Frugal Kitchens – Madhushree’s Kumro-Chingri or Pumpkin with Prawns
I met Madhushree about two years back on a trip to Kolkata when she and Anindya, left two kids back home without a nanny, and made time to come and meet us. Since then, they have made sure that we meet everytime any one of us are in each other’s town. It doesn’t matter how long or short that meeting is. In ways more than one, Madhushree and Anindya have become family to Om and I.
Madhushree is one of those women who I consider superheros – manages a household, two kids, is a wonderful cook, a great eye behind the camera, co-writes a great blog – long and short of it is that she wears many hats, and wears it with a an absolutely heart warming smile. Well, we would all love to believe that Anindya helps her retain that smile and composure.
When I first posted about starting the Frugal Kitchens series, Madhushree was one of the first ones to send me her recipe of Kumro-Chingri. Since the recipe didn’t have a photo accompanying it, I was tempted to turn it into an illustrated one. It took me some time, but here it is.
Madhushree’s amazing and easy Kumro-Chingri with my average sketch.
Ingredients : 750 gms of pumpkin roughly chopped into one inch cubes, 500 gms medium sized prawns, 1 large onion thinly sliced, 5-6 garlic cloves roughly chopped, 2 – 3 dried red chillies de seeded and roughly torn, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder, salt to taste, 1/2 tsp sugar, 2 tbsp mustard oil.
Method 1
Mix everything together and pressure cook for ten mins or one whistle. Once done, take it out in a kadai and stir till all the water evaporates. This method gives a little mushy texture to the pumpkin.
Method 2
Heat oil in a kadai and lightly saute the prawns. Keep them aside. In the same oil, add the onions and stir till they have softened. Then add the rest of the ingredients and cover and cook till the pumpkin has become soft. At that point add back the prawns and give a good stir. Adjust seasoning and serve with steamed rice.
Note: In case you do not have prawns, it is equally good made with just pumpkins, just throw in a few pieces of diced potatoes.
