“What! Not another pumpkin recipe! This Saffron Trail blogger has gone bonkers.”

I’m sure, you, my dear reader, are exclaiming thus, on seeing my new post alert in your mailbox.

But I have a couple of good reasons for this.

1\. Pumpkins are good for you. (okay, you already knew this)

2\. Autumn is pumpkin season in many parts of the world, and as a blog, I am trying to cater to a global audience 😉 (clears throat)

3\. But the most important reason is that once you taste this dish, you are going to want to make this again and again.

I have had the good fortune of tasting some delicious dishes from Telugu cuisine thanks to my neighbour aunty in Hyderabad, for the short time that I lived there. It was quite unlike the mass produced Andhra meal thaalis, which I don’t care for much.

A few weeks ago, I dropped into a neighbour’s house to borrow something. It was before lunchtime and I was surrounded by a cloud of incredibly delicious aromas. It felt like a rasam was simmering, but I could tell from the aroma, that there was something more to it. Shamelessly (yes, we food bloggers are like that) – I asked her, “What’s cooking?”. “pumpkin chaaru,” she said, and seeing my expressions, she herself offered me a bowlful to drink. It was ab.so.lute.ly mouthwateringly good. The balance of spicy-sour-sweet-salt was perfect and I (again, shamelessly) served myself some more. I asked her for the recipe (well of course), but it was her Telugu sister-in-law’s recipe and she said she would have to get it from her, as the cook had prepared directly from her instructions.

I am still awaiting the recipe. But I couldn’t wait to prepare the Pumpkin Chaaru, one BIG pot full and devour it all by myself. I have tried it thrice since then and I feel the current recipes comes very close in taste to what I tasted at my friend’s place.