When I make pumpkin’s sabzi, I don’t throw away its skin; I use it to make this crispy chutney. This crispy and crunchy chutney acts as a great accompaniment for the soft pumpkin sabzi. Devansh loves the combination of pumpkin sabzi and this chutney; in fact he likes the chutney even by itself. While the flesh of the pumpkin is a good source of beta-carotene, which is an antioxidant, its skin has anti-fungal properties. The skin has antibacterial effect against harmful microbes and can protect us from several infections.
Sesame seeds used in this chutney not only add crunch to the chutney but also pack a heavy nutritional punch. They are a rich source of copper and a good source of iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, vitamin B1, and dietary fiber. Phew!!! So next time you use a pumpkin for cooking, don’t throw away its skin. Use it to make this crunchy, crispy and healthy chutney for your family.
Pumpkin Skin Chutney Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup grated pumpkin skin
- 2 tbsp freshly grated coconut
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 dry red chili
- 1/4 th tsp asafoetida hing
- 1/4 th tsp turmeric powder haldi
- Half tsp red chili powder optional
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Heat a kadai and lightly roast the sesame seeds for not more than half a minute, and transfer them to a bowl. (To make this chutney I use iron kadai as it makes the chutney nice and crisp. Plus it helps increase the iron content in the food.)
- Add oil in the kadai and when it heats up add cumin seeds.
- When cumin seeds splutter, add hing, haldi, and red chili.
- Stir for a few seconds to make the chili a bit crisp and then add grated pumpkin skin.
- Stir for 10-15 seconds and then add grated coconut, red chili powder, and salt. (If you are making the chutney for toddlers, you can use less quantity of red chili powder or avoid it altogether.)
- Give the mixture a good stir and then add roasted sesame seeds.
- Stir for half a minute and then turn off heat. (I cooked the chutney slightly less than what I usually do because usually my chutney looks quite black since I cook it in iron kadai. Didn’t think black chutney would look too appealing in the photo. I cooked the chutney a bit more after clicking the snap to make it more crispy.)