Featured
Soul Warming Recipes!
Big Green Egg
Featured
Hot & Spicy!
K’s Choice
Peppery Chicken Curry
Kay’s Pumpkin Curry
I was facing a major challenge, a catch 22 almost: I wanted to create a vegetarian pumpkin recipe for Kayotic Kitchen. But here’s the catch: my guy hates pumpkin. No, he doesn’t just dislike it, he hates it with a passion.
I’m very adamant where it comes to finding ways to make people eat and even like those things they usually dislike. What can I say? It’s an annoying trait, but it’s me. And he’s stuck with me, so pumpkin it was. I figured I’d skip the ole pumpkin pie and turn the whole thing into a curry.
I thought that warm spices such as curry, chili and cumin would go really well with the sweetness of the pumpkin and it did. Adding some dried mint for a fresh note, lime and ginger for a citrus note and onion because, well, onion belongs in almost everything.
The verdict? I got the hater to stop hating! He even had seconds. That’s 1-0 for the self-proclaimed tulip queen, mind you!
Ingredients:
3 tbsp sunflower oil
1 pumpkin (2 pounds)
2 onions
1 large garlic clove
2 medium tomatoes
thumb-size piece fresh ginger
2 tsp curry powder
2/3 tbsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground lemongrass (sereh)
1 tbsp mustard-seeds
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 tsp dried mint
lime juice
coriander
salt
Directions:
I bought an organic pumpkin. Mine was 2 pounds. I gathered a few onions, some garlic, and two tomatoes while I was at it.
Trim the ends, cut it in half and spoon out the seeds. Remove the skin and cut the flesh in 1 inch cubes.
Don’t toss the seeds! Instead you coat them with oil, garlic salt, a bit of tabasco and Worcestershire sauce and roast them in a 275F° (135C°) oven for 20 minutes. It’s delicious.
I used my food processor to quickly mince the onions. I pulsed about 5 times.
Don’t bother rinsing the bowl, just put the tomatoes in there as well and blitz until they’re all mushy.
Grate the garlic and the fresh ginger. I totally forgot to take a photo of that! Mea culpa.
Heat the oil and add 1 tbsp mustard seeds.
Add the chili flakes. This will give a nice zing without making it too hot.
As soon as the mustard seeds start to pop, it’s time to add the onions.
Cook the onions for 5 minutes over low to medium heat. Add the grated garlic and ginger and give it another minute.
This is optional but it sure adds a wonderful flavor. It’s 1/2 tsp ground lemongrass (Sereh).
1/2 tsp ground cumin. Cumin isn’t really optional in a half decent curry, but you can adjust the quantity to your liking.
And this is totally not optional: 2 tsp curry powder.
Cook the spices for 30 seconds before adding the pumpkin.
Add the mashed tomatoes.
Pour in that luscious, thick, coconut milk.
Give it a good stir.
Pour in the vegetable broth. Add the dried mint and season with 1/2 a tsp salt. Bring to a boil and simmer (without a lid) for 10 to 15 minutes.
As soon as the pumpkin is soft and the sauce has thickened it’s time to squeeze in some lime juice. I’ve used half a lime.
Check the seasoning and garnish with coriander. Or flat-leaf parsley if you’re a coriander hater like me.
It didn’t just look absolutely gorgeous, but tasted so incredibly good. We ate it with a lot of steamed rice!
* Serve with grilled chicken or white fish if you’re not into vegetarian food!
| Kay’s Pumpkin Curry | |
| Ingredients |
1 pumpkin (2 pounds) 2 onions 1 large garlic clove 2 medium tomatoes thumb-size piece fresh ginger 2 tsp curry powder 2/3 tbsp chili flakes 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground lemongrass (sereh) 1 tbsp mustard-seeds 1 cup vegetable broth 1 cup coconut milk 1/4 tsp dried mint lime juice coriander salt |
| Directions |
Heat the oil, add the mustard seeds and chili flakes. As soon as the mustard seeds start to pop, it’s time to add the onions. Cook the onions for 5 minutes over low to medium heat. Add the grated garlic and ginger and give it another minute. Add the remaining spices, cook for 30 seconds before adding the pumpkin and tomatoes. Pour in the coconut milk and vegetable broth vegetable broth. Add the dried mint and season with 1/2 a tsp salt. Bring to a boil and simmer (without a lid) for 10 to 15 minutes. Check the seasoning and garnish with coriander. |
| Meal type: | main course or side dish |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Copyright: | © kayotickitchen.com |
Delicious receipe! And the perfect thing for the cold and uncomfortable weather we’re having! (I live in Cologne, Germany, so our weather is bound to be pretty similar to yours).
