As the name suggests, this chutney's key ingredient is the innards of the pumpkin, the web-like matter at the core that is always tossed out, which houses the seeds. It's a family favorite, and the recipe traces its origin to my great-grandmother who christened it with an equally bizarre Halloween-esque name: She called it 'Yaana Thalai' (which translates to elephant's head in Tamil) chutney. The reason why she called it that was apparently her grandkids (my dad included) would easily polish off a whole elephant head's worth in volume of the dish. <br /> <br />Crazy monikers aside, this is a standard favorite at home, eaten with hot plain rice or slathered on a warm roti (or even a slice of toast). <br /> <br />Some pumpkins have a better supply of the 'brain' than others. I find that cheese pumpkins and calabaza squashes have a meatier webbing that yields more of the key ingredient for the chutney.

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