Pumpkins remind you of Halloween. Bright, beautiful, yellowish-orange shade. They are all over the place. Famous all across the world. Trick and treat, anyone? The West uses them in golden hued pumpkin soup , pies and scones. However, in India, we use it to make sweet kaddu ka halwa and tangy pumpkin curry. Also known as 'kashiphal ki khatti meethi sabji'. It tastes great with any flatbread like poori, paratha or luchi.
Uttar Pradesh and variety of cuisine
This Indian pumpkin curry is quite popular in plains especially Uttar Pradesh. You will see many stalls selling this kaddu ki sabzi with fried 'kachori' for breakfast along with hot cuppa tea.You cannot miss it if you happen to be in the gullies of Benaras.Kashi and Mathura have always been a center for vegetarian fare. Banaras or Kashi for its Thandai,Kachori and sabji. Mathura for its milk based sweets while Agra for Petha ,dal moth and Lucknow for its meat and Biryani . A single state yet so many diverse cuisines.
Why the humble pumpkin?
This easy pumpkin curry has a great taste and very little calories. It tastes great with fried flat bread. We call it 'Poori' or 'Kachori'.
You can find pumpkins in all seasons.
Hence, it is available almost all round the year. Cooks really fast and has a slightly sweet taste.
Pumpkins are wholesome. They are cheaper and needs less spices to cook. This makes it a sweet and spicy, tangy curry, easy to cook. You also need very little oil to cook it.
Benefits of pumpkin
- Rich in Vitamin A and boosts immunity.
- Rich in antioxidants.
- Promotes weight-loss.
- Protects eye-sight.
- Aids digestion as it has good amount of fiber.
Ingredients of the curry:
How to make pumpkin curry?
- Steam the pumpkin pieces for 8-10 mins. Keep it aside.
- In a pan, add ghee/oil and temper cumin, ginger and chilli. Once it splutter add peanuts, cook until rawness disappears.
- Add the steamed pumpkin pieces followed by salt, dried mango powder/amchur and sugar. Cook for 5-7 mins.
Read the tangy pumpkin curry recipe below:
Tangy pumpkin curry
Ingredients
- ½ kg yellow pumpkin
- 2 tablespoon clarified butter or 'ghee'/Use any oil if you want to make it vegan
- 1 small piece of ginger chopped
- 1 small green chilly chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds/ Jeera
- ¼ cup groundnut crushed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon amchur/dry mango powder
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Dice the pumpkin into small pieces and steam it for 8-10 minutes.
- Crush the groundnuts coarsely in a food processor or roughly using a knife
- In a pan, heat the ghee and add the cumin seeds,ginger,chillies to it.
- Once the cumin seeds splutter, add the crushed groundnuts, toast it for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the diced pumpkin to it followed by salt,sugar and amchur.
- Let it cook for 5-7 minutes,mix the pumpkin slowly else the pieces will break
- Turn off the heat , serve warm
Notes
You can also use oil instead of ghee.
Add some 'amchur' or dried mango powder/few drops of lemon juice if you want to add sourness to it after curry is done.
You can also add teaspoon ground 'saunf' /powdered fennel seeds to improve the flavor.
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