Kaddu ki sabzi with poori
North India's sweet and sour pumpkin (khatta meetha kaddu): red pumpkin tempered with methi and saunf in mustard oil, cooked soft and finished with amchur and jaggery. It goes with poori, on Sundays, at festivals and in some homes on fasting days. A Jain home makes it the same way, just without the ginger.
- 55 minTime
- 50 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 11 gprotein per portion
- 600kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 750 gPumpkin, red pumpkin, peeled, in 2 cm cubes
- 2 tbspMustard oil
- 3 mlFenugreek seeds
- 1 tspFennel seeds
- 1 mlHing (asafoetida)
- 15 gGinger, grated
- 2Green chillies, chopped
- 3 mlTurmeric
- 3 mlRed chilli powder
- 2 tspCoriander powder
- to tasteSalt
- 1 tspAmchur
- 1 ½ tbspJaggery, grated, or sugar
- 10 gCoriander leaves, chopped
On the side
- 300 gAtta
- 2 tbspSooji (rava)
- 1 tbspRefined oil, for the dough
- ≈ 150 mlWater, for the dough
- 5 tbspRefined oil, for deep-frying (what the pooris soak up)
Method
- Mix the atta, sooji, a pinch of salt and the oil for the dough. Add the water a little at a time and knead into a stiff, smooth dough. Cover.
- Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
- Peel the pumpkin and cut it into 2 cm cubes.
- Heat the mustard oil in a kadai until it just smokes, then let it cool a little. Add the fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, hing, ginger and green chillies and fry for a few seconds. Add the pumpkin, turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt and toss well.
- Cover and cook on a low flame for 12–15 minutes until the pumpkin is soft, stirring now and then and sprinkling in a little water if it sticks.
- Make the pooris: divide the dough into 16 balls and roll them into 10 cm rounds. Heat plenty of oil in a kadai and fry them one at a time, pressing gently with a slotted spoon so they puff up; flip and lift out when both sides are light golden.
- Mash the pumpkin lightly with the ladle, stir in the amchur and jaggery and cook for 2–3 minutes until glossy. Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve with the hot pooris.
