Khuta Meetha Lal Khadoo (Sweet, Hot And Sour Red Pumpkin)

Ingredients	Quantity
Corn or peanut oil	2 tbsp
Thinly sliced onion	¼ cup
Fresh ginger root – ground	1 tsp
Garlic cloves – ground	1
Red chilli flakes	½ tsp
Ground turmeric	¼ tsp
Salt	½ tsp
Sugar	1 tsp
Red pumpkin or butter squash – peeled cut in ½” cubes	1 pound
Water	¼ cup
Tamarind paste  (soaked in ½ cup water for 30 minutes and strained)	1 ½ tbsp

Heat the oil in a pan and over moderate heat fry the onion for 2 minutes until light brown. Add the ginger root, garlic, chili flakes, turmeric, salt and sugar. Fry for 1 minute.

Add the pumpkin cubes and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the water, cover the pan, and cook until the pumpkin is softer but still firm. Add the tamarind liquid and stir-fry until the liquid has nearly evaporated. A small amount of sauce should remain. Serve warm over rice.

Variation: One can also add ½ cup small, fresh shrimps, peeled and deveined, to the pumpkin. Fry the shrimps in 2 teaspoons oil for 2 minutes, long enough for them to change color. Add them to the pumpkin with the tamarind liquid and stir-fry until everything is well combined and the liquid has nearly evaporated.