I love curry; I mean I really really love curry. I’ve never heard of a pumpkin curry, until I went to a teeny Thai restaurant called Thai Classic in Paso Robles, CA while we were on a little wine tasting adventure…it was one of the most amazing curries of my life! I only ordered it, because everyone on Yelp was screaming about it…who knew a pumpkin curry could be so good! Love! Ever since then, I have been on a mission of try to recreate this epic Thai pumpkin curry. It also gave me an excuse to make my very own pumpkin puree, which is also a first. This recipe is different from the magical dish I had in Paso, but I was pleasantly surprised by all of the lovely flavors that were packed into it. Who knew pumpkin could be so delicious in savory dishes! I will continue to try to recreate the Thai pumpkin curry that I had in Paso, but I think this will hold me for a while. At least I hope it does, because Paso Robles is a little trek from NYC.
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil or ghee
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 C chopped broccoli
- 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (from the can or homemade)
- 1 cup canned tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable stock or water
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 to 3 tablespoons red curry paste (use less or more of the paste, depending on how spicy it is, and then add more, to taste)
- 2 or 3 tablespoons honey
- salt and pepper
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
Directions
1. In a large skillet or wok, cook chopped onion and minced garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes on medium heat until soft.
2. Add pumpkin, canned tomatoes (I pureed them in my Vitamix until smooth, because I don’t like tomato chunks), vegetable stock, coconut milk, and chickpeas. Add 1-2 tablespoon of red curry paste, stir everything well, and season with salt and pepper. Taste your curry, season with more salt if needed. Add another tablespoon of red curry paste, if desired. (Note: Some curry pastes are spicier than others so taste your creation before you add more).
3. I find it important that you start adding honey only after you’ve seasoned the curry with salt, because we’re using honey here not to really sweeten the curry but to balance the flavors. Add 1 tablespoon of honey (after seasoning with salt), taste your curry. Add another tablespoon (or 2) of honey if it suits your taste.
4. Bring to boil, make sure to stir all ingredients well together to combine flavors and spices. Reduce to simmer and cook for 15 minutes on very low simmer.
5. Serve with quinoa; garnished with chopped green onion, cilantro and if you are feeling sassy some diced jalapeno.
I also had some left over pumpkin seeds, from the pumpkin puree that I made so I added those to the top of the dish as well…it made it look fancy.
Enjoy!
