Kaddu ki sabzi (Pumpkin sabzi)
By Swasthi on August 29, 2022, Comments, Jump to Recipe
Kaddu ki sabzi is a delicious Indian dish made with pumpkin, spices and herbs. It is a very easy and simple to make dish & goes well as a side with rice, quinoa, roti, poori or even with bread. This recipe uses no fancy ingredients but is made with pantry staples. It just takes about 25 minutes if you have the cut pumpkin ready.
Pumpkins are loaded with nutrients & are available through out the year so we use them often at home. I usually buy the whole pumpkin and use it to make various dishes like this pumpkin halwa, kaddu ka kheer and this pumpkin curry which is a favorite at home.
This kaddu ki sabzi tastes mildly hot, spicy, flavorful and delicious. This dish is cooked on a low flame so pumpkin absorbs all of the flavors from the spices.
In India, kaddu ki sabzi is made in so many ways. It is one of those veggies which is most commonly eaten during the religious fastings so a lot of people don’t use onions, ginger or garlic to make this pumpkin sabzi.
However I make this not for any occasion but for our regular meals so I use onions and ginger. Sometimes I use only tomatoes instead of onions and sometimes I use both. It turns out great that way too. But cooking kaddu on a low heat is what makes this dish simply delicious.
How to make kaddu ki sabzi
1. Heat up a heavy bottom pan with oil. When the oil turns hot, add cumin seeds. The seeds will soon splutter, then add ginger and fry for 1 to 2 minutes till the raw smell goes off.
2. Add chopped onions or tomatoes and salt . Saute them well on a medium flame.
3. Saute until the onions turn golden. If using tomatoes, cover and cook till they break down and become mushy.
4. Add kaddu and then fry for about two to three minutes.
5. Add chili powder, garam masala and then turmeric.
6. Mix everything well and fry for another two to three minutes.
7. Cover and cook on a low flame till the pumpkin becomes tender. If the pumpkin dries out, then sprinkle water as needed and cook covered.
8. Taste test and add more salt if needed. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve pumpkin sabzi with roti, quinoa, rice or even with bread.
Related Recipes
Recipe card
Kaddu ki sabzi
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ginger (grated or crushed)
- 1¼ cup onions (fine chopped, optional, or ¾ cup tomatoes)
- 2 cups pumpkin (cubed to ¾ inch)
- ⅓ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves (fine chopped for garnish)
Instructions
- Add oil to a pan and heat it. Add cumin allow them to splutter.
- Add ginger and fry for 1 minute on a medium heat until it turns aromatic.
- Next add fine chopped onions (or tomatoes) and sprinkle salt.
- Saute until the onions turn golden. This takes some time but it is important to cook them until caramelized. (You may skip the onions and just add tomatoes. If so, then saute tomatoes for 2 mins and then cook them covered until soft and mushy).
- Add pumpkin and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle red chili powder, turmeric and garam masala
- Mix everything well and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes until the red chili losses its raw flavor.
- Cover and cook on a low flame, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- After a while, pumpkin begins to release moisture, if it doesn’t sprinkle little water as needed.
- When soft cooked, switch off the stove and garnish kaddu ki sabzi with chopped coriander leaves.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.
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This is an amazing recipe. I am going to try it with ginger replacing the garlic and tomatoes replacing the onions. Can you recommend any other vegan recipes that would fit the Buddhist no-onion-no-garlic diet?
Thanks Drew. Actually you can leave out onions in any recipe and cut down the tomatoes a bit or increase the spices to balance the tang. As such I don’t have a separate section for no-onion and no-garlic diet or vegan recipes. Here are my recommendations
Paneer Makhani (Use your choice of grilled veggies/tofu/tempeh (baked) in place of paneer, use oil)
Masoor dal
Dal Makhani (use vegan butter and skip onions, use ginger)
Matar Mushroom (leave out onions)
If you like some recipe, pls comment there I can help you with my suggestions on making it vegan & no onion garlic. Some recipes don’t work with substitutes & some with particular substitutes only. Hope this helps
Thanks, much appreciated
Hello. If I wanted to add curry leaves when would be the best time in the steps? Thanks
Hello,
Add them when the cumin seeds begin to sizzle.
Good morning.
I am just curious. Why in Indian pumpkin recipes, garlic is often omitted? I must agree the ginger and onion combination is really good, but still I wonder why not put some garlic too.
BTW, I love this very easy and delicious recipe. Thanking you as always as I cook in my kitchen. 😀
Hi Uma,
Yes you can add garlic too. In India, most times we make pumpkin during festive days. So it is made without garlic and even onions. However since I make it even on regular days I use onions. Go ahead and try it with garlic.
🙂
Good day Uma
Nice recipe.. I had white pumpkin too.. so can this recipe be used on white pumpkin?
Bhavana, I haven’t tried this with white pumpkin.
Simple recipe producing delicious results. We added fried cashew to complement it and it came out well.
Glad to know RN
Thanks for leaving a comment
Excellent, delicious recipe.
Thanks Arshi