Aloo Kaddu Sabzi
Aloo Kaddu Sabzi is a sweet, sour and spicy veggie gravy made with potatoes and yellow pumpkin which pairs very well with Puri or Luchi. If you are bored of the traditional Aloo sabzi as a side dish for Puri, you must definitely try this recipe. I am sure even the ones who are not a big fan of pumpkin or kaddu would love this.
Aloo Kaddu sabzi is done with numerous variations in various parts of India. For instance, the Bengali version is quite a simple, yet flavourful one which primarily makes use of the Panch phoron for tempering and excludes onion and garlic. The UP version is quite different and made in Bhandare or Halwai style which has a different set of spices altogether and is sweet, sour and spicy. The one made in Rajasthan has a dominant flavour of fennel seeds, asafoetida and amchur and typically made with ghee. In all, each of these sabzis taste great and unique in it’s own way.
While I am personally not a big fan of fusion food and do not like to modernize the traditional recipes, I sometimes try to mix some elements of different traditional recipes. The result can be sometimes not so good and sometimes quite pleasant and surprising.
I simply love the Bhandare wale aloo ki sabzi and is one of my personal favourite combination for Puri. At the same time, I love the simplicity and flavours of the Bengali version of Aloo Kaddu where Panch phoron elevates the taste to a next level. I also commonly like using onions in my gravies as it adds a unique sweetness and flavour to the dish. So when I decided to mix the goodness of all these elements to spin up my version of Aloo Kaddu Sabzi for my beloved Puris, the result was simply amazing!
So in this post, I am sharing the recipe of my fusion version Aloo Kaddu and you must try this once to believe how it could become an instant hit at your home.
Coming to the recipe, it is really quite simple and not that complicated, however I would like to call out some of the below key points which makes this recipe unique and delicious:
Panch Phoron: This is a five spice mix that is commonly used for tempering in Bengali and Oriya cuisine. This spice blend can be made easily at home by mixing equal amount of Nigella seeds, Cumin seeds, Fennel seeds, Radhuni and half the amount of Fenugreek seeds. If Radhuni is not available, you could replace it Mustard seeds. This spice mix is the most important element to the dish, so do not skip this ingredient.
Roasting Potatoes and Pumpkin: I like to initially roast the roughly diced potatoes and pumpkin in oil till they get a slight golden layer on top and keep them aside. Then I make the gravy with roasted onions (important to slow cook the onions till golden) and tomatoes and finally add the roasted veggies to the gravy to cook further. Trust me, this is really an important tip and enhances the flavours and taste of the veggies substantially as compared to cooking the veggies directly.
Sweet and Sour Elements: As I said earlier, this sabzi is a sweet, sour and spicy dish and this balance is quite important. For sourness, I use amchur or dry mango powder along with the tomatoes and for the added sweetness, a tiny amount of jaggery. Though the yellow pumpkin is sweet, but adding a small amount of jaggery enhances the sweet note in sabzi.
Kashmiri Red Chilli and Chilli Powder: The intense red colour that you see in the photos of this post is achieved with the help of Kashmiri red chilli powder. I used a generous amount of red chilli powder along with few whole Kashmiri red chillies to bring out the beautiful red colour and also the required heat. You could also use the regular red chilli powder, however the colour might not be that vibrant.
Serving Suggestion
This sabzi pairs best with Puri or Luchi. You can serve this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This sabzi can also be served with phulka or plain parathas and rice too.
Aloo Kaddu Sabzi
Ingredients
- 300 grams Yellow Pumpkin or Kaddu
- 3 Potatoes medium-sized
- 2 Onions thinly diced
- 2 Tomatoes
- 1½ tsp Panch Phoron
- 2 Whole Kashmiri Red chillies
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- ¼ tsp Asafoetida or Hing
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 3 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 2½ tsp Dhaniya or Coriander Powder
- 1½ tsp Amchur or Dry Mango Powder
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Jaggery
- 5 tbsp Oil
- Fresh Coriander finely chopped for garnishing
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Peel and chop the yellow pumpkin and potatoes in medium sized chunks.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a kadai and add the potatoes and roast on medium to high flame for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Next add the chopped pumpkin and roast further for 6 to 7 minutes or till a golden crackle starts appearing on the veggies.
- Transfer the roasted veggies to a plate. Scrape the golden crackle too and add to the veggies. It has great flavour.
- If you do not have panch phoron, you can make it easily by mixing equal amount of Nigella seeds or Kalonji, Fennel seeds or Saunf, Cumin seeds or Jeera, Radhuni (if not available use mustard seeds) and half the amount of fenugreek or methi seeds.
- Now heat 2 tablespoon of oil in same kadai and add the panch phoron mix and bay leaves. Let the panch phoron crackle, then add 2 whole Kashmiri red chillies, broken in half.
- Next add the diced onions and ginger garlic paste and mix well.
- Add little salt and cook on medium flame till the onions are golden in colour.
- Next add diced tomatoes and cook for couple of minutes.
- Add the dry spices including hing, turmeric powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, dhaniya powder, amchur powder and mix well.
- Add around half a cup of water and cover and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on medium flame till the oil separates.
- Now add the roasted pumpkin and potatoes and add salt as required. Add some water and cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or till the veggies are cooked, while stirring in between. The oil will start floating on top.
- Finally add jaggery, garam masala and finely chopped fresh coriander.
Notes
- Panch phoron is one of the most important ingredient for this recipe. This spice mix can be made as per the instructions given above and stored in a container.
- Roasting of the potatoes and pumpkin is an important step as it enhances the flavour and taste of veggies.
- This sabzi demands slightly more amount of oil as compared to other sabzi or gravies. If you like mustard oil, you can use the same for this recipe, or other oils like groundnut or sunflower oil works well too.
- This sabzi can also be made in no-onion and no-garlic version. Just skip the onions and ginger garlic paste and add ginger paste alone.
- Use of Kashmiri red chilli powder in this sabzi brings out a gorgeous colour.
- This sabzi tends to thicken on cooking and I prefer keeping it in semi-gravy consistency, however you can thin it using water as per your preference.
- Jaggery is optional. If you feel that the sweetness from pumpkin works enough, you can skip jaggery.
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