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I am going to give a hand at this recipe, which is a sweet and spicy butternut squash dish. It is simple to make, but can take a long time. If you have any additions to this web page or recipe changes, please email me, so I can fix them right away! (Or just leave a comment).

Pumpkin

Ingredients:

• 1 whole butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped well.
• water to cover
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• ~1 tbsp garam masala
• ~1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon or 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1-2 whole hot peppers

Directions:
Peel and seed butternut squash, then chop into small pieces. Put some oil on the bottom of a stockpot and heat until hot, add the onion, garlic, and cumin seed and fry until fragrant. Add the pumpkin and fry to caramelize and seal (about 3 minutes). Fill the stockpot with water until squash is just barely covered. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Add spices and sugar, cover, and simmer until squash is soft, about an hour. Stir occasionally.

At this point, the squash should be absorbing the water and turning into a mash. Continue to stir the pumpkin until it is well combined with the water. Taste the pumpkin at this point and if it is getting spicy you can remove the hot peppers. Continue to simmer until thick, another 10 minutes; it will be a little less thick than mashed potatoes when fully cooked.

Serve with roti and rice while still hot. Also good for breakfast with bakes and egg.

These breads are deep fried and are not greasy when properly cooked. Serve with eggs at breakfast or choka, pumpkin, squash, etc. My kids say their favorite breakfast is bake and eggs! It confuses friends who think they’re being served bacon and eggs, but they are not disappointed when they receive their meal!

Bakes

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups (8oz) self-rising flour (If using non-rising flour, use 1 tsp. baking powder)
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• ~1 cup tepid water
• ~2 cups vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Directions:
Mix flour and salt (and baking powder if not using self-rising flour) in a large mixing bowl. Then add margarine and sugar. When you have a crumbly flour mixture, gradually add water, mixing to form a medium firm dough. Knead dough until it forms a smooth ball, 5 to 10 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll dough into a sausage shape 1.5 inches in diameter. Cut into 1.5 inch pieces. Knead each piece in the palm of your hand for 1 minute to form a smooth ball. Finally, roll out each bake to about a ¼ inch thickness.

Heat oil until very hot in a deep pan, karahi, or wok. (To test, add a pinch of dough- if it rises to the top immediately, the oil is hot enough.) Gently lower rolled bakes into hot oil and cook until puffed up and light golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes on each side, basting the top with oil to ensure even cooking. Repeat with remaining dough, drain on paper towels, and serve for breakfast!