I had never had pumpkin curry before I lived in Thailand a few years ago, and frankly I'm not sure how I lasted for over two decades on this earth without it. It's such a versatile dish - you can throw in meat or fish if you're cooking for omnivores, or leave out the coconut milk to make it light and spicier, or cut down on the chillies if you're looking for a milder, creamier curry. I used green beans, red peppers, and kale in this recipe, but mix and match your veggies at will.
The secret to good pumpkin curry, in my humble opinion: leave the skin on! This will help prevent your pumpkin chunks from dissolving into mush, and the skin will have a wonderful soft texture once it cooks for a bit. Heaven!
Pumpkin Curry with Tofu
veganized from Nigella Lawson
Serves 4
1 small buttercup or kabocha squash (so technically this is squash curry!)
1 can full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
2 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3-5 red Thai chillies, crushed
3 stalks lemongrass, crushed
1 cup green beans
1 red pepper, roughly diced
1 block firm tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes
2 cups kale, roughly chopped
juice from 1 lime
The hardest part about making this curry is cutting up the pumpkin, so we're gonna go that first. Make sure you grab a large, very sharp knife and a stable cutting board, and perhaps a friend who wouldn't mind a quick trip to the ER if things go south. Carefully cut the squash into quarters, scoop out of the seeds and gunk, then chop each section up into large chunks. They should be big enough for two bites - with smaller pieces you run the risk of the pumpkin getting too soft as the curry simmers. Use a smaller knife to trim the stringy innards off the inside of each chunk, and you're done! That wasn't too bad, right?
Camouflage.
Chopped!
Grab a large pot and set it on the stove over medium-high heat. Skim the cream off the top of your can of coconut milk and dump it in the pot, then add the curry paste. Mix this all together until the bright red mixture is bubbly and fragrant, but not smoking.
The goods.
Once the curry paste has had a chance to warm up and release its delicious flavors, pour in the rest of the coconut milk, along with the veggie stock, soy sauce, sugar, turmeric, chillies, and lemongrass stalks. Stir this all up and wait until the mixture starts to boil, then dump in the pumpkin chunks and cover the pot while the squash cooks. This will take about 10 minutes - you can check how the little nuggets are doing by stabbing them with a fork. The orange flesh should be easy to pierce, while the skin should still offer a bit of resistance. Don't worry, it'll keep softening up over the next couple of steps.
Bubble bubble.
When you're happy with the pumpkin's texture, toss in the green beans and red pepper chunks. Cook for a about 5 minutes, then add the tofu and kale and simmer for another 5 minutes, until the kale has wilted down and become nice and tender.
Add the lime juice to your curry and give it a taste - you can also add sugar, salt, or chillies at this point depending on your preference. Once you're satisfied with your creation, sprinkle the curry with chopped cilantro, and serve over rice with extra chillies and lime on the side. Enjoy!
