Mukkala Pulusu

Get ready by washing the pumpkin, brinjal, raw banana, drumstick, shallots, tomatoes, green chillies, curry leaves and coriander leaves. Peel the pumpkin and raw banana. Cut the vegetables into large even pieces, halve the shallots and slit the green chillies. Soak the tamarind in 200 ml hot water for 10 minutes.

TamarindWater

Cook the pumpkin, brinjal, raw banana, drumstick, shallots, tomatoes, green chillies and turmeric with 500 ml of the measured cooking water in a wide kadai. Cover and cook on medium flame for 10 to 12 minutes, until the raw banana is tender and the pumpkin is soft but still holds its shape.

Yellow PumpkinBrinjalRaw BananaDrumstickSmall Onion (Shallots)TomatoGreen ChilliTurmeric PowderWater

Squeeze the soaked tamarind well and strain the tamarind water. Discard the fibres and seeds.

Add the tamarind water, salt, jaggery and the remaining 300 ml cooking water to the tender vegetables. Simmer uncovered on medium flame for 10 minutes, until the jaggery melts and the raw tamarind smell goes.

SaltJaggery

Mix the rice flour, red chilli powder and cumin powder with 110 ml water without lumps. Stir this slurry into the pulusu and cook on low flame for 3 minutes, until the gravy thickens slightly and looks glossy.

Rice FlourRed Chilli PowderCumin PowderWater

Heat oil in a small tadka pan on medium flame. Add mustard seeds, dry red chilli and asafoetida; fry for 1 minute until the mustard splutters. Add the curry leaves and fry for 10 seconds, then pour the tempering over the pulusu and add coriander leaves. Cover and rest for 10 minutes before serving.

OilMustard SeedsDry Red ChilliAsafoetidaCurry leavesCoriander Leaves