Gunpowder Squash

Name: Gunpowder Squash
Total time: 4200 s
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: Gunpowder spice; 40 g (1.5 oz) idli rice; 85 g (3 oz) urad dal; 1 tbsp chana dal; 2-4 whole dried Kashmiri chillies depending on your spice level; 8 dried curry leaves; 1 tsp asafoetida; 1/2 cinnamon stick; seeds from 2 green cardamom pods; 1 tbsps black pepper; 1/2 tsp sesame seeds; pinch salt; Pumpkin; 1 small pumpkin; 1 tbsp organic cold-pressed rapeseed oil; 2 tbsps gunpowder spice; 2 small twigs of rosemary; 100 g (3.5 oz) naked Tofoo, cubed; 1 small apple, sliced and cut into batons; dash wild orange or lemon juice; 30 g (1 oz) fennel, sliced and cut into batons; 50 g (2 oz) forbidden rice; 2 tbsps pomegranate seeds; handful kale, blanched and ripped roughly; 2 spring onions, sliced thinly; freshly ground black pepper; Dressing; 1 tbsp tahini; juice of 1 medium wild orange or a lemon; 1 clove garlic, crushed

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

Milagai podi, commonly known as gunpowder, is a coarse spice blend originating from the Indian subcontinent. It’s a perfect Emperor’s coat for the King of all tofu’s, organic naked Tofoo - made to a traditional Japanese recipe - in Yorkshire.

In this country, pumpkins magically appear around Halloween, are often not eaten and just used as lanterns, and when the lights go out, they disappear.

Oh gourdy, they are such a fab fruit – yes fruit! Although they are 94% water and therefore low in calories, they are a good source of vitamins (just 100g = daily needs of Vitamin A) and the seeds are one of the best natural source of magnesium - a mineral that is often lacking in the western diet and is needed for more than 600 chemical reactions in the body.

Forbidden (black) rice releases a wonderful aroma of baked bread when it is cooked. Legend has it that it was eaten in the court of the ancient Chinese emperors for its nutritional and aphrodisiacal properties.

This around the world recipe combines luscious pumpkin from Mexico, Tofoo from Blighty, fennel, apples and kale from Anatolia, pomegranate seeds from Iran, spices from the Indus Valley with forbidden rice from China and topped with a tahini-based dressing from Persia and sprinkled with lava salt from Iceland.

Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients; it's fairly simple to make. The gunpowder spice will keep for 6 months

#MyCookbook #ChristmasGift

In this country, pumpkins magically appear around Halloween, are often not eaten and just used as lanterns, and when the lights go out, they disappear.

Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients; it's fairly simple to make. The gunpowder spice will keep for 6 months

#MyCookbook #ChristmasGift

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

In this country, pumpkins magically appear around Halloween, are often not eaten and just used as lanterns, and when the lights go out, they disappear.

Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients; it's fairly simple to make. The gunpowder spice will keep for 6 months

#MyCookbook #ChristmasGift

In this country, pumpkins magically appear around Halloween, are often not eaten and just used as lanterns, and when the lights go out, they disappear.

Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients; it's fairly simple to make. The gunpowder spice will keep for 6 months

#MyCookbook #ChristmasGift

Saved

Ingredients

1 hr plus 10 minutes to make the spice blend

2 servings

Gunpowder spice
40 g (1.5 oz)idli rice
85 g (3 oz)urad dal
1 tbspchana dal
2-4whole dried Kashmiri chillies depending on your spice level
8dried curry leaves
1 tspasafoetida
1/2cinnamon stick
seeds from 2 green cardamom pods
1 tbspsblack pepper
1/2 tspsesame seeds
pinchsalt
Pumpkin
1small pumpkin
1 tbsporganic cold-pressed rapeseed oil
2 tbspsgunpowder spice
2small twigs of rosemary
100 g (3.5 oz)naked Tofoo, cubed
1small apple, sliced and cut into batons
dashwild orange or lemon juice
30 g (1 oz)fennel, sliced and cut into batons
50 g (2 oz)forbidden rice
2 tbspspomegranate seeds
handfulkale, blanched and ripped roughly
2spring onions, sliced thinly
freshly ground black pepper
Dressing
1 tbsptahini
juice of 1 medium wild orange or a lemon
1 clovegarlic, crushed
1 tsporganic cold-pressed rapeseed oil
lava or sea salt

Saved

Steps

1 hr plus 10 minutes to make the spice blend

1

To make the spice blend. Set a tawa or frying pan over a medium heat. Add the rice, urad and chana dal and dry roast for 2 minutes or until the mixture turns light brown in colour. Transfer to a large plate and set aside to cool. Add the chillies (1 for mild and 4 for hot) to the same pan and dry roast for 30 seconds until charred. Remove the chillies and place with the rice/lentil mix. Add in the dried curry leaves and leave to cool. Add the remaining ingredients and grind to a coarse powder.
2

Heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Cut the pumpkin in two. Remove the seeds and keep to one side.
3

Cut crisscross slits in the pumpkin flesh and brush with a little oil and top with the rosemary. Place in a baking dish and bake for 40 minutes. Wash the pumpkin seeds, pat dry and roast for 5 minutes.
4

Cube the Tofoo, roll in the gunpowder spice, place on an oiled baking sheet and cook in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes.
5

Cook the forbidden rice in boiling, salted water until al dente, approximately 20 minutes.
6

Mix the apple and fennel with a dash of wild orange juice or lemon juice. Add to the cooked black rice, pomegranate seeds, kale and spring onions. Add the baked Tofoo and season with a few grinds of black pepper and combine. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and drizzle on top. Sprinkle with the roasted pumpkin seeds and a grind of lava salt.
7

Remove the rosemary from the pumpkin and add the rice mixture into the hollows. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes.