Pumpkin And Potato Masala Curry (Vegan)

I have a favorite Indian cookbook. It’s “Step-By-Step Indian Cooking” by Sharda Gopal. A great cookbook if you want to master your cooking skills with Indian cuisine.
She keeps recipes short and simple. Just what any westerner trying to bring Indian flavors to the kitchen needs.
Over the years I became enamoured with one recipe in particular: Aloo Masala (also called Dry Spiced Potato).
It’s a popular south Indian vegetarian spicy dish. Made with a good amount of spices, fresh tomatoes, and potatoes.
As I prefer not to overstuff myself with starches, I tweaked the original recipe and tried several combination of vegetables over the years to replace the potatoes.
After many attempts I decided that my fave combo is pumpkin with one small potato (I didn’t dare to completely depart from the original recipe). Also, I used olive oil instead of ghee (or butter) to make it completely vegan and lighter.

I served my version of Aloo Masala to some Indian friends (I so needed validation on this), and they loved it. It was not out of politeness, trust me. When I cooked for them chicken tandoori before they were not short on criticisms. One time they even said that my Indian cuisine was “all over the places” (some people know really how to motivate a cook!)

Anyway, this was just to say that you can trust me on this one. It’s 100% Indian approved, vegan and gluten free!

Pumpkin And Potato Masala Curry Print this Recipe!
Adapted from Step-By-Step Indian Cooking

Ingredients
Makes 4 generous servings

3 cups / ¾ lb / 310 gr pumpkin, diced
1 small potato, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
1 14.5 oz / 400 gr can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder (use more or less depending how hot you want it)
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 dry bay leaf
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon mango powder-amchur (optional)

Directions

In large pan heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add the onion, garlic, ginger, and half of the cilantro. Fry until the onion turns golden.
Add the tomato, garam masala, chili powder, bay leaf, and mango powder (if using), stir well.
Add the pumpkin and the potato with ¼ cup of water and salt. Cover and cook on low heat for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the potato is tender but not soft, and the water has been absorbed.
In the meantime, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small saucepan and fry the cumin for 3 minutes or until the fragrance emerges (be careful not to burn it).
Add the cumin to the pumpkin and potatoes mixture. If it looks too dry, adjust by adding more water.
Garnish with the remaining cilantro and serve as a side dish or as a main dish with some brown rice.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 98 calories, 4 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbs, and around 3.5 grams of protein.