In the kitchen, pumpkin is usually only used in
pies or in soups. However this curry recipe is here to change your mind about the iconic orange gourd. The earthy, sweet vegetable is the perfect base for a spicy, Thai-inspired coconut curry. We begin by roasting the pumpkin to provide some caramelization and nuttiness that will add a lot to the final dish. Then we take some of the roast pumpkin and actually blend it into the curry sauce which adds another layer of pumpkin flavor to the dish.
We used bell pepper, bird’s eye chilis, shallot and bamboo shoots as the costars for this curry but feel free to add other veg like broccoli or eggplant. Also, this recipe does have fish sauce so if you want a purely vegan version, go ahead and swap for some soy sauce or simply leave it out all together.
Ingredients
- 1small 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
- 1small green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
- 1small red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
- 1medium shallot, halved and thinly sliced
- 2to 3 Thai bird’s eye chilis, sliced
- 1/3 c.canned bamboo shoots, drained and sliced into thin matchsticks
- 1/2lime, 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
Directions
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- Step 1
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.
- Step 2When 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.
- Step 3In 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.
- Step 4Add 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.).
- Step 5Add 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.
- Step 6Just 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.
- Step 1
