Kumror bhorta...

The recipes I share mostly come from seeing my grandmother, mother, and aunts cooking while growing up. Knowingly or unknowingly we absorb the techniques and processes of preparing everyday food watching our elders and with time recreate the familiar taste that we had grown up with. This process of learning never ends. We learn as an adult too. After my marriage I learnt a lot from my mother-in-law, who's an excellent cook. Then there are friends and neighbors, with whom we share food and recipes. Along with cookery shows, magazines, luring us with tempting food photos and recipes. And not to forget about the vast ocean of information available to us now-a-days , the internet. Where we can learn almost anything, if interested and willing to, be it cooking or film making. Being foodies we simply soak up everything about good food. 

The recipe I'm sharing today is a simple and humble common Bengali dish. But I never had it while growing up. I've learnt it quite recently, after a visit to the local Bengali restaurant. The Sunday Buffet spread was ever so tempting, but the name Kumror Bhorta (mashed pumpkin) caught my eye. When I tasted it, I was bent on getting the recipe. I asked the cook of the restaurant, searched the internet and turned through the pages of old Bengali recipe books, and everything amalgamated to a finger licking good dish, a new family favorite 'Kumror bhorta', which literally translates to mashed pumpkin.

To prepare this dish try to get a sweet, ripe pumpkin, which is naturally sweet. As the sweet pumpkin is cooked it caramelizes and the dish gets its signature taste. I would recommend using mustard oil for this particular dish, no other cooking oil can  bring that authentic taste. Another star ingredient for this dish is the 'Bori', sun-dried lentil nuggets, a common ingredient from the Bengali kitchen. The crispy fried bori brings the contrast in texture to the soft mashed pumpkin dish.

Things needed to make Kumror Bhorta (Bengali style mashed pumpkin):

• Pumpkin (peeled and cubed): 200 gms
• Onion (thinly sliced): 1 large 
• Green chilies: 3-4
• Dry red chilies: 1-2
• Fenugreek seeds (methi): 1/4 tsp
• Bori (sun-dried lentil nuggets): 1/4 cup
• Fresh coriander: a handful
• Mustard oil: 3 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Steps of making Kumror Bhorta (Bengali style mashed pumpkin):

1. Steam the peeled and cubed pumpkin. Do not overcook, the pumpkins need to be fork-tender. Keep aside in a colander to drain any excess water.
2. In a kadhai heat mustard oil, fry the bori  till golden brown, keep aside.
3. In the same kadhai (add a little more mustard oil, if needed) add fenugreek (methi) seeds, dry red chilies, green chilies. Do not burn the methi seeds.
4. Add the thinly sliced onion and cook till the onions turn red.
5. Add the pumpkin, and cook over high flame. As the pumpkin is cooking, mash it using a potato masher. Add salt. Keep stirring continuously. The pumpkin should get charred.
6. Add chopped fresh coriander and mix well. Add fried bori, keep some to garnish. Transfer into a serving bowl, sprinkle some raw musard oil and the rest of the fried bori and serve with steamed rice.

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