This cauliflower pumpkin bell pepper sabzi is the perfect accompaniment to rotis/chapathis when you are short on time, but don’t want to compromise on taste or healthfulness of your meal. This recipe doesn’t contain onion or garlic.
Ingredients (makes 4 servings):
- Cauliflower florets (2 cups)
- Green bell pepper (cut in cubes) (1.5 cups)
- Orange pumpkin/acorn squash/butternut squash (cut in cubes) (1 cup)
- Tomatoes (cut in cubes) (1.5 – 2 cups)
- Oil (1 tbsp)
- Mustard seeds (1 tsp)
- Cumin seeds (1 tsp)
- Asafetida (hing) powder (1/4 tsp)
- Fenugreek (methi) powder (1/4 tsp)
- Turmeric (haldi) powder (1/3 tsp)
- Sambhar powder (any type should work) (1 tbsp)
Method:
- In a wide pan, heat oil on medium. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds.
- When the seeds start to splutter, lower the flame and add cumin seeds, asafetida, fenugreek and turmeric powders.
- Add tomatoes and salt. Cook on a medium flame until the tomatoes are cooked.
- Add bell peppers first and let them cook covered on a medium flame for a couple minutes.
- Now add cauliflower florets and pumpkin cubes, sambhar masala and cook covered until the vegetables are cooked. Don’t overcook the vegetables.
- If you want more gravy, you can add water and let it cook covered for another minute or so. If you want a drier consistency, cook uncovered for another minute or so.
- This sabzi goes well with roti/chapathi.
Tastes (Rasa):
Sweet (pumpkin), sour (tomatoes), salty (salt), bitter (fenugreek), pungent (mustard, chili in sambhar powder), astringent (asafetida).
Doshic Influence:
This is a fairly tridoshic recipe if the end product is not made overly pungent, salty, sour or oily.
Effects on the Mind (Gunas):
This cauliflower pumpkin bell pepper vegetable is sattvic due to its mild, yet flavorful quality and due to the addition of spices that are digestive, yet not very stimulating to the mind and body.