Published: October 25, 2022
I absolutely love pumpkin season! This pumpkin curry is my favourite fall meal of all time. I love how easy curry is to throw together with items that I always have in my pantry. This curry is the perfect blend of sweet, and spicy!
Recipe Notes:
Chickpeas: You can swap the chickpeas for red or green lentils. If you do use lentils, you’ll need to add some water and they will need some additional time to cook. I love the addition of chickpeas in all of my curries! They’re a pantry staple for me so I always have some on hand.
Jamaican Sweet Potato: I love using Jamaican sweet potatoes in this recipe. I personally like the flavour of them better and find that they’re less sweet. You could swap these for normal potatoes or sweet potatoes.
Kale: Kale is totally optional, but I love adding it to stews, soups, and curries! It’s very hearty, it doesn’t wither away like spinach, and adds extra nutrition.
Red curry paste: If you prefer less spiciness, Thai Kitchen red curry paste is very mild. Aroy-D is my current favourite. It’s definitely spicier than Thai Kitchen but I love that! The pumpkin and sweet potato are sweet, so the balance between the two is nice. They’re both good options! If it ends up too spicy for you, just add a little bit of brown sugar.
Kaffir lime leaves: I use dried because I can’t get them fresh. If you can’t find them, you can leave them out. I couldn’t find any for the longest time until my grocery store just recently stocked some. I use these like bay leaves and remove them before serving.
Pumpkin: A pie pumpkin or sugar pumpkin are the small pumpkins, not the large ones that you would carve.
Thai Pumpkin Curry & Kale Rice
Ingredients
For the curry:
- Small pie pumpkin
- 1 Jamaican sweet potato, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 lime
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece ginger, minced
- 4-5 kale leaves, washed and chopped
- 1 tbsp lemongrass paste
- 1-2 tbsp red curry paste
- 2-3 dried kaffir lime leaves
- 3-4 dashes of fish sauce
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp yellow curry powder
- 1 tsp coriander
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
For the rice:
- 1 clove garlic
- 1-2 kale leaves
- 1 tbsp butter or coconut oil
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups water
- Pinch of salt
Directions:
For the curry:
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Wash pumpkin, cut in half and remove insides.
- Drizzle pumpkins with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder.
- Place halves facing down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your pumpkin.
- While pumpkin is baking, wash and chop vegetables. Cut the kale from the stems and chop into smaller pieces.
- When pumpkin is done, let cool and blend into a puree. Add a little bit of water if needed.
- Heat coconut oil in a large pan.
- Add onions, carrots, sweet potato, red curry paste, and lemongrass paste to the pan. Cook for about 10-15 minutes.
- Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder, coriander, salt, and pepper to the pan. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add 1 cup of pumpkin puree, coconut milk, and fish sauce. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until vegetables are almost cooked through.
- Add chickpeas and kale. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add fresh lime juice and garnish with cilantro.
For the rice:
- Wash and chop kale. Set aside.
- Rinse rice under cold water in a fine mesh strainer, until water runs clear.
- Melt 1 tbsp butter in a pot.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add 1 cup of rice, salt, and 2 cups of water.
- When rice is almost done, add the kale, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
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