Kembude da gassi is a recipe passed down from my paternal grandma, Veeramma. Every time Mom makes it, it brings the biggest smile to Dad’s face. She recreates it so much like Grandma did, and Dad says the green chillies are the “top secret” ingredient.
They are what make this gassi a little different. Their flavour and heat balance the pumpkin’s natural sweetness, making a simple weekday curry feel very special.
For this version, Nishal helped me chop and peel an Alberta pumpkin during the autumn harvest season. We usually leave the skin on, but this time I wanted to save the peels for chutney and roast the seeds too. A pumpkin curry, a little chutney and seeds for another day. Serve the gassi with rice and happala papad, just as we like it.
Kembude Da Gassi (Mangalorean Pumpkin Curry)
Ingredients
For the curry
- 500 g chopped pumpkin
- 2–4 green chillies
- Water, as needed for cooking and grinding
For the masala
- ¾–1 cup grated coconut
- 4–5 roasted Byadagi chillies
- A small ball of tamarind
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
For the nesal/tadka
- Coconut oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
Instructions
Method
- Boil the chopped pumpkin and green chillies in water until the pumpkin is cooked.
- Pick out the boiled green chillies. Grind them with the grated coconut, roasted Byadagi chillies, turmeric, tamarind and salt to make the masala paste, adding water as needed.
- Add the masala paste to the cooked pumpkin. Check the salt, bring the curry to a boil and simmer for around 5 minutes.
- Heat coconut oil in a small tadka pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter before adding the curry leaves.
- Pour this nesal over the curry, mix and serve with rice and happala papad.
Notes
- Boiling the green chillies with the pumpkin, then grinding them into the masala, is the distinctive step in this family recipe.
- We usually leave the pumpkin unpeeled. Peel it if reserving the skin for chutney, as I did for this version.
- The green chilli quantity can be chosen within the stated 2–4 range to suit preference.
Preparing the pumpkin
For another gassi from our family kitchen, try Padengi Thetla Da Gassi.
