Pumpkin and Black chana (Black chickpeas) in coconut and kokam gravy

Moving to the current city helped me understand the local cuisine and the other regional cuisines within the state. Konkan being one of them. A distinct feature of maharastrian/konkani (a few kannada) kitchens is the use extensive use of kokam for the tangy flavour. (Tamarind does this job in Tamil, telugu and kannada recipes)

Kokam lends a beautiful pink-purple colour to the dish. And when mixed with coconut milk or paste the dish looks an exotic pink. :)

This recipe is something i came up with just because I wanted to use kokam. Now for some pics...and then the recipe :)

Allergy information: Vegan, Soy free, dairy free, nut free, low fat and mild spice
Author/recipe owner: sudha What you need: (serves 2-4 people)
Main
Pumpkin (peeled and diced) - 1 cup
Black chickpeas/ kala chana - 3/4 cup
Salt - to taste
turmeric powder - pinch

Gravy
Fresh Coconut - grated - 1/2 cup
Kokam - 3 rinds or florets (soaked in just enough water)
green chilli -1/2 (optional)
cumin seeds - 1 1/2 tsp

Tempering
Coconut oil - 1 tsp
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
cumin - 1/4 tsp
red chilli - 1
curry leaves - 4
Asafoetida- 1 pinch

Process:
1-Soak 3/4 cup Chana/chickpeas overnight and pressure cook with salt
2- Boil the pumpkin with just enough water, a pinch of salt and turmeric powder (Salt optional as we add sufficient amount of salt in the chickpeas.)
3-Grind ingredients for the gravy/coconut masala
4- Separate the cooked chana from the water it was cooked in (you could use it but it lends a dark colour to the gravy)
5- when the pumpkin is half done, add the cooked chana and saute for a minute.
6- Add the coconut masala and simmer for five minutes or until the gravy looks evenly looks.
7- Temper with mustard, cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves and red chilli

serve!

Works well with roti and rice