Kaddu ka Ambal , Kashmiri Sweet and Sour Pumpkin

Kaddu ka Ambal- sweet and sour yellow pumpkin curry from Jammu and Kashmir .

Kaddu ka ambal is a very popular recipe from Dogra Cuisine of Jammu Kashmir region. It is a simple tangy curry made with minimum ingredients easily avalable at home. Ambal is basically a sweet and sour curry made with the use of jaggary and tamarind . Ambal can be made with different vegetables but the most popular is – Kaddu ka ambal.

This kaddu ka ambal recipe is quite similar to the Khatta Meetha Kaddu recipe which is popular In North India ,but here we use raw mango and sugar and in ambal tamarind and jaggary is used which taste slightly different . Ambal is cooked chunky and khatta meetha kaddu is quite mashed up curry.

Dhooni is often given to the prepared curry to give it a nice smoky flavour ,Though this is optional but I always prefer doing this and highly recommend it.

Yellow pumpkin is quite blend in taste so  not much prefered by many people but there are so many recipe s which you can try with pumpkin. I have also posted few which you can try-  Pumpkin ka Raita , Pumpkin Masala Poori , Pumpkin Fritters.

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Kaddu ka Ambal, Kashmiri Ambal

Kaddu ka Ambal- sweet and sour yellow pumpkin curry from Jammu and Kashmir .

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Kashmiri cuisine

Servings: 4 person

Ingredients

• 500 gms Yellow Pumpkin /kaddu/kashiphal
• 3 Whole red chilies
• 3.5 tbsp Mustard Oil / Sarso ka tel
• 1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds / Methidana
• 2.5 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp Red Chilli powder / Laal mirch powder
• 2.5 tbsp Jaggary / Gud *
• 2 Green Chillies / Hari Mirch slit
• 3 tbsp Water / Paani
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder / Haldi Powder
• to taste Salt / Namak

Instructions

• Wash and peel pumpkin and chop into medium size pieces.
• Heat mustard oil in a heavy bootom pan till it start to smoke.
• Let it cool down a bit then add the fenugreek seeds .
• Now add the dried red chili pieces and give a stir.
• Now add turmeric, chopped green chilies and pumpkin pieces and saute for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
• Now add salt and 1/2 cup water , cover the pan and cook on low heat.
• When the pumpkin is almost done then add the jaggary and the tamarind paste and stir gently.
• Cook till it start boiling and the water evaporates .Don't mash the pumpkin pieces ,as this should be a chunky curry.
• Giving Dhooni - Burn a coal on direct flame it it turn red. Now take a small bowl and put on the cooked curry and then keep the coal in that bowl and put 1/2 tsp ghee over the coal.Now cover the pan with a lid for about 5 minutes so that the curry absorb the smoky flavour. After 5 minutes remove the bowl and discard the coal.(giving dhooni is optional)
• Serve the pumpkin curry with steamed rice, meethe chawal or any Indian bread of your choice.