Khichdi side dishes: Butternut Squash Potato fries with coconut and peanuts, Acorn Squash Fries, and Potato Fries can make any khichdi from meh to yay!
It was quite a long weekend for me. My husband successfully migrated the site to Bluehost, and I am expecting my site to load faster with them. It took him 2 hours to do the entire migration, as it was quite a tedious process. I am not cancelling the GoDaddy subscription yet, and I am planning to keep my portfolio dolphianandi.com there as I said before. Whew! We are also planning to do a redesign of the site, which can wait until the Christmas break.
On Tuesday, the dental procedure went smoothly with the anxiety pills, and I did not try to escape in the middle of the process. Another big achievement, right? As I mentioned, quite an eventful, long weekend it was.
Believe it or not, I did not have any plan to do squash recipes. Last week when we went to whole foods, pumpkins and squashes begged to come home with me. After some hesitation, I decided to pick an acorn squash and a butternut squash. In India, there is only one type of pumpkin, and I was trying to cook a childhood favorite recipe of mine. I consulted with Amrita di, (who resides in Cleveland) and asked which one of them would give me that flavor. She strongly suggested trying butternut squash, but as I also got an acorn squash, I decided to make two different recipes with them.
So on Sunday, I decided to make khichdi and butternut squash vegetables to go with it. Sounds so simple, right?
I ended up with bulgur vegetable khichdi, rice vegetable khichdi, butternut squash with potatoes, coconut and peanuts, acorn squash fries, and potato fries. A simple meal becomes a lavish spread in a jiffy. My husband wondered whether I was planning to invite the entire community to lunch.
Both of these recipes are not only perfect with khichdi, but also with flatbreads or rice and dal. They’re the best as a side dish and provide enough substance to fill your stomach. Both of these recipes are quite frequent at ma’s kitchen that she learned from her paternal granny.
Cut acorn squashes into wedges, mix them with rice flour, chickpea flour, salt, sugar and chili powder. I have air fried them, but you can pan fry them with a little bit of vegetable oil. This one is easy-peasy.
The second one is a bit of work. You need to prepare the squash and potatoes at first. Then you prepare the tempering and add the cooked veggies to it. Garnish with coconut and fried peanuts. Ginger, coconut, peanuts and sweet squash all create a pleasant combination. The entire procedure is very much straightforward, and you can prepare an easy side dish while your rice and dal are being prepared.
Serving khichdi without potatoes is known as a crime in a Bengali home, so I have prepared spicy potato fries to go with khichdi. We cut them into semi thick round slices, toss them well with salt, turmeric, chili powder, and pan fry them with vegetable oil.
You can find the roasted moong dal and bulgur khichdi recipe here.
For Indian readers, please use regular green colored pumpkin that you get from the store.
Yield : 6
Recipe for Khichdi Side Dishes – Butternut Squash Potato fries with coconut and peanuts
- 1 small butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 small yukon gold potatoes, cubed
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- salt to taste
- 1 piece (1 1/2 inch) ginger, slice
- 3 teaspoons clarified butter, divided
- 1 bayleaf
- 1 dried whole red chile
- 1 1/2-inch cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut, divided
- 1 tablespoon roasted unsalted peanuts
1. Halve the butternut squash from stem to bottom, remove the ends and scoop out the seeds. With a vegetable peeler, remove the skin. Cut each half into quarters and then into 1/2-inch cube pieces. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
2. In a non-stick skillet, over a medium heat, heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add potato and pumpkin pieces and fry them for 4 to 5 minutes. Add turmeric and salt. Cover and cook it for 7 to 8 minutes, or until they are softened.
3. Meanwhile, in a food processor, add ginger pieces. Work it until smooth. Take it aside in a small bowl.
4. In a small non-stick skillet, over a medium heat, heat clarified butter. Add bay leaf, whole red chili, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and cumin seed. Cook it for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it sizzles. Over a medium heat, add ginger paste, one tablespoon of shredded coconut and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the masala is cooked through. Add sautéed pumpkin-potatoes, and sugar and stir to mix it well. Continue to cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the masala is mixed through.
5. Next, in a small non-stick skillet, over a medium heat, heat one teaspoon of clarified butter. Add roasted unsalted peanuts and fry it for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are golden brown. Add that to the vegetables and mix it well. Garnish with the rest of the shredded coconut and serve hot.
Acorn Squash Fries
- 1 acorn squash
- 1 tablespoon chickpea flour
- 1 tablespoon rice flour
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1. Halve the acorn squash from stem to bottom, remove the ends and scoop out any seeds. With a vegetable peeler, remove the skin. Cut each half into quarters and then into thin 1-inch thick wedges. Transfer everything to a large bowl.
2. Add chickpea flour, rice flour, chili powder, ground cumin, salt and sugar. With your hands, mix and coat them well.
3. In a non-stick skillet, over a medium heat, heat the vegetable oil. Add squash pieces. Cover and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, or until they are soft. Open the lid and fry them until golden brown. Take it aside.
Potato Fries
1. In a bowl, add potato pieces, salt, turmeric and chili powder.
2. In a non-stick skillet, over a medium heat, heat the vegetable oil. Add potato pieces and cover it for 5 to 6 minutes, or until they are tender. Open the lid and cook it for 4 to 5 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
Special Note: I have used Phillips Airfryer to fry the potatoes and acorn squash; it only took me a teaspoon of vegetable oil to cook them individually. You can read my reviews on air fryers here.
tor dishes gulo sab gulo bison bhalo…comment na kore thakte parlam na! Eso Maa….Durgo puja spirit is live now ! Saw your massive comment on my blog …dhut
Ma asche! Ki je bolish, tor photo gulo sotti i boddo sundor hoeche re.
Everything looks so delicious Dolphia. – Sreelatha
Thank you Sreelatha!
What a fabulous spread ! getting ready for the festive mood ?
Yes! 🙂
Is khichdi is good with fish curry? Kindly suggest.