Chickpea and Pumpkin Curry – Its Pumpkin Season

Its pumpkin season, we are picking heaps of pumpkins, the pumpkin vine took over the whole bank beside our driveway this year. It has grown with wild abandon, scrambling over gardens and the bottom road. We have been rewarded with loads of delicious pumpkins with bright orange flesh. We have been eating lots of pumpkin meals, soups, curries, biscuits, steamed, roasted and fried on the BBQ.

Here is a tried and true recipe that we enjoy cooking at this time of year.

CHICKPEA AND PUMPKIN CURRY

2 tbsp oil

4 leaflets of curry leaf tree (60-80 leaves)

2 lge onion chopped

4 cloves garlic crushed

4 tsp coriander seed

4 tsp cumin seed

2 tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp chilli powder

1 tsp salt

4 large tomatoes skinned and chopped or (2 tins diced tomatoes)

1 cup dried chickpeas soaked overnight and cooked until soft or (2 cans chickpeas, drained)

800g pumpkin peeled and cut into small pieces

2 cups of shredded assorted spinach leaves

½ cup of fresh coriander leaf chopped

• Place coriander seed and cumin seed in a small heavy based saucepan over medium heat stir until fragrant,

• add turmeric powder and chilli powder and stir for a further 1-2 min.

• Remove from heat and scrape into mortar, pound into a powder with the salt.

• Heat oil in a large heavy base pan add curry leaves and cook until crisp.

• Add onion to pan and cook until soft add powdered spices and garlic and stir through.

• Add tomatoes, chickpeas and pumpkin, bring to boil, turn heat down and simmer for 15-20min or until pumpkin is cooked. Turn off heat and stir through your assorted greens.

• Top with chopped coriander and serve with rice.

Do you have any favourite pumpkin recipes? Leave a comment