste to the dish. If you have never used it, this might be a good time to try. Otherwise, use olive oil. I love this with all pork dishes and at vegetarian meals with other vegetables, dal, and pooris (a deep-fried flatbread).

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4¿5

Ingredients

3 tablespoons mustard or olive oil
A generous pinch of ground asafetida
1/2 teaspoon whole brown or yellow mustard seeds
4 cups (1 1/4 pounds) peeled and seeded butternut squash or pumpkin, cut into 3/4–1-inch segments
3/4–1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/8–1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pour the oil into a frying pan and set over medium heat. When hot, put in the asafetida and mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds start to pop, a matter of seconds, put in the squash. Stir and fry for about 3 minutes or until the pieces just start to brown. Add 1/4 cup water, cover, turn heat to low, and cook about 10 minutes or until the squash is tender.

    Step 2

    Put in the salt, sugar, cayenne, and yogurt. Stir and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, until the yogurt is absorbed and no longer visible. Sprinkle in the cilantro and stir a few times.

Image may contain: Human, Person, Madhur Jaffrey, and Plant
Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the full book from Amazon.
Read More
Khao niaow ma muang, or steamed coconut sticky rice with ripe mango, is a classic in Thai cuisine—and you can make it at home.
With just a handful of ingredients, this old-fashioned egg custard is the little black dress of dinner party desserts—simple and effortlessly chic.
With rich chocolate flavor and easy customization, this hot cocoa recipe is just the one you want to get you through winter.
This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.
A slow-simmering, comforting braise delivering healing to both body and soul.
Crunchy and crowd-pleasing, this salad can be prepared in advance and customized to your heart’s content.
Make this versatile caramel at home with our slow-simmered method using milk and sugar—or take one of two sweetened condensed milk shortcuts.
Summer’s best produce cooked into one vibrant, silky, flavor-packed dish.