When you first think about pumpkin season, usually desserts and various sweet things come to mind, but these adorable orange gourds are so much more than fall decor and latte flavoring.
Today, I am generously coating roasted pumpkin in a warmly spiced, super comforting makhani style curry. It’s incredibly flavorful with great texture and beautiful, welcoming color… just perfect for fall.
Let’s get started…
Begin by peeling and dicing a medium pie pumpkin. The easiest way to do this is to peel the entire pumpkin whole and then slice it into rings using your sharpest knife. Once you get into the center, just cut around the seeds and discard them.
Transfer the diced pumpkin onto a baking sheet, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Roast the pumpkin in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until the pumpkin is fork tender.
While the pumpkin is roasting, we are going to whip up a beautiful curry sauce…
Begin by gathering 1 medium diced yellow onion, 4 cloves of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of ginger paste or 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder, 1 small minced serrano pepper, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 6 quartered plum tomatoes, 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh cilantro, 1 teaspoon of garam masala, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of fenugreek (optional, but recommended), 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Note: If you are serving rice with your spiced pumpkin curry, start it first, so it is ready once the curry is ready to go.
Start by cooking the diced onion in a medium saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Next, add the minced garlic and cook, stirring consistently, for about 60 seconds before adding the ginger paste (or powder), minced serrano pepper, tomato paste, spices and plum tomatoes.
Add 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of brown sugar and give everything a good stir. Scrape the bottom of the sauce pan to work up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. You want all of that goodness is your curry, so don’t leave any of it behind.
Bring this mixture to a simmer and let it simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to break down. Transfer everything into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth and then transfer the mixture back into the same saucepan over medium heat.
Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro into the mixture and stir to combine.
Once the pumpkin is done roasting, carefully transfer it into the curry and gently stir to combine.
Although the spiced pumpkin curry is technically ready to enjoy now, you can allow it to slowly simmer for a few more minutes to give the curry a chance to reduce a bit more, which helps to further intensify the flavors. This is totally optional, but leaves you with some flexibility in case your rice is not quite ready or your friends are running late for dinner.
It’s nice to have options…
This recipe will give you two big, hearty portions or four smaller portions, so grab some bowls and get ready to plate up this fabulous curry.
Add a few scoops of rice, some spiced pumpkin curry and a little extra cilantro and maybe a lime wedge or two (I always serve lemon or lime wedges with curry!). If you want to add a little extra richness, drizzle a little heavy cream or crema over your bowls right before you serve.
Look at this curry! That color is just perfect and the flavors are even better!
This spiced pumpkin curry can easily be made vegan by swapping the heavy cream out for some full fat coconut milk and either swapping the butter out for vegan butter or simply omitting it entirely. Although the butter does add a silky richness, the flavors in this curry are definitely wonderful enough without it.
Whether you are a lover of warm curry flavors or have yet to fall in love with their deliciousness, do yourself a favor and make this spiced pumpkin curry. It’s comforting, inviting and perfectly satisfying.
Spiced Pumpkin Curry
Ingredients
- 1 large pie pumpkin, peeled, diced
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- a pinch of salt and black pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon of ginger paste (or 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder)
- 1 small serrano pepper, minced
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 teapoon of garam masala
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 teapoon of paprika
- 1/2 teapoon of cumin
- 1/2 teapoon of fenugreek
- 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 6 plum tomatoes, quartered
- 1 cup of water
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- rice, cooked (optional pairing)
- lime wedges (garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
- Place the diced pumpkin on a parchment lined baking sheet and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and black pepper
- Roast the pumpkin for 20-25 minutes or until fork tender
- While the pumpkin is roasting, place a skillet over medium heat and add the diced yellow onion
- Cook the onion for 5-7 minutes or until softened
- Once the onions have softened, add 4 cloves of garlic and cook, stirring consistently, for about 60 seconds
- Add the ginger paste, serrano peppers, tomato paste, spices and plum tomatoes into the skillet with the onions and garlic and stir to combine
- Add 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of brown sugar and bring the mixture up to a simmer
- Cook until the tomatoes begin to break down
- Transfer everything into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth
- Pour the mixture back into the skillet and reduce the heat to medium low
- Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of butter into the curry
- As soon as the pumpkin is fork tender, add it into the curry along with 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh cilantro and toss to combine
- Serve with rice and garnish with lime wedges
