Kadu Bouranee (Afghan-Style Pumpkin) #KitchenMatrixCookingProject

Today, we're headed to Afghanistan for a sweet and savory dish of spiced pumpkin topped with a yogurt-garlic sauce. Kadu Bouranee is made of pumpkin, or other winter squash, sauteed with spices and topped with the yogurt garlic sauce. We loved the sweetness of the pumpkin with the tartness of tomatoes and freshness of the yogurt sauce.

This a bonus #KitchenMatrixCookingProject that carried over from last month because Wendy and I weren't able to get it together the week we had originally scheduled to cook Bittman's Pumpkin + 3 Ways. So, Karen agreed to hold hers and we're offering a bonus post this week.

You can read more about our project here, but basically Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories, and I have been making our way through Bittman's Kitchen Matrix Cookbook. What a fun year it's been! Before I get to my pick, here's the rest of our pumpkin patch...

An InLinkz Link-up

Kadu Bouranee
(Afghan-Style Pumpkin)

Pumpkin cooked this way was just one of the unique recipes Bittman offered. He also suggested a pumpkin risotto and pumpkin with lentils. Oddly I've never posted a recipe for pumpkin risotto, though I did a riff with a Pumpkin Farrotto. And pumpkin with lentils is on to my-try list now!

Ingredients

Pumpkin

• 2 C cubed, peeled pumpkin
• 4 T olive oil
• 1 C diced, peeled onion
• 1 to 2 t minced garlic
• ½ t salt
• ¼ C organic granulated sugar
• 1 C diced tomatoes or 1 C tomato sauce
• 1 T freshly grated ginger
• 1 t freshly grated turmeric
• 1 C water or stock (I used a homemade beef stock)

Sauce

• 1 C plain yogurt
• 1 t minced garlic
• pinch of salt to taste

Procedure

Pumpkin
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or other lidded pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until golden brown (4-5 minutes). Add the garlic, turmeric, ginger, sugar, salt, pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously, until fragrant.

Add the tomatoes and water or broth and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Add the pumpkin and stir again. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 25-30 minutes, until pumpkin is tender, but still holding its shape. Stir few times while cooking. Check periodically to see if there is enough liquid. If the pan gets dry, add more.

Sauce

Combine the yogurt, garlic, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Let stand for at least 10 minutes.

Serve

Spoon the braised pumpkin onto plates and serve with a dollop of yogurt sauce on top.