Pumpkin Curry (Kashifal Ki Sabzi)

This kashifal, aka pumpkin curry or sauteed pumpkin, is a delicious Indian delicacy with a perfect blend of flavors. This simple dish with aromatic spices adds tons of flavor to the vegetable. Also, this pumpkin curry is vegan and gluten-free.

Pumpkin, known as Kashifal, is a typical dish in North India. It is widely used in almost all regional cuisines. Internationally, this vegetable is loved very much. It has a mild sweetness in its flavor profile. This versatile vegetable is used to make savory and sweet dishes. However, it can be mixed with other vegetables, e.g., vegetables and sambar.

If you like pumpkins, you must also try this creamy pumpkin soup.

Pumpkin Pie is one of the most popular dishes in Western countries. Fall is the season when the market is flooded with varieties of pumpkins. This is a versatile vegetable; almost all perennial plant parts are edible. Pureed pumpkin is also a good ingredient for making a thick curry base. It's an excellent food from a nutrition point of view and very pleasing to the taste buds.

Pumpkin Curry (Sauteed Pumpkin)

Well, this recipe has come straight from my mother-in-law's kitchen. Usually, we add dry mango powder or amchur to adjust the sweetness of pumpkin in this curry. However, in many places, they add jaggery to sweeten the dish. I'm not adding jaggery to the recipe below, but you can add it if you want a sweet and sour taste to your dish. Pumpkin itself is mildly sweet in flavor, so you can add or skip jaggery depending on your taste preference.

Ingredients You'll Need

Pumpkin - Fresh pumpkins

Onions - fresh white or red onion - substitute onion powder

Green chili - as per taste preference

Ginger - 1-inch ginger grated

Whole Spices - Cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, onion seeds (kalonji), dry red chilies, bay leaves

Ground spices - coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder (paprika), dry mango powder (amchur), salt to taste

Oil - Mustard oil makes the curry flavorful. However, you can also use any neutral vegetable refined oil.

Garnish - Fresh cilantro leaves, Green chilies

How to make Pumpkin curry, aka kashifal ki sabzi?

In a pan, heat some oil. Add all the spices mentioned in the ingredients list above and let them splutter for 5 - 10 seconds. Add chopped or grated ginger and green chilies and stir them quickly. Then add chopped onions and stir to mix. Saute for a minute, then add the diced pumpkin to the pan. Stir well once. Add all ground spices with a pinch of salt (*note). Cover with a lid and cook for 6 - 8 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.

If you want to add jaggery, add now and stir gently. Check for salt and add as per taste. Add a sprinkle of water if needed. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes on low flame. Turn off the heat. Add amchur or dry mango powder and cilantro leaves. Stir them gently. Cover the lid and let it rest for another 2 minutes before serving it.

Yummy pumpkin curry is ready to serve. Aamchur adds tanginess to the curry, while jaggery adds sweetness. Since we don't like it very sweet (pumpkin also has some natural sweetness in it), I don't usually add jaggery. But you can add some according to your taste preference.

Note - Don't add all salt at the beginning since the quantity of pumpkin will be reduced when cooked entirely. So add salt towards the end and as taste if required.

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