Zero-Waste Butternut Squash Peel Chutney
I grew up in a home where we never wasted food. My parents instilled the habit of serving only what we needed, to our meal plates. We could help ourselves to seconds only after we finished the first serving. I’ve carried this habit into my adulthood. Any excess food is either distributed to friends or family, or frozen for later use.
A few years after I was married, my mother-in-law came to visit us. I was so thrilled to see that she was even more of a zero-waster than my mom was! She even used the peels of vegetables that we normally discard, to make delicious dishes. One such dish was this mouth-watering butternut squash peel chutney.
This recipe is a tribute to my mother-in-law – she was a wonderful cook, a mom that raised 6 wonderful humans (so glad I got to keep one of them!). Her kids talk about all the delicious dishes she used to churn out for her huge family, including unexpected guests, without a murmur. How I wish I had that equanimity to host impromptu mass meals!
Not a Single Recipe on Google!
When I randomly Googled “Butternut Squash Peel Chutney”, not a single recipe came up. Wow! My MIL spoke Tulu (her mother-tongue) as fluently as Malayalam (the language she grew up with). This recipe is either from Kerala or from South Kanara in Karnataka. It still beats me on why no one has made this dish thus far and blogged about it. I see plenty of ridge gourd (heerekai) sippae (peel) chutney recipes, but none for today’s protagonist. Here’s the very first tribute to the delicious butternut squash peel!
The recipe is quite simple. Buy a firm butternut squash. Cut the ends. Peel the peel (sippae). Save the peel for this chutney and use the rest of the squash to make this delicious Roasted Butternut Squash & Black-Eyed Peas Soup. One vegetable will yield two lip-smacking recipes. What a deal!
Butternut Squash Sippae Chutney
Chutney Recipes
Chutneys are versatile. You can smear them on tacos, on toast or eat them with rice or roti. They also work great as a side, with almost any Indian meal. Check out some of our favs:
- Yellow Mung Raw Onion Chutney
- Cranberry Chutney with a South Indian Twist
- Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Chutney
- Tomato Chutney
- Raw Mango Fenugreek Salsa
- Ridge Gourd Chutney
- Malabar Spinach Chutney
- Coconut Tomato Chutney
- Coconut Chutney
- Fresh Vegetarian Italian Basil Pesto
- Superfood Moringa Leaf Chutney
- Raw Green Tomato Chutney
- Flavorful Cilantro Mint Chutney
- Smoky Eggplant Chutney
Zero-Waste Recipes
Do you love not wasting edible parts of plants or let food go into the trash? We do too. Look at these recipes…
- Yard-to-Table Beet Leaf Thoran
- Beets (Root & Greens) Palya
- Banana Stem Curry
- Banana Flower Curry
- Dehydrated Apples
- Uma’s Veggie Medley Soup
- Banana Avocado Smoothie
- Zucchini Banana Bread
Peels or skins of fruits and vegetables are often the most colorful part. Colorful peels can be a concentrated source of potentially beneficial phytochemicals. Vegetable peels or skins are particularly good sources of insoluble fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Butternut squash is rich in important vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting antioxidants. This low-calorie, fiber-rich winter squash may help in weight management and protect against conditions like cancer, heart disease, and mental decline.
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Zero-Waste Butternut Squash Sippae (Peel) Chutney
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Butternut Squash Peel - Tightly packed
- 1 Teaspoon Tamarind
- 2 Teaspoon Urad dal
- 2 Sprigs Curry Leaves
- 3 Dry Red Chili - Or to taste
- 1/4 Teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt - Or to taste
Tempering:
- 1 Teaspoon Coconut Oil
- 1/2 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 Dry Red Chili - Or to taste
Instructions
- Wash butternut squash and remove the peel. Use the squash to make this delicious Butternut Squash Black-eyed Pea Soup.
- Cut the peel into 1" pieces. Add it to a thick bottomed vessel. Add washed and cleaned whole tamarind.
- Cook peel and tamarind on stove top with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir once in a while until the peel is cooked. About 5-7 minutes. If the water evaporates, add a little more water.
- In a pan, dry roast urad dal, hing (asafetida), dry red chili and curry leaves on medium flame until the urad dal turns light brown.
- Dry grind the above masala in a blender.
- Add the cooked peel+tamarind mix into the blender. Add salt. Blend on high speed (add a little water if the mix is too dry), until everything is smooth.
Tempering
- Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. Add dry red chili and roast for 30 seconds. Add tempering to the chutney, mix well.
Mals, I made this with home grown squash peel instead over the weekend to have with Adai, came out wonderfully! Thanks for posting such creative and quick-to-make recipes! Very interesting content and info (in addition to lovely pics) everywhere on your website as well! Its been great fun and informative to read.
Wow! I love the yard-to-table concept. I am sure it tasted even better, with the just-harvested squash. Kudos to gardening and reducing carbon footprint!