100% Original Bengali Kumro Torkari or paka kumro’r chechki is a pumpkin stirfry recipe made with just 4 ingredients. Paka kumro or pumpkin, mustard seeds, hing, and green chillies, that’s all you need for this easy and simple kumro’r torkari.
This kumror chechki is typically served with luchi or porota (paratha) for breakfast or quick evening snacks. What’s interesting about this pumpkin sabji is that it comes together in absolutely no time.

The original Bengali Niramish Kumro Chechki recipe that you need.
Only God knows how much I have been craving this traditional Bengali dish of kumro or pumpkin, which is so popular among the Bengalis. But it is very hard to find the perfect original recipe of Kumro’r Chechki, let alone Bengali niramish ranna recipes (Bengali vegetarian recipes). I think this was one of the major reasons why I started this blog in the first place.
Chechki is the Bengali term for stir-fry! Vegetables cut into matchstick shape are stir-fried with a simple tempering of kalo jeere or nigella seeds, kacha lonka or green chillies, and hing. It just can’t get any easier. Bengali cooking, especially Bengali niramish ranna is all about its simplicity. It’s always one or two spices that add flavour to the dish, and that’s it.
Kumror chechki recipe ingredients
- 250 gms. Ripened pumpkin, cut in julienne or matchstick
- 1 tablespoon Mustard Oil
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
- A pinch of Hing or Asafoetida
- 2 Green Chillies – slit or sliced
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 2 tsp Sugar
Instructions for kumro’r torkari
- Heat the 1 tbsp mustard oil in a pan. Let it heat up to the smoking point, then lower the heat.
- Now, add the 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, A pinch of Hing or Asafoetida, and 2 green chillies, slit or sliced
- As they splatter, add the 250 gms. ripened pumpkin—cut into julienne and mix everything well. Keep the heat on medium-high.
- Add salt to taste, 1 tsp turmeric powder, and 2 tsp sugar. Give everything a nice stir, and cover the pan with a lid. Let it simmer on low-medium heat for 4-5 minutes, giving a gentle stir every 2 minutes.
Here, we are looking for uniform cooking but without making the pumpkins a mishmash, as it is a very soft veggie. It would start separating some water, so let it cook in it only. Sometimes, raw pumpkins tend to turn out a little dry due to the summer’s heat. In that case, they might not leave any water in the pan. So, you may add a tablespoon or two of water to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Take care not to add too much of it, because all we are looking for is to get it a little tender in its juice. - Once you feel the pumpkins are cooked, remove the lid and bump up the heat to medium-high. Fry it till it starts separating oil. Once done, take it off the heat and serve hot.
Serving suggestions
This kumror chechki is best enjoyed with phulko luchi or Bengali tinkona porota (paratha).
More kumro recipes
Ready to cook? Pin this recipe, share it with friends, and explore more Bengali classics on our blog. Happy cooking!
Follow me or Subscribe to my Channel
Bengali Kumro Chechki or Stir-fried Pumpkin Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 gms. Ripened Pumpkin – cut in julienne
- 1 tbsp Mustard Oil
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
- A pinch of Hing or Asafoetida
- 2 Green Chillies – slit or sliced
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 2 tsp Sugar
Instructions
- Heat the 1 tbsp Mustard Oil in a pan. Let it heat up to the smoking point, then lower the heat.1 tbsp Mustard Oil
- Now, add the 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds, A pinch of Hing or Asafoetida, and 2 Green Chillies – slit or sliced1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds, A pinch of Hing or Asafoetida, 2 Green Chillies – slit or sliced
- As they splatter, add the 250 gms. Ripened Pumpkin – cut in julienne and mix everything well. Keep the heat on medium-high.250 gms. Ripened Pumpkin – cut in julienne
- Add Salt to taste, 1 tsp Turmeric Powder and 2 tsp Sugar. Give everything a nice stir, and cover the pan with a lid. Let it simmer on low-medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Give everything a gentle stir at every 2 minutes interval. Here, we are looking for a uniform cooking but without making the pumpkins a mishmash, as it is a very soft veggie. It would start separating some water, so let it cook in it only. Sometimes, raw pumpkins tend to turn out a little dried due to summer's heat. In that case, they might not leave any water in the pan. So, you may add a tablespoon or two of water to prevent it from sticking at the bottom of the pan. Take care not to add excess of it, because all we are looking for is to get it a little tender in its own juice.Salt to taste, 1 tsp Turmeric Powder, 2 tsp Sugar
- Once, the you feel the pumpkins are cooked, remove the lid and bump up the heat to medium-high. Fry it till it starts separating oil. Once done, take it off the heat and serve hot.
This post was first published on December 13, 2019, and later republished with a more elaborate description of the recipe.
Leave a Reply