Pumpkin Curry

So, unlike everyone else this weekend, I did not have Thanksgiving leftovers to eat since I left them all in Sedona before heading back to NOLA.  Well, what little bit was left of them, anyway.  I am not sure leftovers would have traveled very well :)

So last night I decided to cook up the creole pumpkin I got at the farmer's market a few weeks back.  I looked online for some pumpkin curry recipes and I could not settle on a single one that I liked.  So I combined some elements of a few and came up with my own recipe.  It was delicious!

(Modified from Pumpkin Chickpea Curry and Williams Sonoma Pumpkin Curry)

Ingredients (serves at least 6):

1/2 small pumpkin (I used a creole pumpkin), peeled, seeded, cut into bite-sized cubes
1 cup uncooked brown rice, pearl barley, or other whole grain
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
3 stalks celery, diced
1-2 carrots, diced
1 shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
5 tablespoons Moroccan spice mix (or a mix of cumin, cinnamon, coriander, ginger, cardamom, pepper, paprika, turmeric)
1 tablespoon garam masala (just more of a mix of cumin, coriander, pepper, cardamom and cinnamon)
dash of cayenne
1 can of lite coconut milk
juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Bragg's liquid aminos
1/2 block firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small/medium florets
1 cup frozen or fresh green peas
fresh basil

1st step:  seed, peel, and chop the pumpkin.

This recipe only used 1/2 of the pumpkin...look how much there was!

 

Save the goop and seeds for later:

Then boil the chopped pumpkin bites in water for 7-10 minutes until it is slightly tender when poked with a fork.  Drain well and set aside.

(Do not forget to cook the rice, barley, or other grain while preparing the rest of the curry!)

Next, saute the next 5 ingredients (celery, carrot, shallot, garlic, and ginger) in a small bit of veggie broth.  After about 7-8 minutes, add the spices (Moroccan spice mix, garam masala, and cayenne) and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes.  Stir occasionally, and add a splash of veg broth here and there to keep mixture a sort of paste consistency without sticking to the bottom of the pot.

In a separate bowl, combine the coconut milk, lime juice, brown sugar and Bragg's.

When the veggie and spice mix is aromatic and the veggies are beginning to soften, add the coconut milk mixture and stir.  Then add the tofu, half of the pumpkin bites, and the rest of the veg broth and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 or so minutes.

Then add the rest of the pumpkin and cook, covered, for an additional 10 minutes.  (I split the pumpkin so that some of it would be well-cooked and therefore break up in the curry to make a creamy base, while the second half of the pieces would maintain their texture). Add the cauliflower and simmer for about 10 minutes, uncovered.  Add the peas for the last 5 minutes.

Cook for longer, uncovered, if you want a thicker curry.  I got inpatient, plus I like the soupy broth consistency, so I stopped cooking mine when it was still liquid-y.

Scoop your rice, barley, or other grain into the bottom of a bowl and ladle curry over it.  Top with sliced ribbons of fresh basil and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt.  Enjoy!

Some additional variations could include topping with cilantro, adding chickpeas and other vegetables like broccoli, water chestnuts, tomatoes, etc.  What else can you think of?

And do not throw away the inside goop and seeds!  Separate the seeds from the goop and rinse the seeds well.  Save the goop for later (I froze mine to make a veggie broth later).  Spread the seeds in a single layer on a cookie sheet or baking dish.  Spray with cooking spray or toss in a small amount of oil.  Sprinkle with salt and other spices (I used the Moroccan spice mix here) and bake at 325 degrees for 20-30 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Enjoy!