Tangy pumpkin stew that is completely vegan and gluten-free. Fondly called Gummadikaya Pulusu in Telugu/Andhra cuisine, this is a low-calorie side dish perfect for weight loss and calorie counting diets.
Gummadikaya = Pumpkin
Pulusu = Tangy Stew
Pumpkin is
Pumpkin stew aka Gummadikaya pulusu is a delicious tangy spicy stew made with pumpkin and tamarind as main ingredients. It is usually eaten with rice and vegetables or appadam(papad,fryums).
One classic combination in Telugu cuisine is mudda pappu and gummadikaya pulusu, a match made in heaven, you must surely try it out. It is called called dappalam in Andhra cuisine.
If you are looking for more Andhra recipes, check out
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Key Ingredients
Pumpkin – a good quality yellow pumpkin is essential for this gummadikaya pulusu recipe. we also have a white variety(called budidha gummadikaya in Telugu) which is not suitable for cooking.
Curry Leaves are a must in south Indian cuisine. Try to source fresh leaves from Indian stores if you live outside India.
Tamarind – give that essential tanginess for the pulusu/stew. If you don’t have tamarind, simply don’t attempt to make it. tomatoes will not give the same taste for gummadikaya pulusu.
Onions – red, white, yellow any variety works fine. slice them lengthwise and never chop finely.
Chilli – I used both green and red, if you don’t have green chillis can settle with ree chilli powder, but dried red chillis are a must for tempering.
Hing – I forgot to include it in the picture but it gives an excellent taste for the stew., if you don’t have it, that’s absolutely fine.
Fenugreek Seeds – nicely roasted fenugreek seeds take the taste of the stew to next level.
Jaggery – a small piece is added to the stew to balance the sour taste of tamarind, if you don’t have it, can use sugar but won’t give the same taste.
Pumpkin for Weight Loss
Pumpkin is a very nutrient-dense food that is very low in calories, so it is a perfect weight loss friendly food.
pumpkin clocks in at under 50 calories per cup (245 grams) and consists of about 94% of water. so it fills up the stomach easily without many calories. also, pumpkin is rich in fibre that helps to regulate hunger.
Check out all the benefits of pumpkin for weight loss here.
Step by Step recipe for Gummadikaya Pulusu
Wash and cube the pumpkin into bite-sized pieces. cutting them smaller may end up giving you a pumpkin mash. Slice the onions(I used red here) thinly lengthwise.
soak the tamarind in hot water for at least 15 minutes and extract the juice by separating the pulp, doesn’t matter if the juice is thick or thin, we are going to cook along with water.
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and add fenugreek seeds, fry them till they change the colour to brownish red, then add onions and pumpkin cubes. Fry for a couple of minutes. You can skip this step if you are not using fenugreek seeds.
- Add a cup of water(no measurement required honestly).
- allow the onions and pumpkin to soften, add salt at this stage.
- Add green chillis, extracted tamarind water/juice and boil it on a medium flame for 5 minutes or so. you may also want to add few curry leaves at this point.
- Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and allow the stew to cook further, this step may take at least 15-20 minutes.
- Once you see the stew is becoming to thicken, add a small piece of jaggery.
- Adjust any salt or water depending upon how thick or thin you want the stew to be and cook on low to medium flame for a further 5 to 10 minutes.
- Heat oil in a small pan and crackle mustard and cumin seeds, add in dried red chillis, curry leaves, channa dal and hing. fry until a nice aroma comes.
- Add it to the stew and cover it with a lid for 5 minutes, this step will ensure the hing smell is thoroughly incorporated into the Gummadi kaya pulusu.
Serving Suggestions
Gummadikaya pulusu is best eaten with hot piping rice, usually, short-grain rice is best suited for the pairing.
Oftentimes, gummadikaya pulusu is paired with muddha pappu(plain toor dal cooked)
You could also serve it as a chunky low calorie sweet and sour soup with a toasted dinner roll.
Storage Suggestions
since this is tangy pulusu, it stays fresh for 1-2 days on the kitchen counter but I would refrigerate it after a day. Stays well for more than a week.
Also, Gummadikaya pulusu is very well suitable for freezing and stay good for at least a month. just leave it on the kitchen counter overnight and gently rehat using microwave or stovetop.
Recipe Notes, Tips and FAQ
Choose a yellow variety of pumpkins and wash well before using as the recipe calls for keeping the skin on.
Soaking tamarind in hot water makes it easier to extract more juice easily.
Skip green chillis if you can’t tolerate much spice but red chilli powder is essential.If you don’t have jaggery, use a tablespoon of sugar instead.
Absolutely, this works well for lady’s finger, brinjal and even mixed vegetables.
You could add a teaspoon of rice flour mixed with 2 tbsp of water, make it into a slurry and add to the stew.
I personally prefer to keep the skin on as it adds a lot of taste and texture, if you don’t like the taste of it, you could peel it off easily while eating, Make sure you wash it properly though.
Gummadikaya Pulusu
Equipment
- Heavy bottomed Pan
Ingredients
- 500 g yellow pumpkin
- 1 onion large
- tamarind small lemon sized soaked in hot water
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 green chilli optional
- jaggery small piece
- ½ tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt to taste
For Seasoning
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp channa dal
- ¼ tsp fenugreek or methi seeds
- a pinch of hing
- 1 spring curry leaves
- 2 dried red chilli
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Heat ½ tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and add ⅛ tsp of fenugreek seeds, fry them till they change the colour to brownish red, then add onions and pumpkin cubes. Fry for a couple of minutes
- Add a cup of water(no measurement required honestly).
- allow the onions and pumpkin to soften, add salt at this stage.
- Add green chillis, extracted tamarind water/juice and boil it on a medium flame for 5 minutes or so. you may also want to add few curry leaves at this point.
- Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and allow the stew to cook further on low flame, this step may take at least 15-20 minutes.
- Once you see the stew is becoming to thicken, add a small piece of jaggery.
- Adjust any salt or water depending upon how thick or think you want the stew to be and cook on low to medium flame for a further 5 to 10 minutes.
Seasoning Gummadikaya Pulusu
- Heat oil in a small pan and crackle mustard and cumin seeds, add in dried red chillis, curry leaves, channa dal and hing. fry until a nice aroma comes.
- Add it to the stew and cover it with a lid for 5 minutes, this step will ensure the hing smell is thoroughly incorporated into the Gummadi kaya pulusu.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hello there, I’m Siri, love food shopping more than perfumes or dresses. At one point I lost control of myself and ate my way until I was near obese. Now, am here to write about my experiences in maintaining a healthy, balanced body and mind. Remember, the best lessons are always from failed people.
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