This delicious pumpkin curry recipe has taken our house by a storm. I've made it in different varieties already three times in the past weeks, and we all love it. It's hearty but fresh, silky yet with a hint of spiciness. It has interesting textures and tastes, and it is just such a lovely, balanced dish. And if you make enough of it (the recipe below is for 8 to 10 people!) -- it's the absolutely best leftover food! We even had leftovers for breakfast. So good.

Delicious pumpkin curry

Ingredients:

• Around 2 kg in total of pumpkin (I used 1/4 large Jarrahdale pumpkin and 1 small butternut squash, but you can totally vary)

• A large fat chunk of fresh ginger, around 8 to 10 cm

• 6 to 8 shallots (or 3 to 4 red onions)

• 2 fresh red chilli peppers

• 4 to 8 cloves of garlic (depending on size)

• a large bunch of fresh coriander

• two large red peppers (or 3 small)

• red curry paste, around 4 tbsp or more to taste

• 4x 400g tin of coconut milk

• 2 tsp turmeric

• 1/4 cup maple sirop

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• juice of one lime

• one large head of broccoli OR green beans, around 400g

• 1x 400g tin of chickpeas (drained) OR approx 200g unsalted cashew nuts

Peel pumkin and cut into chunks. Peel and finely chop the shallots, garlic and ginger. Deseed the chilli peppers and slice them thinly. Pick the leaves from the coriander and chop the coriander stalks.

Heat oil (arachis, coconut or sunflower oil) in a large pot and once hot add the ginger, shallots, garlic and chilli. Turn the heat down to and very gently sauté for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the pepper and the chopped coriander stalks. Keep the leaves for later! After a minute or so, add the curry paste. (You can start with the four tablespoons and add more later if you feel the dish needs it.)

Cook for another minute, then add the pumpkin. Sauté for a few minutes, then add the coconut milk, the ground turmeric, the maple sirop, and the soy sauce. Also add the salt. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and cover the pot. Let simmer for around 15 minutes.

In the meantime, clean and chop the broccoli into pieces. (If instead you use green beans, clean them and cut in half).

Once the pumpkin has softened, taste the sauce and add curry paste, salt or maple sirop if you feel it needs it. Then add the lime juice, the broccoli (or green beans) and the cashews (or chick peas). Gently simmer for an additional 10 or so minutes, or until the broccoli / green beans are soft but still have bite to them. You can leave the lid off so the sauce thickens up a bit. (If at some point you feel the sauce is too thick, you can simply add a bit of water.)

Serve in a bowl or on a deep plate with rice and sprinkle with the coriander leaves.

SO GOOD!

xxx Esther