Pumpkin rice

With the start of Autumn season, we can see orange in everything....from leaves to veggies to celebrations. Pumpkin is more associated with pies, cakes and pancakes in US. I wanted to try my spicier favorites too. Here is a rice I love very much with pumpkin. This is my mom's creation for us when we were kids. In one of our bedtime stories, there came a scene in which two bunnies would ask for a pumpkin from an elderly bunny to make some rice as camping food(it was a translated version may be...so that the cake could have become a rice). Then we asked mom to make a pumpkin rice for us and she gladly created this recipe, which we cherish very much:)

A small cute 99 cent pumpkin I bought. I didn't carve it.....instead cooked that.

Pumpkin seeds tastes great when dry roasted.

Pumpkin patch in Giamarese farm

Pumpkin rice

Ingredients: 
Pumpkin - 200 gm
rice - 2 cup
salt - as per need
oil - 2 tsp
sugar - 1 tsp (optional)
onion - 1
green chilly - 4
cinnamon - small piece
bay leaf - 1
fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
curry leaf - 1 sprig
channa dhal - 2 tbsp
cumin - 1/2 tsp
shredded coconut - 1 tbsp

Method:
Wash and cook the rice with 6 cups of water till tender but firm.
Drain and keep the rice aside.

In a separate vessel, heat the oil and add fennel seeds. As it gets red, add bay leaf, cinnamon, channa dal and onion. Fry till onion gets soft. Then add the sliced green chilly, curry leaves and chopped pumpkin. Cook covered till channa dal and pumpkin are well cooked. Then add salt. Taste it. If needed add sugar (brings out the pumpkin flavor). Add freshly shredded coconut, cumin and cook till pumpkin turns almost mushy.

Mix with the cooked rice. Pumpkin rice is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Serve as main course meal with any raitha or appalam (pappad).