THIS! For your pumpkin spice ….

It is late September, and Pumpkin Spice is assaulting the senses. Maybe we need a different view of pumpkin spice. Like a spicy pumpkin curry, hearty and creamy, with a hint of sweetness and a right hook punch of spice to warm the palate.

I am taking a bit of downtime to gather my senses and wash the wild confusion of studying for an AI/ML/DS certification from my mind, and I wandered into the local not-so-megamart with Madam BadWolf. While perusing the veggie section (looking for new peppers to try), I found peeled and chunked pumpkin. I am sure this is meant to facilitate the production of pumpkin pies, but I am not known for sticking with original use cases; I also found real Thai Birdseye peppers. My mind immediately screamed CURRY!!!

I’ll cheat and use a technique I learned from an curry restaurant in the Bricklane/Banglatown section of London. (How I learned this, I’ll leave for another day.) We’ll build a basic curry base (bumping the spice level with my peppers), toss in our pumpkin, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. If we are in a hurry, we could par-cook the pumpkin and then finish it by simmering it in the curry base. (I’ll say no more on this, as divulging operational secrets is not recommended.)

From Wikipedia:

Brick Lane (Bengali: ব্রিক লেন, romanized: Brik Len) is a famous street in the East End of London, in the borough of Tower Hamlets. It runs from Swanfield Street in Bethnal Green in the north, crosses the Bethnal Green Road before reaching the busiest, most commercially active part which runs through Spitalfields, or along its eastern edge. Brick Lane’s southern end is connected to Whitechapel High Street by a short extension called Osborn Street.

Today, it is the heart of the country’s Bangladeshi community with the vicinity known to some as Banglatown. It is famous for its many curry restaurants. The area surrounding Brick Lane and Spitalfields was branded as Banglatown in 1997, and the electoral ward of Spitalfields was changed to Banglatown & Spitalfields in 2002.

Also from Wikipedia:

A pumpkin is a cultivated winter squash in the genus Cucurbita. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, though it does not possess a scientific definition and may be used in reference to many different squashes of varied appearance.

And Lastly from Wikipedia:

Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. It is not to be confused with leaves from the curry tree, although some curries do include curry leaves.Curry is prepared in the native cuisines of many Southeast Asian and East Asian countries.

Spicey Pumpkin Curry

A PROPER Pumpkin Spice thing, is a rich, creamy, and spicey curry.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Stew

Cuisine SouthEast Asia, Thai

Servings 4 Large Servings

Calories 572 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tbsp Neutral Oil
• 1 ea Red Onion Large, peeled, chunked to 1/2"
• 3 cups Pumpkin Get it peeled and chunked
• 1 tbsp Ginger, Grated
• 3 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
• 15 oz Coconut Milk 1 can
• 1 cup Broth Veggie or chicken
• 2 tsp Honey
• 1 ea Bell Pepper Washed, Cored chunked to 1/2"
• 1 tbsp Garlic Minced
• 2-3 ea Birdseye peppers washed, minced, Optional

Instructions

 

• In a large wok or pan, heat oil over medium-high
• As oil spiders, Add onion and pepper, saute until the onion starts to take color
• Add the curry paste, and cook for 1-2 minutes, coating the veggies
• Add the garlic, ginger and cook until fragrant, ~ 60 sec
• Add the pumpkin and stir to coat
• Add the coconut milk and broth, stir to mix well
• Bring to a boil, drop the heat to medium-low, cover
• Simmer until the pumpkin is fork-tender, 15-20 minutes
• Taste, Season, and balance flavor.

Notes

This is written as a vegetarian dish, so I have excluded fish sauce. However, this can be added at the last minute to balance flavors.

One can add minced Thai or birdseye peppers with the onions and bell pepper for a spicy taste boost.

I’ve used a peeled and chunked pumpkin here. It is simpler than peeling and chunking up a pumpkin and probably safer.

One could add protein, such as chicken, to the pumpkin or shrimp in the last 3-5 minutes of simmering.

One can also use a canned pumpkin and or lengthen it with veggie stock or chicken stock to make a pumpkin soup

Nutrition

Calories: 572kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 17gFat: 54gSaturated Fat: 25gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0.1gSodium: 254mgPotassium: 633mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1913IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 8mg

Keyword Curry, Pumpkin

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!