Muraba-E-Kadu (Pumpkin Jam)
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4 Ingredients
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105 min total
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Serves Makes about 3 jars
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Medium
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Afghan
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Miscellaneous
Recipe byThe ZestyPlate Kitchen
A fragrant Afghan pumpkin jam slow-cooked with orange juice, zest and cardamom into a glossy syrup. Sweet, citrusy and lovely on bread.
Muraba-e-kadu is a fragrant pumpkin preserve: soft cubes of pumpkin cooked down in a citrusy, cardamom-scented syrup that gets its brightness from orange. It is sweet and aromatic, and it sits happily on buttered bread or next to a wedge of cheese. Make a batch and you have a jar of warmth waiting on the shelf for months.
Jump to recipe
Prep 30 min
Cook 75 min
Total 105 min
Medium
Preparation
- Peel the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds from the centre.
- Cut the flesh into 2cm cubes.
- Pare the zest from the oranges, taking as little of the white pith as you can, and slice it into matchsticks.
- Squeeze the juice from the oranges. Split the cardamom pods, remove the seeds and set them aside.
- Put the pumpkin, orange juice, orange zest, sugar and cardamom seeds into a large pan, mix well, and leave to marinate for around 10 hours or overnight, giving it the occasional stir.
- Bring the mixture to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until the liquid has thickened to a syrup, about an hour or a little more.
- Let it cool, then ladle into clean, dry jars.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Cut the pumpkin into even cubes so everything cooks at the same rate in the syrup.
- Give the mixture an overnight rest before cooking; the sugar and citrus draw moisture out and flavour back in.
- Simmer gently until the syrup thickens while the pumpkin still keeps its shape rather than collapsing.
- Spoon it into clean, dry, sterilised jars so it keeps as long as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a South and Central Asian style of preserve, fruit or vegetables cooked slowly in sugar syrup, usually scented with spices such as cardamom.
Leaving it with the sugar and citrus pulls out moisture and lets the pumpkin soak up the flavours, which gives you a better texture and set.
Kept in sterilised jars somewhere cool, it lasts for months. Once opened, refrigerate it and dip in with a clean spoon each time.
Spread it on bread or toast, spoon it over yogurt or ice cream, or serve it alongside cheese.
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