Borani Kadu

(Pumpkin with Yogurt)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients: 

  • 1.5 kg butternut / summer squash [Note: Once seeds and skin removed flesh of ~1kg squash will remain, which is fine for this recipe] 

  • 1 x can whole peeled tomatoes (400g) (crush tomatoes with hand into a bowl)

  • 1 x medium onion (finely diced)

  • 1-2 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)

  • 4 T vegetable oil (preferably rape seed / canola)

  • 2 C yogurt sauce (see below)

  • Salt (kosher)

  • 1/2 t red pepper flakes

  • 1/2 t turmeric (ground)

  • 1/2 t paprika

  • 1 x vegetable or chicken bouillon cube (preferably Knorr)

Yogurt Sauce:

Ingredients:

  • 2 yogurt (full or medium fat)

  • 2 cloves garlic (finely diced / grated)

  • Salt (to taste)

Preparation:

  1. Mix yogurt, garlic, and ½ T salt in bowl using fork or whisk

  2. Set aside for assembly.

Squash:

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 320 F (160 C)

  2. Cut squash lengthwise in halves. Use spoon to remove and discard seeds, then cut the halves lengthwise so squash is in quarters, lengthwise.

  3. Lay squash quarters on baking sheet. Baste squash flesh with vegetable oil and then salt

  4. Place baking sheet(s) with squash pieces in oven for 30-45 minutes until squash is sufficiently baked (soft and starting to brown at edges).

  5. Remove squash from oven and allow to cool down 5-10m. 

  6. Using a knife and/or large spoon cut squash flesh from skin so that squash pieces remain intact (i.e. whole pieces). Discard skins.

Sauce:

  1. While squash is roasting in the oven prepare sauce. 

  2. Pour 2 T of oil in sufficiently large saute pan, saute onions on medium-high heat, salting sufficiently. Add garlic and continue to cook until onions become translucent and start to brown.

  3. Add all the tomatoes from the can(s), crushing whole peeled tomatoes in bowl using hand before pouring in pan with onions.

  4. Crumble in bouillon cube, add turmeric, red pepper, and 1-1.5 cups of water.

  5. Allow sauce to cook down to desired thickness (Note: Don’t want sauce to be too thick because it will cook again the oven with the squash).

Assembly:

  1. In a baking dish sufficiently deep enough to cover the squash pieces, add a layer 1cm (~1/2 inch) of sauce. 

  2. Nestle squash pieces into sauce and ladle additional sauce on top of squash so that sufficiently covered (but still exposed). [Note: You want the sauce to drench the squash then drip down to join the rest of the sauce so that squash is mostly exposed] 

  3. Cover baking pan with aluminum foil or cover and place in oven (still at 160 C / 320 F) for approximately 30m.

  4. Once squash and sauce ready, take out of oven. Use large spoon to decamp the sauce and squash onto a serving dish and allow to cool 5-10m. Squash should be largely exposed at this point so that its golden color stands atop the reddish-gold sauce below.

  5. Drizzle 1 C of yogurt sauce onto squash using ladle. Keep the remaining yogurt sauce in a separate bowl for people to serve themselves as desired. 

  6. Sprinkle with some paprika then serve.

  7. Enjoy!