Pumpkin in Coconut Curry

Ok, once again a demo of how much I love coconut and coconut curries! 'Tis the season of pumpkins and this dish is just so hearty and delicious in a cool night. I had been thinking of something different to do with pumpkin and after watching an episode on Sri Lankan cooking on Food Safari, I was inspired to concoct this curry. I really don't have a taste for curry leaf which is an essential ingredient for south Indian and Sri Lankan cooking so, it has been conveniently omitted. It is also a versatile dish and can be left up to your imagination to try things out. Its an extensive list and may look complicated --but I promise you that it took me only 5 mins to put together...well, I have a lot of spices on my shelf and within easy reach and kind of just threw things in that I felt went well together! So here it is...

I apologize for not having a lot of measurements, I tend to just eyeball and guesstimate when cooking, so this recipe can be for advanced cooks or adventurous new cooks!

Step 1

oil - to sautee
onion
garlic-minced
ginger-minced
dry red chilis-2 whole
nigella-a pinch
coriander seeds-a pinch
cinnamon-1 inch
bay leaf-1 large leaf
cardamom-3-4 crushed pods
mustard seeds-1 tsp.

Step 2

coconut milk-1/2 a can (depends on how much pimpkin and how much curry u want)
cumin powder-1/2 tsp
coriander powder-1/2 tsp
chili powder-depends on how hot u like it
turmeric powder-1/2 tsp.
pumpkin-2 cups peeled & diced bite size
salt-to taste

Step 3

short grain rice-1 tbsp.
fresh grated coconut-2 tbsp.
whole cumin-1 tsp.

1. Heat oil in a wok or pot and start with red chili, bay leaf, cinnamon and slowly add the onions and the rest from Step 1. Sautee till onions a transparent. The mustard seeds will splutter so be careful and also careful not to burn them, add as one of the last ingredients.

2. Mix all from Step 2 together in a bowl and add into the pan with the onions-with the pumpkin. Add water to boil the pumpkin. I added about 1 can full but depends how much curry you want. Add salt to taste.

3. While pumpkin is boiling, in a dry pan roast the rice & coconut till a nutty brown color, add in cumin seeds and roast for 1 min till fragrant. Grind to a powder, its a delicious nutty fragrance!

4. Add the rice powder mix to the curry to thicken it up. Check the salt and you could add sprinkle of sugar to sweeten a little bit. It really brightens the flavor. Taste test. You can squeeze a little bit of lime when serving for an extra bit of tang.

I served it up with a side of friend mashed prawns and fluffy coconut rice with some green chili for extra spice. The left overs were great the next day for breakfast with some fresh rotis!