Til Kumro or Pumpkin with sesame seeds is stir-fried pumpkin with toasted sesame seeds spiced up by red chillies and bright with freshly picked curry leaves. If you like pumpkin as much as I do, check out this super easy and savoury Indian pumpkin dish.
A delicious pumpkin stir fry Indian style, packed with toasted sesame seeds flavour and the natural sweetness of pumpkin. One of the simplest and most comforting Bengali pumpkin recipes you can make!
Pumpkin Health Benefits:
The nutritious orange vegetable has many health properties – it’s low in calories but rich in vitamins and minerals. It’s a good source of beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant that gives pumpkin its distinctive colour. Beta-carotene gets converted to vitamin A in our body once it’s consumed. Eating foods rich in beta-carotene helps protect against certain types of cancer, heart disease, asthma and delays aging. Vitamin A helps improve eyesight. So make sure you incorporate pumpkin into your diet.
Til Kumro Recipe:
If you love Bengali vegetarian recipes, this Til Kumro is a warm, nostalgic dish that tastes like home. Soft pumpkin cooked with grated ginger, aromatic curry leaves, chillies and a generous sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds creates a Bengali pumpkin stir fry that’s naturally sweet, lightly nutty, and incredibly satisfying.
Til Kumro, a mouthwatering Bengali pumpkin stir fry with sesame seeds, is a dish that perfectly embodies the rich culinary traditions of West Bengal. This simple yet flavorful recipe combines the natural sweetness of pumpkin with the nutty aroma of sesame seeds, creating a harmonious blend of tastes and textures.
Whether you’re searching for an easy pumpkin Indian recipe, a simple pumpkin sabzi recipe, or a traditional Bengali stir fry, this Kumro recipe is the quick weekday dish you’ll keep coming back to.
Kumro or pumpkin is a staple vegetable in the Bengali kitchen. Bengalis relish not just pumpkin but also pumpkin flowers (kumro phool) and the fresh tender leaves (kumro saag). Til kumror torkari made with simple ingredients is the perfect side dish to go with rice and lentils.
- Firstly, wash and peel the pumpkin with a sharp knife. Cut into small cubes. Keep aside.
- Heat a frying pan and dry roast the sesame seeds to a light brown. Remove into a bowl and keep aside.
- Put the pan back on the stove and heat oil. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chillies and asafoetida. Sauté for a few seconds.
- Add the ginger paste and sauté for 1/2 a minute for the raw smell to go.
- Toss in the pumpkin cubes and mix well with tempering.
- Add turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Combine all the ingredients together and cook covered on low-medium heat for about 10 minutes. Check the seasoning.
- Keep stirring every now and then to ensure the pumpkin pieces don’t burn.
- Once the pumpkin cubes are cooked through, sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish.
- Serve Til Kumro with hot rice and masur dal.
For more ways to include sesame in your diet, browse through the Sesame Seeds Recipes on my site, especially Roasted Sesame Pilaf Recipe.
Til Kumro Serving Suggestions:
- Steamed rice
- Roti or paratha
- As a side dish with dal and rice
Pumpkin Sabzi Variations
While the traditional Til Kumro recipe is delicious on its own, you can experiment with these variations:
- Add Protein: Include some lentils or chickpeas to make the dish more filling and protein-rich.
- Spice it Up: For a spicier version, add red chili powder or increase the number of green chilies.
- Vegetable Medley: Incorporate other vegetables like carrots or sweet potatoes for added nutrition and texture.
🔶 Tips for the Best Bengali Pumpkin Stir Fry
- Don’t skip roasting the sesame seeds—it boosts the flavour.
Add a splash of water only if the pumpkin isn’t releasing moisture.
For richer flavour, add ½ tsp ghee at the end.
For a no-onion, no-garlic meal, enjoy it with dal & hot rice.
⭐ You Might Also Love
- 🥬 Thotakura Fry (Andhra Amaranth Leaves Stir Fry) – A simple, earthy, and nutritious green stir fry that pairs beautifully with rice and dal.
- 🍜 Tofu Stir Fry – Quick & Protein-Packed – A bold, flavour-loaded stir fry perfect for weeknight dinners or meal prep.
- 🌿 Spinach Peas Sabzi (Palak Matar) – A wholesome, 15-minute sabzi with tender spinach and sweet green peas—light, healthy, and comforting.
Pumpkin With Sesame Seeds Recipe details below:
Til Kumro Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Pumpkin cubed
- 2 sprigs Curry leaves
- ½ tsp Mustard seeds
- 4 Dry red chillies
- ¼ Ginger paste
- ⅛ Asafoetida
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- ¾ tsp Salt
- ⅛ tsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds/White Til
- 1 tbsp Oil
Instructions
- Wash the pumpkin well and peel the skin. Cut the kumro into small cubes and set aside.
- Dry roast a tablespoon of sesame seeds on low heat till they get some colour on them. Transfer the roasted sesame seeds into a bowl and keep aside.
- In the same pan add 1 tbsp oil. Once the oil heats up, sizzle mustard seeds, fresh curry leaves, dry red chillies and hing. Sauté for a couple of seconds.
- Tip in the ginger paste and fry for half-minute.
- Put in the kumro pieces and mix them well with the tempering. Add salt, sugar, and turmeric powder. Mix everything together, cover with a lid and cook on a low-medium flame till done.
- Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds on top of the cooked pumpkin and remove from heat.
- Serve Pumpkin Stir Fry With Sesame Seeds as a side with white rice and dal or Roti.
👉 If you enjoyed this Bengali pumpkin recipe, don’t forget to share, comment, and follow for more authentic regional Indian dishes!
One thought on “Til Kumro – Bengali Pumpkin Stir Fry With Sesame Seeds”