Parangikai Puli Kulambu (Yellow Pumpkin Pulusu)

Puli kulambu (or tamarind kulambu) in Tamil is a very popular dish. It is called Pulusu in Telugu (with very slight variation).

Generally in my home, I make puli kulambu at least once in a week to give ourselves a break from sambar or dal.  My Mother-in-law made this Parangikai Puli Kulambu yesterday and it tasted so yummy.  A variety of other vegetables like drumstick, eggplant, ridge gourd, bitter gourd, potato, okra, or even just small onions or whole garlic cloves can be used to make this awesome puli kolambu.  Yellow pumpkin (Manjal Poosani) puli kolambu is one of the favorite puli kulambu versions I love.  This dish goes very well with rice, idli or dosa.  I even enjoy this dish with yogurt rice!

Whenever I cook yellow pumpkin, I laugh within myself thinking about an incident which my parents told me happened when I was about three or four years old.  One fine morning my dad was telling my mom that he was so happy that the yellow pumpkin vines he planted had produced abundance of flowers and he could see at least 20 to 30 baby pumpkins the size of tomatoes.  After some time, they were discussing what to cook for that day. My parents then told me that I disappeared and reappeared with a basket full of those plucked baby pumpkins (all of them the size of tomatoes!) and brought them inside the home and told “Amma, appa… we have so much vegetables to cook for today!  No need to worry!!!”

Yellow pumpkin (male) flowers are also used to decorate the kolams (rangoli drawing made using rock powder) in front of the houses.  We take a handful of cow dung and insert this cute yellow flower and put it on top of the kolam!

Yellow pumpkin has lots of nutrients and no doubt it is called a nutritional powerhouse!  This vegetable is very easy to cultivate.  Do you know humans are not the main consumers of this delicacy?  Worldwide, yellow pumpkin is cultivated in large numbers especially to be used as a feed for animals during the whole winter season.  I think more than the pigs, we deserve to benefit more by eating this humble, often neglected yellow pumpkin!  So, even if you have never cooked yellow pumpkin before, please buy a slice when you do grocery shopping next time and try out this awesome puli kolambu recipe and I am sure you will be hooked!

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Yellow Pumpkin Puli Kulambu

A spicy and tangy curry made with yellow pumpkin, tamarind and coconut.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword Manjal Poosani, Parangikai, Pumpkin, Yellow Pumpkin

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 8 people

Author Senthil Sadasivam

Ingredients

• 2 cups Yellow pumpkin cubes/ without skin

For seasoning

• 1 tsp Mustard seeds optional
• 1 tbsp Methi seeds
• 2 sprigs Curry leaves
• 1/2 cup Shallots/ Onion chopped
• 1/2 cup Pearl Onion whole
• 1/4 cup Garlic cloves whole
• 1 cup Tomatoes chopped
• 3 tbsp Sesame oil

Other ingredients

• 3 tbsp Sambar powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• Tamarind juice to taste
• 1/4 cup Coconut paste optional
• 1/2 tbsp Jaggery powder optional
• Salt to taste

Sambar powder substitute

• 1 tbsp Chili powder
• 2 tbsp Coriander powder

Instructions

1. Heat sesame oil in a pan.  Season with mustard seeds (optional), methi seeds, curry leaves, followed by chopped/ whole pearl onions and garlic cloves.  Saute for 5 minutes until onion is browned.  You can add some salt to accelerate the sauteing process,  Add tomatoes and fry for another 5 mins until it is fully mashed.

2. Add the spice powders and fry for 3 minutes.
   

3. Add pumpkin cubes, tamarind juice, enough water, mix well and adjust salt level if needed.  Cover and cook for 10 mins or until the vegetable is cooked about 75%.

4. Add coconut paste & jaggery (optional ingredients) and continue cooking until the vegetable is fully cooked and desired kulambu consistency is obtained.

Recipe Notes

• There are so many variations to this puli kulambu or kara kulambu.   I will share those details (and Vathal kulambu recipe) in separate blogs.
• Pulusu recipe is very identical.  For making pulusu, mustard/ jeera/ methi seeds are used in tadka.  Some green chilies are added.  Jaggery is a must.  Generally garnished with coriander leaves.