Doodh Pitla (with Butternut Squash)

We had friends over for dinner a few weeks back, and it was one of the few days this past summer that actually felt like summer. I wanted to avoid making anything spicy, and decided to try my luck with a dish that I enjoyed as a kid. This is another tanjore marathi staple (and I'm sure there are variants out there in Tamil cuisine) typically made with pumpkins, with the milk serving to cut the spice levels.

Ingredients:
1/2 -1 cup Milk
1 small Butternut squash or pumpkin
Salt to taste
Chopped cilantro to garnish

To roast and grind:
1 tspoon cumin seeds: 1 tsp
6-8 Black pepper
2 dry red chillies
1 green chilli
1" Ginger - grated
1 tbspoon Chana dal
1.5 tbspoons Toor dal
1/2 cup Coconut - shredded

To temper:
1/2 tspoon Mustard seeds
1/4 tspon Asafoetida
1 tspoon Urad dal

Method:

Chop and boil the squash and set it aside. Roast and grind the ingredients.

In a thick-bottomed pan, mix the paste with the boiled squash along with some water (as needed). Add salt and let this cook for 8-10 minutes on medium-low heat.

Temper with mustard seeds, urad dal, and asafoetida. Take this off the stove and slowly add 1/2 cup of milk (or more if desired) and mix well.

Add chopped cilantro and serve with hot rice.

This treasured recipe pic is going to Heirloom:Click hosted by Jai and Bee at Jugalbandi.