Food of the Week: Pumpkin Perfection

I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier, but I've decided to do a "food of the week" post from now on.  (We'll see how long I keep up with it)

This week, I had an absolutely delicious pumpkin dish.  It made me feel a little bit better about missing fall in New England.  I'm craving my favorite fall dessert, pumpkin cheesecake, and that crisp autumn air, and the colorful leaves! I don't think the leaves change colors here... Anyways, this dish gave me a little taste of my favorite season that I'm missing.

It was little chunks of pumpkin cooked to perfection in a scrumptious sweet and savory sauce.  They looked like hard chunks but when you grabbed them with your chapati (unleavened flatbread), they squished and squirmed between your fingers, but managed not to fall out.  The taste is indescribable and one of the most delicious things I've ever had.  I tried to ask my grandfather what they were made with, and I got a few basic details out of him (we have trouble understanding each other's accents sometimes).  The pumpkin was apparently cooked in jaggery (tastes like molasses), a handful of spices and I'm nearly positive the sauce had peanuts in it.  I honestly didn't even know it was pumpkin at first, there were so many other flavors competing for my taste buds' attention.  I am so sorry but I do not have any photographic evidence of this delectable treat.  I promise to have my camera ready at meal time in the future.  And perhaps I'll manage to get a more accurate recipe out of my host-family too.

xo A