Banana Squash or Red Squash/Gourd as it is called in India, is available year round. It is easy to cook. It is colorful and tasty, and it tastes good any way you cook it. This recipe here uses its natural mild sweetness to equalize and enhance the tangy sauce as a base to this item. Not only that, it uses the banana squash with the skin, so you have less work to do!
Hover over the highlighted Keywords below for Images and/or Description of some of the Ingredients:
Cilantro, Channa Dahl, Curry Leaves, Fenugreek, Hing, Mustard Seeds, Red Chillies, Tamarind, Turmeric
Banana Squash in Tangy Sauce
Print recipe| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 10 minutes |
| Total time | 20 minutes |
| Dietary | Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Condiment, Sauce, Side Dish |
| Misc | Pre-preparable, Serve Hot |
Ingredients
- 4 cups Banana Squash Pieces (Banana Squash cut into 1 inch squares)
- 2 - 4 Dried Red Chillies
- 2 tablespoons Channa Dahl
- 1 -2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- 4 tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon Rice Flour
- 1/4 cup Cilantro (finely chopped)
- 1/8 cup Tamarind Paste
- 4 - 6 cups Water
- 1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
Optional
- 1 teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing)
- 8 Curry Leaves (Kadi Patta, Karuveppilai)
Note
Serving Suggestions:
1) On a bed of white steamed/cooked Long grain or Basmati rice.
Options:
1) You can reduce or increase salt, tamarind paste, red chillies and oil as you wish.
2) Reduce water if you want this dish to be thick.
Directions
| Step 1 | |
| Add oil to a medium sized sauce pan. | |
| Step 2 | |
| On medium heat, add the channa dahl, red chillies, fenugreek and mustard seeds. Stir fry for a minute, until the channa dahl is golden brown. | |
| Step 3 | |
| When mustard seeds start crackling frequently, add the banana squash pieces. | |
| Step 4 | |
| After stirring for a minute, carefully add 4 cups of water. There should be water in the pan, about 1/2 inch over the squash. | |
| Step 5 | |
| Add 2 tsp of salt, turmeric, curry leaves and asafoetida. Cook for only a minute. | |
| Step 6 | |
| Add tamarind paste, 1/2 cup of warm water and 2 tsp of rice flour together in a small bowl. Mix well. | |
| Step 7 | |
| Add this tamarind mixture to the squash in the pan. Boil the mixture in medium or high heat for 2 more minutes. | |
| Step 8 | |
| Squash cooks fast. Check a piece of squash with a tooth pick. It should be cooked but still firm. If so, add the diced cilantro. Mix well. Switch off the stove. Sauce is ready. | |
| Step 9 | |
| Serve hot. | |
| Step 10 | |
| Typically, this vegetable stew is used with cooked rice. Rice is served on a plate, one or two tablespoons of mashed and slightly salted Toor Dahl is served on it. The dahl gets mixed with the rice. Either this sauce is served on the rice or by the side of it. However, you can just use it with just plain cooked rice. | |
| Step 11 | |
|
See Recipes under the "Indian/Indian Basic" Category for different ways of cooking toor dahl.  | |
