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Handiہانڈیاردو
Sabzi (vegetables)

Khatta Meetha Kaddu Recipe

کھٹا میٹھا کدو بنانے کا طریقہ

Khatta meetha kaddu: orange pumpkin cooked soft with fenugreek seeds and kalonji, balanced with jaggery and tamarind for a sweet, sour and gently spiced sabzi.
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Illustration of Khatta Meetha Kaddu

Prep

15 min

Cook

30 min

Total

45 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Spice

Mild

Sweet orange pumpkin is cooked this way in many Urdu-speaking and Punjabi homes: tempered with methi dana, kalonji and fennel, mashed lightly as it softens, then balanced with jaggery and tamarind. The seeds in the tarka give it a pickle-like aroma that keeps the sweetness from being cloying. It is a side dish, best next to daal, puri or a plain salan.

Ingredients

4 servings

For 4 servings

Measures

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a heavy pan on medium heat. Add the fenugreek seeds, kalonji, fennel and dried red chillies and fry until the fenugreek turns light brown. Do not let it go dark or it turns bitter.

    ⏱ 1 min

  2. Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir for 30 seconds, then add the pumpkin, salt, red chilli, turmeric and coriander powder. Toss to coat.

  3. Add the water, cover and cook on low heat, stirring now and then, until the pumpkin is completely soft.

    ⏱ 15 min

  4. Mash about half the pumpkin with the back of the spoon, leaving the rest in pieces. Stir in the jaggery and tamarind pulp.

  5. Cook uncovered on medium heat, stirring, until the jaggery melts, the mixture thickens and the oil shows at the edges. Taste and adjust the sweet and sour balance.

    ⏱ 7 min

  6. Scatter the coriander and serve warm.

Tips for the best result

  • No tamarind? Use 1 teaspoon of amchur or a tablespoon of lemon juice instead.
  • Deep orange, dense pumpkin cooks into a thick, sweet sabzi. Pale, watery pumpkin needs longer uncovered at the end.

Common mistakes

  • Burning the fenugreek seeds. Even a few seconds too long makes the whole dish bitter.
  • Adding the tamarind too early. Acid slows the softening; add it once the pumpkin is cooked.

How to serve

Serve as a side with puri, roti or daal and rice.

Storing and reheating

Keeps 3 days in the fridge. Good warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories
220kcal
Protein
3g
Fat
14g
Carbs
25g
Fibre
2.2g
Sodium
590mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 12

Whole dish ≈ Rs 46 · 10% of ingredients by weight priced

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Khatta Meetha Kaddu: questions people ask

Which kaddu is used for khatta meetha kaddu?

The orange halwa kaddu (pumpkin), not the green lauki. Lauki is too watery and mild for this dish.

Should I peel the pumpkin?

Peel tough-skinned pumpkin. Some cooks leave the skin on young pumpkin for texture; it softens enough after 15 minutes of cooking.

Serve it with, and similar recipes

All sabzi recipes

Read this recipe in Urdu: کھٹا میٹھا کدو بنانے کا طریقہ

https://handi.danixsoft.com/recipes/khatta-meetha-kaddu · Handi, DanixSoft