Pumpkin Curry

So I did it. For the last post of pumpkin week I used a fresh pumpkin that I cooked. That was the goal of this whole week anyway... to use seasonal produce. Last time I checked, cans were not quite seasonal. The recipe that pushed me outside the can was a Thai pumpkin curry with asparagus. It is so good!  Besides the extra work of cutting the thing up, it was pretty easy also. The inspiration for this recipe came from two places. My sister makes a great thai coconut curry with whatever veggies and protein she has around and a few years ago was kind enough to teach me the base recipe. The second inspiration, and the idea to use pumpkin, came from a dinner I ate at Mango Thai a year ago. That night I got the seasonal special which was a red curry served inside a large pumpkin. It was tasty and the presentation was over-the-top awesome. 

Since I was going to serve my curry to 6 people, the pumpkin presentation idea was ditched. No thanks to scooping out all those pumpkin guts :) This recipe consists of cubed pumpkin, asparagus, chicken thighs, coconut milk, shallots, garlic, and various seasonings. Served over rice it is a great main dish that went over really well. Here is what the dish looked like, mind you here in Minnesota it is dark by 5 making dinner food pictures terrible, and the recipe follows below. Enjoy, friends!

Pumpkin Asparagus Curry 

Ingredients:

2 cans of coconut milk

2lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into pieces

1 pumpkin cut into bite-sized cubes

1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed to used the top half only

3 shallots, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 Tbs cooking oil, I used coconut

3 Tbs red curry paste

2 Tbs fish sauce

1 lime, juiced

3 tsp firmly packed brown sugar

4 Tbs basil, chopped and saved for garnish

steamed rice for serving

Directions:

1. Bring a larger pot of water to a boil.

2. Peel the skin off a smaller, sweeter cooking pumpkin using a vegetable peeler. Then chop off the stemmed top and cut in half. Scoop out the insides and discard or save the seeds if you are into baking yourself a little snack later. Cut the halves into bite-sized pieces.

3. Add the pumpkin to the pot of boiling water for 7 minutes. For the last 2 minutes add the asparagus. Drain the veggies from the water and set aside.

4. In a wok or large pan heat the oil and cook the chicken until brown on both sides. This took me 6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

5. In the wok or pan you used for the chicken cook the shallots and garlic for 2 minutes until they begin to turn translucent. Add the curry paste stirring for 20 seconds to bring out the fragrance. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. 

6. Add the remaining ingredients, including the veggies and chicken, to the pot and simmer on low until the pumpkin is tender and the chicken is cooked throughout. This took me about 15 more minutes. Right before serving add the chopped basil and stir for a minute or so.

7. Serve hot over rice.

Serves 6