Fall is here and so is pumpkin season! Although a lot of people’s go-to pumpkin recipes are sweet, you can actually do a lot of with it in the savory department as well. Pumpkin can (and should) be used to make dishes like soups, stews, and pasta sauces. Today though, we explore Hearty Pumpkin Curry with White Rice. This combo is delightful! It’s warm, aromatic, and super filling.
It’s only been the last few years that I’ve started eating curry dishes, and I’ve got to say, I’m so glad I did. I had had curry a few times in my youth and it just didn’t speak to me, but as an adult something changed. Maybe my taste buds evolved, or maybe I just hadn’t had good curry before, but something clicked inside. Now, let me just say, I love curry, but as a Jewish White woman from the Pacific Northwest, all my curry recipes are inspired by Thai and Indian cuisine and is in no way authentic. That being said, my curry dishes are still tasty AF.
Tell me in the comments, have you made curry dishes at home?
Seasonal Eating
Something I really love about this recipe is how seasonal it feels. And no, I don’t mean it’s pumpkin spice kitsch, I mean it uses produce that’s ripe and ready all in the fall season. We grew a lot of today’s recipe in our garden this summer: broccoli, jalapeño, bell pepper, etc. We didn’t grow them ourselves, but pumpkin and corn would also be in season in late summer/fall. When you eat food in season, it’s fresh, more nutritious, and generally tastier. Obviously it’s not something I recommend everyone do all the time, but it feels nice to do when you can.
Ingredients
- Rice
- Oil
- Shallot
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Jalapeño
- Curry paste
- Pumpkin
- Coconut milk
- Bell pepper
- Chickpea
- Corn
- Broccoli
- Lime
- Seasonings
. This recipe does involve many ingredients, but most if not all of them are widely accessible and easy to work with.
. If you end up with short grain rice instead of long grain, read the recipe card for instructions on reducing the water content.
. Shallots are the more subtle cousin of the onion. If you want a more intense onion flavor then go for it, but it’s not really the vibe of this recipe.
. You can use ginger pastes found in the produce section of your grocery store, but for price and taste, using fresh is better. If you have leftover ginger root, simply throw it in the freezer when you’re not using it. I recommend peeling it before freezing.
. I use Mae Ploy curry paste, but you can use whatever brand you like best. You can, of course, make curry without paste, but this is such an easy and convenient option that I’m not sure why you would in this case.
. Pumpkin puree varies a lot brand to brand. Personally, I love the Farmer’s Market Foods Organic Pumpkin. It’s less pasty than other brands and I think it tastes amazing.
. Make sure to get canned coconut milk that is unsweetened and unflavored. You don’t want to get the coconut milk in your milk aisle or coconut cream in the drink mixer aisle.
. If you don’t like chickpeas you can replace them with any bean you want. I’d recommend a white bean substitute, but it’s really up to personal preference.
. If you aren’t a fan of a certain vegetable in this grocery list, that’s ok. Simply swap it out for one that works best for you.
How to Make this Curry
To begin, make your rice. *If you are a novice in the kitchen, let yourself focus on one task at a time. If you’ve go more experience, soak and cook the rice while preparing and cooking your curry.* Soak the rice in cold water for at least a minute, then dump it into a fine mesh strainer and rinse it. Dump it back in your container and soak again. Repeat this process 3 or 4 times. Don’t skip this step; doing this helps remove the starches from the rice and let’s it cook with better consistency. When you’ve finished this process, add the rinsed rice to a medium pot along with water and salt. If it pleases you, throw in a dash of butter or oil. Bring it all to a boil and once it’s boiling, lower the heat down to a simmer and cover it. Let it simmer 18 minutes, then remove from the heat. Don’t stir or fluff your rice; just take a clean small towel and fit it over the pot top. Tightly press the lid back on and let it rest like that at least 15 minutes.
Now for the curry sauce. Using a large pot, heat a dash of oil and toss in your chopped shallot. Sweat this on a medium heat about 5 minutes or so, then add in the ginger, garlic, jalapeños, and curry paste. You may need to reduce the heat a bit to keep this from burning. Either way, stir it consistently for 3-5 minutes until it’s heated and fragrant. Scoop in he canned pumpkin, milk, salt, and cinnamon, and stir while it heats. Once it’s heated, blend it until smooth.
To the blended sauce, add all your prepped veggies and canned items. Squeeze in some lime as well. Stir it all in and turn down to a simmer. Cover the pot, then let it all heat through, then top it with fresh cilantro, more lime juice, and if you desire, pepitas or pumpkin seeds. Serve it with a scoop of white rice and thank me later.
Helpful Tools
If you read this section on any other recipes, you’ll think I’m a broken record. For soups and sauces I ALWAYS recommend and emulsion blender. It is a huge time saver and it actually aides in safety and cleanliness. It’s a lot easier to bring the blender to the giant vat of boiling liquid rather than the other way around. Save your skin some burns and your shirt some stains and consider purchasing this fairly inexpensive kitchen item.
Pumpkin Curry with White Rice
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Medium Pot
- Emulsion or Standing Blender
Ingredients
White Rice
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 1 1/4 cup water, 1 cup if using short grain
- 1/2 tsp salt
Curry Sauce
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 shallot, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, shredded or minced
- 2 jalapeños, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp yellow curry paste
- 2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 can unsweetened coconut milk, typically between 13.5-15.5 oz
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Curry Filling
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
- 1 can golden whole kerneled corn, drained
- 3-4 cups broccoli, chopped
- 2 tsp lime juice
Toppings
- cilantro leaves
- pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- lime juice
Instructions
White Rice
- Soak the rice in a bowl of cold water for at least 1 minute, then strain and rinse.
- Repeat soaking and rinsing 3-4 times, then add to a medium pot with water and salt. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, cover with a lid and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 18 minutes.
- Remove from heat and leave the rice undisturbed. Using a clean kitchen towel, lift the lid, cover the pot with the towel, and put the lid back on tightly. Let it rest 15-20 minutes.
Curry Sauce
- Begin by heating oil in a large pot on medium heat. Once heated, add shallot and sweat for 3 minutes.
- Next, stir in the ginger, garlic, jalapeños, and curry paste. Turn the heat down a little and sauté another 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour in the pumpkin puree, coconut milk, salt, and cinnamon and heat through.
- Once heated, use an emulsion blender to create a smooth, creamy sauce. You can also pour this in a regular blender.
Filling
- Prep your vegetables and mix them into the sauce, along with the chickpeas and lime juice.
- Turn the heat down and let this simmer, covered, for 5-10 minutes, stirring every minute or so.
- Top with cilantro leaves, pepitas, and extra lime juice and enjoy.