Vegetarian pumpkin curry

By mm_food4me

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 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 black beans (15 oz, 425 g), rinsed and drained
• 1/2 can garbanzo beans (7.5 oz, 212 g) or white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 or 2 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 (or, use agave nectar or maple syrup for vegan version)
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups cooked quinoa

Details

Servings 4
Cooking time 40mins
Adapted from juliasalbum.com

Preparation

Step 1

I am so excited to add this vegetarian pumpkin curry full of Thai flavors to my regular rotation! Simple, flavorful, healthy, easy to make – this curry is a wonderful weeknight meal that I can quickly and easily make right after I come home from work.

I can’t even begin to describe how good this is! When I made this pumpkin curry I was just curious to see if the Thai flavors worked well with the pumpkin. Well, here I am, making this curry for the second time, and, yes, the pumpkin-Thai combination works amazingly well! This curry has a touch of coconut milk, red curry paste, a little bit of honey – all the basic ingredients you need to make a simple and flavorful Thai curry. Not only is it amazingly tasty, it is also vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, very low in fat and calories! And full of nutrients, thanks to pumpkin! I’d say it’s a pretty good recipe to have in your repertoire!

To make it even healthier, I am serving this curry over quinoa, which is gluten free and high in protein!

Keep in mind, that different brands of red curry paste have different levels of spiciness, so start with only 1 tablespoon of red curry paste to see if it’s too spicy for you. Then add 1 more if you like. Also, please note that this is a SAVORY recipe, and the honey here is used to balance the flavors and not to sweeten the curry. That’s why I add the honey only in the very end, after seasoning the curry with salt. That way you use honey to balance the flavors in the same way you use a touch of sugar to balance the acidity of tomatoes in a homemade tomato sauce. So, start only with 1 tablespoon of honey (after seasoning the curry with salt), and then add another one (or 2) if you like. Enjoy!

makes 4 lunch-size servings. You can (and should!) double this recipe, if you plan to serve this for dinner (larger portions) for 4-6 people!

1 or 2 tablespoons red curry paste (use less or more of the paste, depending on how spicy it is, and then add more, to taste)

In a large pot or skillet, cook chopped onion and minced garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes on medium heat until soft.

Add pumpkin, canned tomatoes (chop them up into smaller chunks), vegetable stock (or water), coconut milk, black beans, and garbanzo beans (both beans should be rinsed and drained). Add 1 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: various brands of red curry paste have different degrees of spiciness. Be careful not to add too much of red curry paste if it is of a spicier variety).

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.

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.

add one

Sounds so comforting! Coconut milk tends to make any hot dish perfect for cold weather…

Anne ~ Uni Homemaker

WOW. Cannot wait to make this. I love finding recipes that prove to me I actually can make things like curry. And that I am not the only one who could live off chickpeas and quinoa!

Yes! Big difference. Red curry paste has a completely different flavor and texture than curry powder. Red curry paste is a blend of different herbs and spices with shrimp paste, with red chili being the dominating flavor. Red curry paste has a paste texture. Curry powder is usually a blend of the following DRY ingredients: turmeric, paprika, coriander, cumin, ginger, cloves, caraway, cayenne, and some other spices.

Do you drain/rinse your beans before adding?

Yes, I drain them and rinse them! I can’t believe I didn’t mention this important detail in the recipe – will add it right now!

I just made this dish. Omgosh it is amazing! Fabulous recipe! (I added an extra 1/4 cup of coconut milk because I am obsessed with coconut milk right now). Thanks! I will be making this again for sure!

Alex, so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! It’s one of my favorites on this site! And yes, adding more coconut milk never hurts curry recipe!

Felicity, thank you for your tips – I will add your suggestions in the ingredient portion of the recipe!

This dish was really good! I added the entire can of full fat coconut milk instead because I love the flavor. Yum!

Thanks, Karen! Yes, adding the entire can of coconut milk is totally a great idea!

Just made this for dinner and it was so yummy! Going to make it over and over.

I think you can use almond coconut milk just fine, even if it’s thinner than real coconut milk. If curry is too thin, then just add a little extra pumpkin puree.

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