Allotment Squash (via Madras)

Luckily in our allotment, four of us grow four different types of squash (we are faithfully devoted to our type and refuse to grow any other) and so we look down on the other types and simply swapsies, after a show of reluctance, of course. So apart from ye olde Butternut squash (boring), I've got a Patty Pan, a Crown Prince and my own Turks' Turban. The Patty Pan is too pretty to eat so it decorates the top of our electric heater! (Plus I heard it tastes rubbish)

I'm indifferent to butternut squash. So in the supermarket we barely glance at each other. Two years ago my sister-in-law gave me a Turks Turban she'd grown. It was gobsmacking to look at, and I did, for a year. It just sat on the kitchen counter. My mother visited from India, said, 'That's the same as pumpkin', and cooked it like we do every January as part of the special foods of 'Pongal', our harvest festival. It was delicious. A far cry from soup and roast, and great with rice and any curry or sambar or dal or yoghurt, you name it. The Turks turban in the picture is from seeds I saved from my sis-in-law's squash.

The skin of the turks turban can be tough, but the flesh tastes great. I prefer to cook it with the skin, in fact, and simply discard it while eating to the corner of the plate. This is my mum's recipe, quite traditional, really, but mine wasn't as tasty as hers. Can adjust quantities to personal tastes.

 Tamil Squash stirfry

1 tsp mustard seeds 

1 tsp urad dal or cumin seeds

2 red or green chiliies, split lengthwise (optional)

1 onion, sliced

2 cups squash diced about 1 cm

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional)

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp Jaggery or sugar (brown or muscavado, but white is acceptable)

salt

You'll need a pan with a lid. Heat a tablespoon of oil, add the mustard seeds, and when they splutter, add the urad dal and stir carefully till they take on good colour (light brown). Add the onion and the chillies, fry for a minute, add the squash, fry for a minute, add a tablespoonful of water, close the lid. Cook for 5-10 minutes, giving everything an occasional stir, and when it's cooked, stir in the jaggery or sugar. Serve with rice and curry or dal or yoghurt.