Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Simplicity Itself

In a comment on my last post, Rujuta suggested that I cook an authentic Maharashtrian recipe today. I had the perfect recipe in my bookmarks folder and the matching vegetable in the fridge so it all came together beautifully.

And in record time; hand-on cooking for this dish is about 4 minutes, and then you can let it cook unattended. Harried cooks, read on!

Recipe #37 is for glazed butternut squash, Maharashtrian style. The original recipe is that of bhople che bhaji (red pumpkin vegetable dish) from one of my very favorite blogs, the cook's cottage. I adore food bloggers who have an original voice and are true to themselves, and the authenticity in this blog comes shining true. And this blogger knits- always a plus in my book!

I bought a large stash of butternut squash last weekend, and used up half today and saved half for the Thanksgiving dinner entree. Butternut squash is in season here so it is the logical substitute for red pumpkin.

This is a fantastic recipe. A few seeds (mustard, fenugreek, sesame and poppy, to be exact) and spices (the unique goda masala has a prominent role) transform the humble squash; jaggery (unrefined sugar) adds a yummy, sticky glaze and bolsters the natural sweetness of the squash.

My only modification to the original recipe was to start with 2-3 tsp. oil and to not strain it out at the end (there was no visible oil for me to strain out).



I have to warn you: you will want to lick your fingers as you eat this dish. And possibly the serving spoon, as long as no one is looking.

Starting tomorrow, a string of Thanksgiving dishes!

17 comments:

  1. Yummy.. I've a butternut squash ready to be used.. Looks delicious.

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  2. Sluurrrp! My mouth is watering right now. But I don't have Goda masala or any recipe? Do you have..Nupur?

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  3. Its been so long since I had bhoplyachi bhaji! yours looks delicious :)

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  4. One of my favorite bhopla recipes!! It transports one into culinary heaven straight!!

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  5. Nupur,

    Hi! Thanks for taking my suggestion and making this amazing authentic maharashtrian dish............need i say.....its my favourite bhaji.........

    Looking forward for your next post....... Rujuta

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  6. Congratulations on being nominated for best food blog of the year @ http://www.indibloggies.org/nominations-2008

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  7. Nice recipe once again. I am a Maharashtrian married to a North Indian and they also make bhopla in a slightly different way. They use sauf, zeera, methi and ajwain for the tadka and then add the bhopla with skin to it... the masala is dhaniya zeera and amchur. I like it both ways. My mom also makes bhoplye che kaap.. just like eggplant kaap... amazingly delicious :)

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  8. another recipe added for butternut squash. I love them.

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  9. PJ- It has been a really long time since I have actual bhopla!

    musical- It transported us to culinary heaven too! I have a feeling I'm going to be making this on a weekly basis all fall and winter.

    Sonia- There are several recipes for goda masala posted by different bloggers, so a search will give you many options. In some places, it is sold commercially too. E-mail me if you can't find recipes.

    Pavani- You will love this simple and flavorful recipe!

    Rujuta- It is going to be our favorite bhaji too :)

    Sandhya- Thanks!

    Jyoti- Thanks for sharing the North Indian version. It sounds fantastic, and I have all the ingredients so I'll try it sometime!

    Soma- I love butternut squash too; I have 5-6 more recipes for it in my bookmarks.

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  10. My mother-in-law taught me to make kaddu ki subji which is pretty similar to your recipe. It was very delicious when I made it under her supervision. Then I tried two more time and it tasted good but the consistency is tricky to master. I made a mistake to cover it while it was cooking one time and it over cooked and the second time parts of it stayed slightly undercook while the other parts fell apart from being overcooked.

    Anyhow, I am not giving up on this deliciousness just yet. Next time though I would like to try Goda masala that you recommand. Does global carry it?

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  11. Punita- I don't know if Global stocks goda masala; I always get mine from India. As your friendly neighbor :D, I'll be happy to share some goda masala with you. Please contact me via the e-mail form if you would like a sample to experiment with!

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  12. Hi Nupur,

    Its a pleasure to go over you blog and now that you are posting a recipe everyday - I just don't know how to thanks you!
    I find it hard to cut butternut squash, any tips for that?

    Thanks,
    Meghana

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  13. I made a similar dish with my leftover roasted butternut squash. Used panchphoran for seasoning and added a half tsp of aamchur pwdr to make it sweet and sour. I agree it is fingerlicking delicious.

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  14. Meghana- I'm so glad you like this series! For cutting butternut squash safely, check these two links

    http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_peel_and_cut_a_butternut_squash/

    http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-cut-butternut-squash.html

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  15. MekhalaNag- That sounds delicious, I'll be trying your version soon!

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  16. Thanks Nupur, great websites for tips on cutting the butternut squash.
    Meghana

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  17. When I was in India and my aai made the Bhopla bhaji, I liked it but I never imagined that I would crave to have it some day! After 2 long yrs, I finally made it using your recipe and that too with a veggie that had rarely made its way into my kitchen otherwise :)! Needless to say, it has turned out lip smacking good :)
    Thanks for posting and sharing!
    And yes, I love your blog. Keep writing!

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