Pumpkin Curry
In most kitchens, pumpkin is often limited to pies or soups. However, this curry recipe is here to revolutionize the way you view this iconic orange gourd. The natural sweetness and earthy flavor of pumpkin serve as an excellent foundation for a delectable Thai-inspired coconut curry with a kick of spiciness. To elevate the dish, we start by roasting the pumpkin to achieve caramelization and nuttiness, imparting depth to the final creation. Additionally, a portion of the roasted pumpkin is blended into the curry sauce, intensifying the pumpkin flavor even further.While the stars of this curry are bell pepper, bird's eye chilis, shallot, and bamboo shoots, you have the freedom to add other vegetables like broccoli or eggplant to suit your preferences. Moreover, note that this recipe contains fish sauce, but for a fully vegan version, feel free to swap it with soy sauce or omit it entirely. Enjoy this flavorful and versatile pumpkin coconut curry!
Ingredients
- 1 small pumpkin or kabocha squash (about 3 to 3 ½ lb)
- 5 tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil, divided
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 c. Thai red curry paste
- 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
- 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
- 1 medium shallot, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 to 3 Thai bird's eye chilis, sliced
- 1/3 c. canned bamboo shoots, drained and sliced into thin matchsticks
- 1/2 lime, juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp. fish sauce
- 1/4 c. fresh Thai basil, plus more thinly sliced for serving
- Lime wedges, for serving
- Steamed rice, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º. Halve the pumpkin, scoop out seeds and discard. Cut into 8 to 10 thick wedges. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, drizzle with 3 tablespoons of oil and season with salt. Roast until almost completely tender (you should be able to stick a fork in with just a bit of resistance), 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool.
- When cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to carefully remove the skin from the pumpkin. Roughly chop the pumpkin into 2 inch pieces. Find some more tender pieces and mash enough to fill a ¼ cup measure and set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high. Once the oil is shimmering, add red curry paste and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and has darkened in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in coconut milk and simmer about 3 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Add mashed pumpkin and ¼ cup water to coconut mixture and, using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. (Alternately, transfer mixture to a regular blender, and puree until smooth; return sauce to pot.).
- Add green bell pepper, red bell pepper, shallot, chili, and bamboo shoots to the pot. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the veggies have begun to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover and add reserved pumpkin and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Just before serving, stir in lime juice, fish sauce and Thai basil leaves. Ladle curry over white rice and top with sliced basil. Serve with lime wedges.
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