Ambal (sweet and sour pumpkin)
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Pumpkin cooked with tamarind and jaggery into a sweet-sour dish, a must at the Dogra dham feast.
Region: Jammu regionOccasion: Dham (community feast) at weddings and festivalsTime: 40 minServes: 6Vegan
Ingredients
- 750 g yellow pumpkin, peeled and cubed
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- A pinch of hing
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 3 tbsp tamarind pulp
- ¾ cup grated jaggery
- Salt to taste
Method
- Heat the mustard oil and add fenugreek, fennel and hing.
- Add the pumpkin, turmeric, chilli powder and salt and stir well.
- Add ½ cup water, cover and cook until the pumpkin is soft.
- Add the tamarind pulp and jaggery, and mash the pumpkin lightly.
- Cook uncovered for 10 minutes until thick and glossy. Serve warm with rice.
History
The Dogra dham is a traditional feast cooked by expert cooks called siyans and served on leaf plates to guests seated in rows. Ambal is one of its fixed dishes.
Significance
No Dogra wedding dham is complete without ambal, whose sweet-sour taste is meant to balance the dals and rice of the meal.