Cuisine: The Polish Palate
•
Course: Preserves Condiments
•
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free

Keczup z Dyni (Pumpkin Ketchup)

A spiced, sweet-sour autumnal preserve that beats tomato ketchup hands down.
Prep time 45m
Temp 100°C (212°F)
Marinate 2h
Cook time 1h 40m
Total 4h 25m
Yield 5
By Adam Dworak

Brilliant!

You cooked this today. How did it turn out?

Maybe Later

Ingredients

  • 3000 g
    Pumpkin
    Pumpkin
  • 300 g
    Brown Onion
    Brown Onion
  • 30 g
    Salt
    Salt
  • 400 g
    Caster Sugar
    Caster Sugar
  • 250 ml
    White Wine Vinegar
    White Wine Vinegar
  • 200 g
    Tomato Puree
    Tomato Puree
  • 15 g
    Curry Powder
    Curry Powder
  • 15 g
    Sweet Paprika (Noble Sweet)
    Sweet Paprika (Noble Sweet)
  • 5 g
    Cinnamon (Ground)
    Cinnamon (Ground)
  • 5 g
    Ginger (Ground)
    Ginger (Ground)
  • 5 g
    Black Pepper
    Black Pepper

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Kitchen Kit

  • Large Heavy-Bottomed Pot
  • Stick Blender
  • Sterilised Jars
  • Peeler
  • Chef's Knife
Pot of soup on a stove with ingredients and cups in the background | Cook & Keeper - Pumpkin ketchup

Method

  1. The Weigh-In
    Peel the pumpkin and scrape out the seeds. Important: From your 3kg whole pumpkin, weigh out exactly 2kg of clean flesh for this recipe. The preservation ratios rely on this exact weight.
    Chef's Tip: You will likely have leftover flesh. Roast it for dinner; do not add it to the pot or the ketchup will be too weak.
  2. The Sweat
    Tip the weighed 2kg of pumpkin and the chopped onions into your largest bowl. Toss them thoroughly with the salt. Cover with a tea towel and leave them alone for 2 hours to release their liquid.
  3. The Soften
    Transfer the pumpkin, onions, and all the salty liquid released into a large heavy-bottomed pot. Simmer over medium heat until the pumpkin is completely falling-apart soft. This usually takes about 30 minutes.
  4. The Blitz
    Remove from the heat. Using a stick blender (or transferring carefully to a jug blender), blitz the mixture until it is dead smooth.
    Chef's Note: No lumps allowed. The smoother the puree now, the glossier the ketchup later.
  5. The Alchemy
    Return the puree to the pan. Add the sugar, vinegar, tomato puree, and all the spices. Stir well to combine.
  6. The Reduction
    Bring back to a gentle boil (this will take longer now the mixture is thick), then turn the heat down low. Simmer for 45 minutes to thicken.
    Chef's Note: It will spit like molten lava, so keep a lid partially on (slightly askew). Stir frequently to stop it catching on the bottom.
  7. The Jarring
    Taste it. It should be sweet, tangily acidic, and spicy. Pour carefully into sterilised jars whilst still hot and seal immediately. Invert the jars for 10 minutes, then let them cool upright.
Chef's Note & Storage
Cool dark place for 6 months. Fridge once opened.
Jars of homemade pumpkin ketchup on a wooden counter with a rustic kitchen background. | Cook & Keeper - Pumpkin ketchup

The Autumn Pantry King

Forget that sugary red sludge in the plastic squeezy bottle. In Poland, when the leaves turn brown and the markets are flooded with orange gourds, we make Keczup z Dyni. It is a revelation. It bridges the gap between a chutney and a sauce—silky smooth, vibrant orange, and humming with warmth from ginger, cinnamon, and curry powder.

This isn't just for chips. It cuts through the fat of a pork chop, livens up a cheese toastie, and is absolutely essential on a sausage. It requires a bit of elbow grease to peel the pumpkin, but one afternoon of work stocks your pantry for the entire winter. Use a proper culinary pumpkin or a butternut squash; do not bother with those watery, flavourless monsters grown for Halloween carving. We want dense, sweet flesh here.

Chef's Secret: Do not skip the maceration step. Salting the pumpkin and onions draws out the excess water, which concentrates the natural sugars and flavour before you even turn on the hob. If you rush this, you'll end up with pumpkin soup, not ketchup.

❖

The Texture Game

The difference between a rustic relish and a proper ketchup is the blender. You want to blitz this mixture until it is frighteningly smooth. Once blended, it returns to the pot. This is where you must be vigilant—it will spit like molten lava as it thickens. Keep the lid slightly askew and the heat low. You are looking for a glossy sheen and a consistency that holds its shape on a spoon.

