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Ambal
Sweet and sour pumpkin
अम्बल: Dogra sweet-sour pumpkin with tamarind, jaggery, fennel and fenugreek seeds
Ambal belongs to the Dogra dham of Jammu, the feast cooked by the hereditary siyan cooks for weddings and festivals and served on leaf plates in a fixed order. Yellow pumpkin is softened with fenugreek seeds and fennel, then simmered in a dark tamarind and jaggery sauce until it is sticky, sour and sweet at once, which is what the name, from 'amla' for sour, promises. It is eaten with rice alongside the dham's dals and madra. The common mistake is stirring hard once the pumpkin is soft, which turns it to mush; shake the pan instead. Chef's tip: let it rest an hour before serving, as the tamarind settles and the flavour deepens.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the ambal
- 1 ½ lb yellow pumpkinpeeled and cut into 3 cm chunks
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 pinch gluten-free asafoetida (hing)
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ½ tsp ground fennel
- 3 tbsp tamarind pulpthick
- 2 ⅛ oz jaggerygrated
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tsp salt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil in a wide pan until it smokes, then lower the heat. Add ½ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi dana) and 1 tsp fennel seeds and fry 20–30 seconds until the fenugreek turns reddish-brown, not black. Add 1 pinch gluten-free asafoetida (hing) and 2 dried red chillies.
2 minStep 2: Add 1 ½ lb yellow pumpkin, ½ tsp ground turmeric and 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, toss to coat and cook covered on low for 10–12 minutes, shaking the pan, until the pumpkin is half soft.
12 minStep 3: Stir in 1 ½ tsp ground fennel and ½ tsp ground dry ginger (sonth), then add 3 tbsp tamarind pulp, 2 ⅛ oz jaggery, ¾ cup water and 1 tsp salt.
2 minStep 4: Simmer uncovered for 10–12 minutes, shaking rather than stirring, until the pumpkin is tender but holding its shape and the sauce is thick and glossy.
12 minStep 5: Taste and balance: it should be clearly sour-sweet. Serve warm or at room temperature with rice.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ambal take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of fenugreek seeds (methi dana)?
- Leave them out, or add a little extra mustard seed (you lose the slightly bitter, maple-like note).
- What can I use instead of fennel seeds?
- Aniseeds, same amount (a stronger liquorice taste).
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