Welcome to the first of the Season! Pumpkin lends itself to some great flavours, apart from being delicious roasted alone as a happy addition to a Sunday roast, or a warm Winter salad :-). I have been recently craving a spicy curry and this recipe ticks all the boxes: spicy, fragrant, veggie, versatile, cheap and delicious! Feel free to to tweak as needs be spice wise... or just take it as read this dish is delicious!
Ingredients:
1 large onion , chopped
1 thumb nailed sized chunk of ginger, chopped up
1 thumbnailed chunk of fresh turmeric, chopped up
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 fresh chilli, chopped up
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 - 2 tsps curry powder
500g pumpkin - skinned, de-seeded & flesh chopped into chunks
1 can of butterbeans (or chickpea), drained & rinsed
1/2 can of coconut milk
3 tbsps of red lentils
600ml - hot veg stock (make up with a stock cube in a jug)
1 bag of baby spinach leaves - about 200-28f0g
1/2 tsp of salt, and lots of fresh ground black pepper
Rice, papadums, fresh coriander & Lime Pickle to serve
Method
Prep all of the veg, then place the onion, ginger, turmeric, garlic & chilli into a blender with a splash of water & grind to a paste.
Heat some oil in a wide based pan & add the mustard & cumin seeds, wait til they pop then add the onion paste & curry powder and reduce the heat
Add the pumpkin chunks, red lentils, the can of butterbeans (or chickpeas), a large splash of water & and the 1/2 can of coconut milk
Add the stock, stir well and leave to simmer
Meanwhile, cook your rice as normal or to the packet instructions
Check the seasoning and consistency of the curry - make sure you cook it down for at laser 30 minutes for a full flavour
Enjoy this flavourful, seasonal curry !
500g fresh pumpkin, chopped / diced