Vegan Pumpkin Coconut Curry

Winter may be coming to an end but that doesn’t stop me from creating warm and filling curries to help me battle the cold and rainy days. As a student, there’s no better feeling than coming back from class in the pouring rain and opening my fridge to find my delicious curry sitting there waiting for me. I thank myself every day when I meal prep my food, especially on those days when I am feeling extra lazy or have a heap load of work to do! If you’re someone like me who loves going out to eat in restaurants and gets a craving for Asian food quite often, this pumpkin coconut curry is the one to make. It will also help you save money! If you can’t find pumpkins in your local market, then a butternut squash will work as well. I like using pumpkin because it gives it a more sweet and heartier flavor than a butternut squash. I have a big appetite, so I would say that this recipe serves around 3 people but you could always add more vegetables to it and bulk it out. You can also serve it with rice.

Vegan Pumpkin Coconut Curry

Recipe Type: Hearty Entrees Soups and Stews

YIELDS 3 servings

PREP TIME 10 min

COOK TIME 30 min

TOTAL TIME 40 min

1 small white onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp tomato purée
1/2 vegetable stock cube
1 can canned coconut milk
1 kg pumpkin
150 g frozen peas
1 can chickpeas
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Before you start cooking, prepare your pumpkin by cutting it up into chunks and cutting off the outer skin.

2. Cut up your onions into small pieces and with a splash of water cook them on high heat.

3. Add your garlic powder, curry powder, vegetable stock and tomato puree and mix it all. together off the heat, then cook them all together for just under a minute to let the flavors mix.

4. Add your pumpkin in and mix it well with the paste you have created and cook on a lower heat for a few minutes.

5. Add small bits of water as you go along to stop the paste from burning to the bottom of your saucepan.

6. Next, add your whole tin of coconut milk and stir it into the pumpkin mix.

7. Once your coconut milk has warmed up, add your drained and washed chickpeas and peas into the pan and add additional water to make sure the pumpkin is covered in liquid.

8. On medium heat cook your curry for roughly 20-30 minutes by stirring it occasionally and taste test to see whether you need to add anymore more seasonings for your acquired taste.

9. After 20 minutes take a fork to check if the pumpkin is nice and soft and remove the pan from the heat.

10. It is now ready to be served!

Photo: Laura Papp