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Khatta Meetha Petha

July 6, 2015 By Praerna Kartha

Food-Dee-Dum-Khatta-Meetha-Petha-Recipe-12Sweet, sour and spiced yellow pumpkin sabzi

Unlike many of my friends and absolutely unlike my darling husband, I have a great love for vegetables. Most people don’t understand what I mean when I say I am a preferred-vegetarian. I think that’s just my warped way of saying that I love my veggies. If I don’t get to eat meat or fish for days on end, I could definitely live with it. But if I had to go for 2 consecutive days without vegetables (and I don’t mean potatoes and onions), I would lose my mind. I don’t care what form I have them in — cooked sabzi, raw salad, steamed crunchy sticks. Anything. As long as I can have some. I’m one of those weirdos who absolutely luuuuuuurves her ghiya-tori-tinda-baingan-karela and any other yucky ones you can think of! But for the longest time, I didn’t learn how to cook basic Indian veggies. 

Food-Dee-Dum-Khatta-Meetha-Petha-Recipe-11Growing up in my mom’s house, I was almost always in charge of appetizers, salad and dessert every time she hosted a dinner. Which was pretty often. And I revelled in the compliments dished out by her guests, having the best time showing off. As a result, I never paid attention to the basics I loved – simple sabzis to enjoyed with dal and roti. Everyday North Indian fare. But once I got married and ran my own kitchen, the more chicken I had to cook for AK, the more I craved veggies every day. Now, even though I have learned to cook so many of them, I still think my mom makes each one of them better. But don’t we all?

This sweet and sour petha has been adapted from her basic recipe, where I’ve added a little extra flavour and heat using saunf (fennel seeds) and kali mirch (black pepper).

In a hurry? Skip straight to the printable recipe.

Here’s what I used for 2-3 servings:

1 small-size petha (yellow pumpkin) ~800 grams
3 – 4 green chillies, chopped
1 teaspoon saunf (fennel seeds)
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste
1 heaped teaspoon amchur (dried raw mango powder)
half a bunch of fresh dhaniya (cilantro leaves), finely chopped

Here’s how I made it:

First, I peeled, de-seeded and diced the pumpkin into 1/2″ cubes.

Food-Dee-Dum-Khatta-Meetha-Petha-Recipe-15

Food-Dee-Dum-Khatta-Meetha-Petha-Recipe-3In a kadhai (you can also use a wok/skillet), I dry-roasted the saunf and whole peppercorns on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and a shade or two darker.

Food-Dee-Dum-Khatta-Meetha-Petha-Recipe-4Transferring these to a mortar-pestle, I set it aside and allowed it to cool. In the same kadhai, I heated up the oil on high flame and added the diced pumpkin to it, stir frying it for about 2 minutes.

Food-Dee-Dum-Khatta-Meetha-Petha-Recipe-5Adding salt, sugar and the chopped green chillies, I gave it a good stir and let it cook for another minute or until the pumpkin started to soften.

Food-Dee-Dum-Khatta-Meetha-Petha-Recipe-16I covered the kadhai with a lid and lowered the heat all the way, allowing it to cook until the pumpkin was cooked through. About 5-7 minutes. In the meanwhile, I pounded the saunf-pepper into a coarse powder.

Food-Dee-Dum-Khatta-Meetha-Petha-Recipe-9Lifting the lid of the kadhai, I added the spice mix and amchur, giving it a good stir. I tasted it and adjusted the seasoning, allowing it to cook for another minute to allow all the flavours to meld.

Food-Dee-Dum-Khatta-Meetha-Petha-Recipe-10Taking it off the heat, I tossed in the chopped coriander before serving the sabzi with fresh phulkas, raita and onion salad.

Food-Dee-Dum-Khatta-Meetha-Petha-Recipe-11

Food-Dee-Dum-Khatta-Meetha-Petha-Recipe-14That’s it. Quick and easy, right?

Food-Dee-Dum-Khatta-Meetha-Petha-Recipe-12


[wpanchor id=”petha-recipe”]RECIPE TO MAKE KHATTA MEETHA PETHA

Khatta Meetha Petha
 
Save Print
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
15 mins
Total time
25 mins
 
A quick and easy dry vegetable preparation for the summer, perfect for a weekday meal.
Author: Praerna Kartha
Recipe type: Dry Vegetable Sabzi
Cuisine: Indian
Yield: Serves 2-3
Ingredients
  • 1 small-size petha (yellow pumpkin) ~800 grams
  • 3 - 4 green chillies
  • 1 teaspoon saunf (fennel seeds)
  • ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • salt to taste
  • 1 heaped teaspoon amchur (dried raw mango powder)
  • half a bunch of fresh dhaniya (cilantro leaves), finely chopped
Instructions
  1. Peel, de-seed and cut the pumpkin into cubes of approximately ½ inch.
  2. Chop the green chillies and keep aside.
  3. In a kadhai, toast the fennel seeds and pepper on medium heat until fragrant and a few shades darker, approximately 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep aside to cool.
  4. Heat oil in the same kadhai and add the pumpkin to it, cooking it on high heat for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
  5. Reduce the heat to low, add sugar, salt and green chillies and stir well. Cover and cook until the pumpkin has softened and almost cooked all the way through, about 5-7 minutes.
  6. In the meanwhile, pound the fennel and pepper to a powder using a mortar-pestle.
  7. Remove the lid of the kadhai and add the spice mix and the amchur. Stir, check for salt and adjust if required.
  8. Remove from heat and serve, garnished with fresh chopped dhaniya, accompanied by phulkas and raita.
Notes
Equipment: Kadhai, Mortar Pestle
3.3.3077

This recipe has also been featured in Archana’s Kitchen.

Filed Under: All Recipes, Dry Vegetable Sabzis, Everyday Home, Indian, Main Course, Quick & Easy, Vegetables Tagged With: Dry Vegetable Sabzi, Everyday Food, Light Cooking, Simple North Indian

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