During my first fall in the United States, someone asked me what Indians do for Thanksgiving.

I couldn’t really understand the question, as Hindus in India have some kind of holiday or festival almost every month of the year, and most of these festivals  seem to revolve around the concept of “thanks giving” in some form. 

We always looked forward to these holidays because there were plenty of sweets, new clothes, and visiting family and friends. When I was young, not everyone had phones and there was no concept of having to make an appointment to celebrate a holiday. People just showed up and we took it from there. Since there were always festivals going on, it was much less stressful than the sometimes hectic months of November and December here, when I try to cram in as much eating and socializing as possible in two short months.

American Thanksgiving seems to be a particularly food-based event, and the closest parallel I can think of is a holiday that followed Diwali (the festival of lights) called Annakoot (which can be translated as “Mountain of Food”). On that day we would always prepare 56 different dishes, with the exact same menu from year to year. 

I have put together a list of dishes using some traditional American Thanksgiving ingredients: green beans, pumpkin, turnips, potatoes and even cranberries. The sweet and sour pumpkin dish and the turnip, tomato and pea curry can be served with rice pilaf or rolled in a flour tortilla or flatbread as a wrap. I can guarantee that your vegetarian friends will be happy with these alternatives to turkey, and even the non-vegetarians may be inspired by these recipes.

Sweet and Sour Pumpkin with Indian Five Spices

(Khatta Meetha Kaddu)

For the longest time I was convinced that the pumpkin we used in India must have a great  philosophical and spiritual meaning.  It seems it was served at almost every occasion, unlike here, where one seldom sees pumpkin or hard squash except in the fall.  However, my mother told me that this is not the case at all. She said there was no special significance to pumpkin. I guess it just tastes good.

I often tell people that I have sweet teeth, not just a sweet tooth. I love this dish for its sweet yet tangy combination of flavors. In India, the sweetness came from jaggery (partially refined sugar made from sugar cane), and the tangy part was from a powder made from dried  green mango called amchoor. My mother often experimented with jaggery from different regions of India, each with a different color and taste. I, too, have experimented with “raw” sugars from different parts of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and Mexico. If you can’t find jaggery, you could use brown sugar. I have always loved this dish with an Indian bread called chapati.

Ingredients

1 lbs. of cooking pumpkin or banana squash, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes, with skin

2 medium-size potatoes, unpeeled, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes

1-2 whole, dried red chiles

1/2 tsp. Indian five spice (panch phoran)

1/2 tsp. turmeric

2 tablespoon brown sugar (or grated Indian jaggery)

1 tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil

Juice of half lime or 1 tsp. of amchoor (dried green mango powder)

1/4 cup of water

Salt to taste

Directions

Heat ghee or vegetable oil in a medium-sized non-reactive saucepan. When medium hot, add dried whole red chile peppers and panch phoran. When panch phoran seeds start to sizzle, add turmeric powder. Make sure not to burn the tumeric powdrer. Add chopped squash and potatoes, and gently mix with the spices. Add salt and water. When water comes to a boil, turn the heat down, cover the pan, and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the squash is almost cooked, add brown sugar (or jaggery) and lime juice (or amchoor) and mix into cooked squash and potatoes. Cook for another 2 minutes.

As a Thanksgiving adaptation of this dish, you could replace the potatoes with peeled yams or sweet potatoes. 

Turnip Tomato and Peas Curry

(Shalgam Tamatar Matar ki Subzi)

Turnips are not particularly a “special occasion” vegetable. We had this dish in the winter on a regular basis, but it would fit in very well on a Thanksgiving table. My mother also made a seasonal pickle of turnip that I just adored, but I will save that recipe for a later date.  

Ingredients

1 lb. of medium-size turnips, peeled and cubed

2 medium-size tomatoes diced (or 1/2 cup diced canned tomatoes with juice)

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 inch of ginger root, peeled and chopped

1 small onion, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil

1 dried whole red chile pepper

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1/2 tsp. turmeric powder

1/2 tsp. garam masala (available at Indian grocery stores)

1 1/2 tsp. coriander powder

1/4 tsp. powdered red chile (optional)

1/2 cup water

Salt to taste

Directions

Cut the turnips into 1/2 inch cubes. Heat ghee or vegetable oil in a medium-sized non-reactive saucepan (stainless steel, enamel, or glass). When medium hot, add dried whole chile pepper and cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start to sizzle, add turmeric powder, garam masala, and coriander powder. Be careful not to burn the turmeric powder or it will become bitter. Add minced ginger root and stir for 5 seconds. Add turnip and onions and gently fold together with the spices. Add salt, and cook for 2-3 minutes at high heat. Add water and bring to a boil. Cover the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low, stir occasionally, and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and peas and cook for another 5 minutes or until tomatoes and peas seem cooked. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro.

Rice Pilaf

(Pulao)

This colorful pilaf is best with basmati rice. You can buy very high quality basmati rice at the Indian grocery; it is much less expensive there than at the local supermarket. The black cardamom adds a mysterious smoky flavor which is hard to pinpoint. 

Ingredients

2 cups of basmati rice, washed in cold water and drained

1 cup diced peeled carrots

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup chopped beans (fresh or frozen) 

3 tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1/2 tsp. turmeric powder

2 Tejputta (Indian bay leaves) or Turkish bay leaves

2 dried whole red chile peppers

4 whole black cardamom  (available in Indian grocery stores)

4 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

4 cups water

Salt to taste

Directions

Heat ghee or vegetable oil in a medium-size, heavy-bottomed, non-reactive saucepan. When medium hot, add dried whole chile peppers, bay leaves, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, and cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start to sizzle, add turmeric powder. Add carrot, beans, peas, and corn and stir. Cook while stirring for about 5 minutes, and then add rice. Mix all ingredients and cook, stirring so that rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Add water and salt. Bring water to a boil. When the water is almost completely absorbed, cover the pan. Cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a fork to fluff the rice.

Ginger and Cranberry Chutney with Lime Juice

Although we don’t have cranberries in India, we had a fruit called karonda, which was very similar in flavor and appearance.  Traditionally this dish is made with golden raisin and dates, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I have replaced them with dried cranberries. This substitution really works well, and it will definitely go great with the turkey. The flavor of ajwain is unique and is something you might want to try.

Ingredients

4 inch piece of ginger root

1/4 cup of dried cranberries, chopped

1/2 cup lime juice

3 tablespoon sugar (or more to taste)

1/4 tsp. of ajwain  (available at Indian grocery stores)

1/4 tsp. cumin seed, coarsely crushed

1-2 black peppercorns, coarsely crushed

Salt to taste

Directions

Peel the ginger root and slice thinly, with the grain, lengthwise. Stack these slices, and then chop into matchsticks julienne. Then chop them in to 1-2 inch lengths. Place in a glass or non-reactive bowl, and add the lime juice. Add sugar, ajwain, crushed cumin, crushed black peppercorns, cranberries, and salt, and mix together. Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes before serving, and taste first to make sure it is sweet enough. 

All of the spices mentioned in these recipes can be found at a local Indian grocery store. I have been able to find all of these at Bazaar in Vallejo, 644-1294.