One note: that’s a Hokkaido pumpkin you’ve got there and with those you can leave the skin on, since it’s very thin and goes pretty soft with cooking (not like e.g. the skin of butternut pumkins).
If you make a soup with Hokkaido Pumpkins that you’re going to puree, leaving the skin on will make the colour deeper and richer too.
@Anda:
I know I could’ve left the skin on, but it had such ugly spots and bumps that I decided to take it off.
Kay this looks delicious! I might have added some beef to it but I really like the flavors here. YUM!
@Meeta:
It wouldn’t have been vegetarian then, silly :)
I think cod or haddock would go so well with this. Can’t wait to try it.
You’re gonna love the flavors. I know you will.
I’m going to eat this with Roti !!
@Helen:
Never even thought of that, but I think it might be a great match!
I’m impressed you converted a pumpkin hater!! This curry look so yummy, I can see why.
it’s 7AM here in Québec and I just discovered what to eat for supper. *nom*
Thanks Kay!
I stumbled upon your lovely blog from thekitchn, and I’m already loving the recipes and excited about making some of them!
But I have to ask, what brand / where did you get your amazingly cute pink cooking spoon? It looks so much more fun and colorful than my boring, standard issue black and white stuff.
@Katherine:
I have silicone cooking spoons in all kinds of bright colors. No idea what brand they are, though.
Thats funny I have that same trait. And for the most part I have turned my cabbage, beet and Mexican food hating husband into a lover of these things. This is a pretty good score. And I do like how pumpkin and Indian spices lend themselves to each other. I am going to give your recipe a go as I have some kabocha squash to use up.
Heh heh, for a dish that ‘didn’t look gorgeous,’ you sure made it l0ok gorgeous in your pictures. =) I love pumpkin in my curry, though I’ve never had exclusively pumpkin–I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Do you think yams/sweet potatoes would work as a substitute for the pumpkin??
@Christina:
I think sweet potatoes would work just as well. Just keep an eye on them so they won’t turn mushy.
Very creative…as always! Butternut squash would be good too. While on the topic of converting people’s taste buds….I hate broccoli- but can not keep my eyes off your citrus rice with broccoli. I know it is only a matter of time before I try it- and sure I will love as I do all your recipes! Thanks.
What great recipe! I am a fan of Asian and Indian cuisine has a special place.
Ack, I think I hate pumpkin even more than I hate cilantro! This looks extremely good, but I’m still kind of scared to try it.
Very tasty! It looks amazing :). Cumin and pumpkin without the mustart seeds and coconut milk is a traditional dish in Surinam.
I think a lot of hatred for certain foods comes from people eating them when someone hasn’t known how to prepare them properly (my fiance used to hate broccoli but now loves it – his mum was one of those people that would boil vegetables until they were mush, basically :P He forgives her because she’s an excellent baker, haha)
Your blog is GORGEOUS! so glad to have found you. I have done a thing or two with pumpkins, and i cannot wait to try this so flavorful dish!!
I have added your blog to my favourites and will return frequently. This pumpkin curry dish looks amazing. I’m always looking for comfort food that can add warmth to Canada;’s the double-digit-minus temperatures in winter. I’ll be making the creamy onion soup today. Sounds delicious. TY for your step-by-step details and amazing, beautiful photos! One can tell you love food!
Oooh I am going to have to try this. I love curry and pumpkin. Sounds like a winning combo.
What a fantastic looking curry! Definitely bookmarking this one for pumpkin season.
This looks delicious! I love curries, and I love pumpkin. Minnesota is still freezing cold, which makes it a perfect time for some warm, spicy comfort food. Time to try this out! :)
Love this combo of flavors! Divine!
Mary xo
<a href=”http://delightfulbitefuls.blogspot.com/”>Delightful Bitefuls</a>