I love pumpkin (called kaddu in Hindi) but the rest of my family is not a big fan of it. They love a hearty pumpkin soup, but not a pumpkin fry as a side to a meal. All of this changed when I made this simple pumpkin and tomato vegetable fry recipe.
Sweet and sour, this pumpkin fry recipe was an instant hit and was quickly scooped up with parathas and finished. The recipe came to me entirely by experimentation. Some friends had dropped by in the evening for a couple of drinks and just happened to stay back for dinner. All I had were some potatoes, onions and tomatoes and a big pumpkin.
I threw some potatoes in the oven to make buttery potato bake as an appetiser and decided to make a simple kaddu ki sabzi (pumpkin fry) to serve with some paratha and raita.
This kaddu ki sabzi turned out to be a delightful surprise. It has become my husband’s favourite and every couple of weeks or so if I haven’t made pumpkin fry, he will surely remind me “It’s been sometime since you made kaddu.”
The recipe is very simple with just pumpkin and tomatoes as the main ingredients. The sweet pumpkins pair perfectly with sour tomatoes. Fresh curry leaves and the Indian spices add an earthy taste. If you like this recipe, please take a moment to rate it below and/or leave a comment after the post. It will really encourage me.
Kaddu ki Sabzi (Indian style pumpkin fry)
Ingredients (1cup = 240ml; 1tbsp = 15ml; 1tsp = 5ml)
- 250 g pumpkin peeled and cut into bite sized cubes
- 300 g tomato puree (of about 6 medium sized tomatoes)
- 4-5 curry leaves
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp red chilly powder (optional)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- Salt , to taste
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
for garnish
- 7-8 sprigs fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom pan, heat oil on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add asafoetida and cumin seeds.
- When the seeds start to sputter, add curry leaves. Sauté till the curry leaves become crisp.
- Add the tomato puree and all the powdered spices except garam masala powder. Mix well and cook covered for a couple of minutes.
- Add the pumpkin pieces. Mix well so that all of the pumpkin is coated in the tomato mix.
- Cook covered, with in-between stirring, for about 10 minutes till the pumpkin has softened. If the preparation is very dry and is sticking to the pot, add just a little dash of water in between.
- Add garam masala powder, mix well and keep it covered for a minute.
- Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with parathas.
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I tried this. Its really good. More so when I used the pumpkin harvested in my own backyard
That’s the best! 🙂 Pumpkins from your own backyard must be the sweetest of them all!
I am so glad you liked the recipe, thank you for sharing! would love to see a pic of those pumpkins 🙂
I really loved this. So simple to make n delicious. Thanks for posting.
Thank you for sharing your feedback, Ginza! I am so glad this kaddu ki sabzi recipe found it’s way in your kitchen and that you liked it!! I really love that 🙂
Simple and easy and lovely came out very well
Thanks, Robert
I am so glad to hear your feedback! 🙂 Happy that you liked it!