What Is Kumror Chokka? Heres Why This Traditional Bengali Dish Is So Popular

Bengali cuisine offers much more than fish curry and rice. Alongside its famous non-vegetarian dishes, the cuisine also features a variety of delicious vegetarian preparations that deserve equal attention. One such traditional dish is Kumror Chokka, a comforting curry made with pumpkin and potatoes.

The name comes from two Bengali words: kumror, meaning pumpkin, and chokka, which refers to a particular style of preparing and cutting vegetables. Bengali cooking places great importance on the way ingredients are cut and cooked, with each technique contributing to the dish’s texture and flavour.

Recently, content creator Pradipta shared a recipe for Kumror Chokka on Instagram. This classic vegetarian dish combines pumpkin and potatoes with the aromatic flavours of panch phoron, a traditional Bengali five-spice blend. It pairs beautifully with pooris and makes a wonderful addition to festive meals and special occasions.

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How To Make Kumror Chokka

Ingredients

• Pumpkin, diced – 400g
• 2 medium potatoes, diced
• 1/3 cup black chickpeas
• 1/3 cup freshly grated coconut
• 4-5 green chillies
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida), or as required
• 1 tsp panch phoron (five-spice mix)
• 1/4 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/3 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp bhaja moshla
• 50ml mustard oil
• 1 tbsp tamarind pulp
• Sugar, to taste (about 11/2tsp)
• Salt, to taste
• Hot water, as required

How To Make Bhaja Moshla

Dry roast and grind together:

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 green cardamoms
• 1 bay leaf
• Use 1 tsp of this spice blend in the recipe.

Method

1. Heat mustard oil in a pan.
2. Add the diced pumpkin and fry until lightly browned around the edges. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same pan, temper the oil with panch phoron, two dried red chillies, a bay leaf and hing.
4. Add the diced potatoes and fry lightly. Cover and cook for a few minutes.
5. Mix the ginger, cumin powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder and turmeric powder with a little water to form a paste. Add it to the pan and sauté for about two minutes.
6. Add the black chickpeas and grated coconut. Cook for a few minutes.
7. Add the fried pumpkin and slit green chillies.
8. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender.
9. Add hot water as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
10. Stir in the tamarind pulp and adjust the salt and sugar according to taste.
11. Finish by sprinkling bhaja moshla over the curry.
12. Serve hot with pooris or steamed rice.

Watch The Video Below For The Complete Recipe