Ambal | Ambal Recipe | Khatta Meetha Kaddu | Sweet and Sour Pumpkin

15 Oct Ambal | Ambal Recipe | Khatta Meetha Kaddu | Sweet and Sour Pumpkin

Last Updated on November 13, 2025 by blessmyfoodbypayal

Ambal | Ambal Recipe | Khatta Meetha Kaddu | Sweet and Sour Pumpkin recipe with step wise pictorial and video method.

Ambal is one of the most loved cuisine from Jammu region of J&K State (India).

Dogri is the language of Jammu and this is the reason this mouth watering dish is also named as Dogri Ambal.

Ambal has a traditional recognition especially during the weddings in Jammu.

There’s a ritual of “Saant” performed on the afternoon of the day when the wedding ceremony is going to be solemnized in the evening and this takes place on both the sides, either it’s a bride side or of the groom’s.

After the Saant, there’s a lunch which has a fixed Menu and Ambal is an integral part of that. Either it’s a rich or poor or mediocre family, this menu is there for all.

The Saant lunch includes white rice, rajma &/or Chane ki Dal, Ambal and meethe chawal.

You may find many recipes of the same using much more ingredients but here we are sharing the strictly traditional recipe of Ambal.

So let us begin with the preparation of this appetizing sour and sweet unique dish from the land of Jammu.

STEP WISE PICTORIAL RECIPE OF AMBAL

MAKING OF TAMARIND PULP

Take a small bowl and add tamarind and water in it. Rub the tamarind well using your fingers to get the pulp extracted. Keep aside till needed.

MAKING OF AMBAL 

Scoop out the fleshy part from inside the pumpkin and cut the pumpkin into medium sized cubes. We kept the peel intact. (See notes below). Wash them and keep aside.

Take a Kadai and add mustard oil in it. Put it on flame and let the oil cook till it reaches smoking point and fumes starting coming out of it. Add bay leaf and fenugreek seeds and let them splutter for a while.

Add chillies and pumpkin. Add salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and sugar. Mix well.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low heat till the pumpkin is soft and tender. Do stir at intervals.

Add tamarind pulp through a sieve. Mix Well.

To make the gravy little thick, mash a single piece of pumpkin. You can mash more if you want it more thicker.

Cook for 2 minutes on medium to high flame.

Ambal is ready. Serve it with rice and Rajma or Chane ki Dal.

NOTES 

1. You can use luke to slightly hot water for soaking tamarind, especially during winters.
2. There’s a practice of cooking pumpkin, both with peels and without peels. If the skin is soft and thin, you can keep it on but if the skin of pumpkin has turned out to be hard and thick, better to discard it.
3. Pumpkin has lots of water in itself so no need to add additional water for cooking it. 
4. Pumpkin with skin on may take a bit longer to cook and in case, pumpkin begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, add a very little water. However such situation arises very rarely.

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• Easy Vegan Pumpkin cake
• kaddu ka halwa
• Vegan Pumpkin Dinner Rolls without thread
• Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe

AMBAL – RECIPE CARD

Ambal | Ambal Recipe | Khatta Meetha Kaddu | Sweet and Sour Pumpkin | Dogri Ambal Recipe

blessmyfoodbypayal

Made with pumpkin and tamarind as main ingredients, ambal is the one of the most loved cuisine from Jammu.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Dogri, Jammu

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

FOR MAKING TAMARIND PULP

• 1/2 cup /75 grams Tamarind / Imli
• 1 cup Water

FOR MAKING AMBAL

• 500 grams Pumpkin
• 1 tbsp Sugar (or jaggery/gud)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds / Methi Dana
• 3 chilies (mix of dry red & green chillies)
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Red chilli powder
• 2 tbsp Mustard oil
• Salt as per taste

Instructions

 

MAKING OF TAMARIND PULP

• Take a small bowl and add tamarind and water in it.
• Rub the tamarind well using your fingers to get the pulp extracted. Keep aside till needed.

MAKING OF AMBAL

• Scoop out the fleshy part from inside the pumpkin and cut the pumpkin into medium sized cubes. We kept the peel intact. (See notes below)
• Wash them and keep aside.
• Take a Kadai and add mustard oil in it. Put it on flame and let the oil cook till it reaches smoking point and fumes starting coming out of it.
• Add bay leaf and fenugreek seeds and let them splutter for a while.
• Add chillies and pumpkin.
• Add salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and sugar. Mix well.
• Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low heat till the pumpkin is soft and tender. Do stir at intervals.
• Add tamarind pulp through a sieve. Mix Well.
• To make the gravy little thick, mash a single piece of pumpkin. You can mash more if you want it more thicker.
• Cook for 2 minutes on medium to high flame.
• Ambal is ready. Serve it with rice and Rajma or Chane ki Dal.

Notes

1. You can use luke to slightly hot water for soaking tamarind, especially during winters.
2. There's a practice of cooking pumpkin, both with peels and without peels. If the skin is soft and thin, you can keep it on but if the skin of pumpkin has turned out to be hard and thick, better to discard it.
3. Pumpkin has lots of water in itself so no need to add additional water for cooking it.
4. Pumpkin with skin on may take a bit longer to cook and in case, pumpkin begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, add a very little water. However such situation arises very rarely.

Keyword jammu special ambal recipe, khatta meetha kaddu