Manipuri pumpkin (heinou) boiled and mashed with mustard oil and fresh chilli — a simple, comforting everyday preparation of the abundant squash grown in the Imphal valley.
Ingredients
500g heinou (Manipuri pumpkin / squash — yellow or orange flesh; or any good-quality sweet pumpkin)
2 green chillies — roasted over flame until blistered
1 tsp ginger — grated
1 tbsp mustard oil
Salt to taste
2 tbsp maroi or fresh coriander
Method
Peel and deseed the pumpkin. Cut into large chunks.
Boil in salted water for 12 to 15 minutes until completely soft and mashable. Drain thoroughly.
Roast green chillies over a gas flame until well blistered. Roughly chop or pound.
Mash the warm boiled pumpkin coarsely with a fork — keep some texture, not completely smooth.
Add grated ginger and the roasted chilli. Mix.
Add mustard oil. Mix well.
Season with salt.
Add maroi or fresh coriander. Stir.
Serve warm at room temperature alongside steamed rice as a simple side dish.