Parangikai (Arasanikai) Ellu Kari – Yellow pumpkin curry made with ground sesame seeds and coconut. Recipe with step by step pictures.
This Parangikai Ellu Kari is a very traditional everyday side dish served for lunch in Tamil homes. Its made with a ground masala of coconut and sesame seeds. Sesame seeds is very rich in calcium. One tablespoon of sesame seeds has 87.8 mg calcium. Here is how to do it.
For the masala paste
Take a small mixie jar and add in the fresh coconut, sesame seeds, dry red chillies and cumin seeds. Add half a cup of water and grind to a coarse paste. Set aside.
Heat sesame oil (Indian gingely oil) in a pan and add in the cumin seeds and dry red chillies. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the curry leaves and the diced pumpkin. Add in the salt and turmeric powder. I remove the skin off of the pumpkin as it can be a little fibrous. In some households, if the pumpkin is young, they do cook the pumpkins along with the skin. Its a personal preference. But if its a mature pumpkin, the skin will be hard and fibrous. So do not use the skin of a mature pumpkin.
Add in half a cup of water .
Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a medium flame for about 6-7 minutes. Pumpkin cooks very fast. It will become mushy if its overcooked. So do not add too much water.
When the pumpkins are fork tender, add in the ground paste and simmer for a couple of minutes more.
Parangikai ellu kari is ready. Serve hot with rice.
- ¼ cup fresh shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoon white sesame seeds
- 2 dry red chillies
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (Indian gingely oil)
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 dry red chillies
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 500 grams yellow pumpkin
- Take a small mixie jar and add in the fresh coconut, sesame seeds, dry red chillies and cumin seeds. Add half a cup of water and grind to a coarse paste. Set aside.
- Heat sesame oil (Indian gingely oil) in a pan and add in the cumin seeds and dry red chillies. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the curry leaves and the diced pumpkin.
- Add in half a cup of water, salt and turmeric powder.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a medium flame for about 6-7 minutes.
- Add in the ground paste and simmer for a couple of minutes more.
- Parangikai ellu kari is ready. Serve hot with rice.
Sounds good! Coconut, sesame seeds, urad dal and red chillies as the spicing ingredients are always very good, appetizing! Thank you!
Thank you. Glad you liked it!
Hi, we used to add a little sugar at the end in pumpkin recipes, as it is slightly bland vegetable. This recipe won’t need it?
Hi Latha, You may add if you like.