Curried Pumpkin

I love looking looking through the daily local newspapers, and I turn straight to recipe of the day when I do.  For the most part, these recipes are not veg-friendly, however modifying is always an option.  This past weekend’s edition of the Metro had a page dedicated to to Fall’s fragrant spices, and including this recipe for Curried Pumpkin, with the tagline ‘Transition pie staple to savoury dish’.  Sounded good to me.

I followed the recipe exactly, although I suspect I used too much cubed pumpkin, or the recipe was not spiced enough for my liking.  I could not find an exact answer on the web as to how 500g of pumpkin translated to cups…anyone?

The dish was quite tasty, although there were a few things I would add next time I make it. Yes, I would make it again.  It may seem like I’m not jazzed about this recipe, and that’s not the case.  It just didn’t blow me away, but I think it has great potential with a few minor adjustments.  The flavours are warm and inviting for these dreary months ahead (If you live on the West Coast).

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chopped ginger

1 cup finely chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon garam masala

salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)

1 pound (500g) pumpkin, seeded, peeled, and cubed

1/2 cup vegetable broth (I used 1 cup because it felt right)

1 green chili, finely sliced

Things I would add next time:

2-3 cloves minced garlic, along with the ginger

1/2 cup diced red pepper or  1 cup chopped spinach

swap out half of the vegetable broth for coconut milk

Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Method:

Heat the grapeseed oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and ginger and cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes, fenugreek seeds, garam masala, and salt and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the cubed pumpkin, vegetable broth and chili to the skillet.  Bring everything to boil, then reduce the heat to low, and cover.  Cook until the pumpkin is tender, 15-18 minutes. Serve the curried pumpkin over rice.

I, of course, saved the pumpkin seeds, tossed them with a bit of curry powder, salt, and oil, for a crunchy garnish to finish things off.

Enjoy!

~The Vegan Project

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