Pumpkin & Chickpea Curry - for dark cold nights

The other day, I came home and neither me nor Mr T did any shopping. It was dark, cold and wet outside, so we weren't even in the mood for going out. Rumbling through the cupboards and fridge, we had the option of Risotto with pumpkin and goats cheese or a pumpkin and chickpea curry - Mr T thought the curry more worthy than the humble risotto so the choice was made.

Make sure that the cubes are not too small

You can make a curry almost out of any ingredients - as long as you have the base right. Most curries have a spice and tomato or coconut base. Since I had a lonely tin of coconut milk in the cupboard, I decided to go with that - added a tin of chopped tomatoes for good measure tho.

Roasting the pumpkin first reduces the cooking time later. I also find that the roasting brings out the wonderful sweetness of the pumpkin. Just make sure that the cubes are not too small as they will fall apart fast.

The result was rich, not too spicy, warming and delicious. I served it with plain rice and toasted bread (obviously naan bread would have been the better option but I was way too lazy to make some).

Pumpkin Curry

1 pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cubed

Wonderful and warming - perfect on a dark night

Olive oil

Vegetable or sunflower oil

2 onions, sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely diced

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

small piece of ginger, grated

1 tin of coconut milk

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tin of chickpeas, drained

To serve, rice & naan bread

Preheat the oven to 160C. Place the cubed pumpkin in a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil. Toss the cubes around to make sure they are all covered with the oil. Roast the pumpkin until almost done (make sure they don't get mushy as they will fall apart during the later cooking stage).

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the sunflower oil over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned. Add the ginger and chili and cook for a further 2 minutes. Now add the turmeric and cumin and cook, stirring, for one more minute. 

Now add the coconut milk, tomatoes and chickpeas and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the pumpkin and turn down the heat to low. Cook for about 30 mins - before the pumpkin starts to fall apart. 

Serve with plain rice and warm naan bread.

Bon Appetit