Dappalam

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Pumpkin is a gourd like squash.They are very versatile in their uses for cooking.Andhra people love to have pumpkin stew.It tastes yummy and delicious.It's one of the most famous and favorite stew in Andhra Pradesh.
My mom makes really yummy Dappalam.In Telugu Pumpkin Stew is called "Gummadikaya Dappalam".I always loved my mom's cooking.When she came to visit us,I learnt from her how to make Dappalam.No one can beat mom's cooking.Though I learnt how to make different vareities of food ,I think there will definitely be a slight change in taste and texture.Anyways I continue to strive hard to make the best out of anything I learn and atleast get to the nearest point of what elders make.Dappalam is a combination of sweetness,salty,spicy,tangy flavors.So it's considered as a rich food with all the flavors combined.
                                                           

Ingredients
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! Pumpkin            1/2
! Onions             2
! Green Chillies     8
! Tamarind           Size of a lemon
! Jaggery            1/2 cup
! Curry Leaves       10
! Red Chillies       8
! Uppu/Namak/Salt    to taste
! Turmeric Powder    1/2 tsp.
! Red Chilli Powder  2 tsp.
! Urad Dal           1 tsp.
! Mustard Seeds      1/4 tsp.
! Cumin Seeds        1/2 tsp.
! Fenugreek Seeds    1/4 tsp.
! Rice Flour         1/2 tsp.


Method
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• Wash Pumpkin and cut the pumkin into bite size cubes.Chop onions and slit green chillies length wise.
• Put all these in a pressure cooker and add turmeric powder,red chilli powder and little water.Add very little water as the pumpkin tends to become soggy if there's too much water.Cover the lid.
• In the meanwhile soak tamarind with water in a bowl.When the cooker blows one whistle,turn the heat off and let it cool down.
• Once cooled down open the lid and turn the heat on to medium flame.Stir once, add in tamarind juice and jaggery.Stir in between for 2 mins.
• Take rice flour in a small bowl and mix little water so as to not form any lumps.Pour this mix slowly and keep stirring.Rice flour makes the stew to thick consistency.Stir for a min. and add salt as per taste.Mix well and let it simmer for 2 mins. and turn off the heat.
• For seasoning, heat oil in a seasoning pan and add urad dal,mustard seeds,cumin seeds,red chillies,asofoetida,fenugreek seeds and atlast add curry leaves.Wait till the mustard seeds start to splutter and the urad dal change to golden brown in color.Season the Pumpkin Stew and it's ready.
• Always Dappalam goes very well with Mudda Pappu(plain tuvar dal).
• Serve Dappalam with White Rice and Mudda Pappu.