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Cook’s Notes & Discussion

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Keczup z Dyni (Pumpkin Ketchup)
Cuisine:The Polish Palate
Course:Preserves, Condiments
Diet:Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free

Keczup z Dyni (Pumpkin Ketchup)

By Adam Dworak

A spiced, sweet-sour autumnal preserve that beats tomato ketchup hands down.

Prep 45m
Temp 100°C
Cook 1h 40m
Total 4h 25m
Yield 5
Pot of soup on a stove with ingredients and cups in the background | Cook & Keeper - Pumpkin ketchup

Kitchen Kit

  • •Large Heavy-Bottomed Pot
  • •Stick Blender
  • •Sterilised Jars
  • •Peeler
  • •Chef's Knife

Ingredients

  • 3000 g Pumpkin
  • 300 g Brown Onion
  • 30 g Salt
  • 400 g Caster Sugar
  • 250 ml White Wine Vinegar
  • 200 g Tomato Puree
  • 15 g Curry Powder
  • 15 g Sweet Paprika (Noble Sweet)
  • 5 g Cinnamon (Ground)
  • 5 g Ginger (Ground)
  • 5 g Black Pepper

Method

Step-by-step instructions.

Chef's Note:
Cool dark place for 6 months. Fridge once opened.
Jars of homemade pumpkin ketchup on a wooden counter with a rustic kitchen background. | Cook & Keeper - Pumpkin ketchup
  1. The Weigh-In
    Peel the pumpkin and scrape out the seeds. Important: From your 3kg whole pumpkin, weigh out exactly 2kg of clean flesh for this recipe. The preservation ratios rely on this exact weight.
    Chef's Tip: You will likely have leftover flesh. Roast it for dinner; do not add it to the pot or the ketchup will be too weak.
  2. The Sweat
    Tip the weighed 2kg of pumpkin and the chopped onions into your largest bowl. Toss them thoroughly with the salt. Cover with a tea towel and leave them alone for 2 hours to release their liquid.
  3. The Soften
    Transfer the pumpkin, onions, and all the salty liquid released into a large heavy-bottomed pot. Simmer over medium heat until the pumpkin is completely falling-apart soft. This usually takes about 30 minutes.
  4. The Blitz
    Remove from the heat. Using a stick blender (or transferring carefully to a jug blender), blitz the mixture until it is dead smooth.
    Chef's Note: No lumps allowed. The smoother the puree now, the glossier the ketchup later.
  5. The Alchemy
    Return the puree to the pan. Add the sugar, vinegar, tomato puree, and all the spices. Stir well to combine.
  6. The Reduction
    Bring back to a gentle boil (this will take longer now the mixture is thick), then turn the heat down low. Simmer for 45 minutes to thicken.
    Chef's Note: It will spit like molten lava, so keep a lid partially on (slightly askew). Stir frequently to stop it catching on the bottom.
  7. The Jarring
    Taste it. It should be sweet, tangily acidic, and spicy. Pour carefully into sterilised jars whilst still hot and seal immediately. Invert the jars for 10 minutes, then let them cool upright.

My Tweaks & Notes

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History

The Autumn Pantry King

Forget that sugary red sludge in the plastic squeezy bottle. In Poland, when the leaves turn brown and the markets are flooded with orange gourds, we make Keczup z Dyni. It is a revelation. It bridges the gap between a chutney and a sauce—silky smooth, vibrant orange, and humming with warmth from ginger, cinnamon, and curry powder.

This isn't just for chips. It cuts through the fat of a pork chop, livens up a cheese toastie, and is absolutely essential on a sausage. It requires a bit of elbow grease to peel the pumpkin, but one afternoon of work stocks your pantry for the entire winter. Use a proper culinary pumpkin or a butternut squash; do not bother with those watery, flavourless monsters grown for Halloween carving. We want dense, sweet flesh here.

Chef's Secret: Do not skip the maceration step. Salting the pumpkin and onions draws out the excess water, which concentrates the natural sugars and flavour before you even turn on the hob. If you rush this, you'll end up with pumpkin soup, not ketchup.

❖

The Texture Game

The difference between a rustic relish and a proper ketchup is the blender. You want to blitz this mixture until it is frighteningly smooth. Once blended, it returns to the pot. This is where you must be vigilant—it will spit like molten lava as it thickens. Keep the lid slightly askew and the heat low. You are looking for a glossy sheen and a consistency that holds its shape on a spoon.