Achari Lauki/Opo Squash with Nigella seeds

I never understand it when people talk about flavourless vegetables - to me all of them have their own unique flavour. I do concede that coaxing this flavour out is easier with some veggies than others.

Pretty much all quashes and especially the blander ones like opo fall into this category. But, as we well know, Indians have perfected the art of making any vegetable explode with flavour.

This is one of those magical dishes. It is very sim-ple, just the quash cooked with a few spices, but oh man what results is a silky, juicy and faintly sweet dish that is the epitome of what squash can be. To me it is the magic of Indian cooking in a bowl. Why more Indian restaurants dont serve dishes like this, I dont know and will never understand.

The spices are a combination called Panch-Phoran used by the Bengalis. This is another of the variety of tempering/tadka/talicchu kottal found all over India. The spices used are cumin, mustard seeds, fennel/saunf, fenugreek/methi seeds and nigella seeds/kalonji/charnoushka. The star is really the nigella that adds a flavour reminiscent of certain Indian pickles (hence the 'achari'). This is really a great spice combination to have around, I have used successfully with practically any vegetable.

Ingredients

One large opo squash, peeled and cut into chunks
cumin seeds
fennel seeds
nigella seeds
fennel
mustard seeds
turmeric
chilli powder
asafetida
oil

Method

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a flat pan. Add a teaspoon each of cumin, mustard, nigella and fennel seeds. Add half a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds and sprinkling of asafetida. Wait till the mustard seeds pop, the popping reaches a crescendo and dies down. Add the opo squash, turmeric and chilli powder. Toss to combine, add about half a cup of water and cook covered till the squash is cooked through. You really want to have some liquid left in the pan at the end of the cooking time as this liquid is beyond yummy, so add more water as necessary.

Serve piping hot and enjoy.