Kaddu ki Sabzi (Pumpkin Sabzi)

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 with rice, quinoa, roti, poori or even with bread. This kaddu recipe uses no fancy ingredients and 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 the amazing 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.

You can substitute pumpkin with Butternut squash.

Photo Guide

How to make Kaddu ki Sabzi (Stepwise Photos)

1. Heat a heavy bottom pan with 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil turns hot, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds. The seeds will soon splutter, reduce the heat to low and add 1 teaspoon grated or crushed ginger (or ginger garlic grated). Saute for 1 minute until it begins to smell good.

2. Add 1¼ cup chopped onions (1 medium onion) and ¼ teaspoon salt. If you don’t want to use onions, you can omit them.

3. Saute until the onions turn golden. Add ¾ cup chopped tomatoes if you want. I have not used here. Saute them well until soft and mushy.

4. Add 2 to 3 cups kaddu (chopped to ¾ inch pieces). Saute for about two to three minutes.

5. Add the following spices:

• ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (adjust to taste)
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala (adjust to taste)
• ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

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, sprinkle a few tablespoons water or as needed. I do not add any water.

8. Taste test and add more salt if needed. If you want you can add 1 teaspoon kasuri methi and 2 to 3 pinches of amchur (dried mango powder). I prefer to squeeze some lemon juice while serving, so leave out amchur. Garnish with 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves.

Serve pumpkin sabzi with roti, quinoa, rice or even with bread.

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