Pumpkin Korma

 

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I have two great loves in life. Indian food and pumpkins! Indian food is easy to love because it is delicious and vegan friendly but mostly because it is spicy and who doesn't love October and pumpkin season?! Combine these two great loves and bam! You get Pumpkin Korma! The flavors of Fall and the spice of curry pair beautifully in this festive and easy to make meal.  The true beauty of vegetable korma is that you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand.  Look in my refrigerator on any given day and you will find red bell peppers and a mason jar full of freshly sprouted chickpeas. Therefore, these two ingredients grace this dish but don't be afraid to use what you have on hand, in fact I encourage it! Play around and always use what you love, what is local, and what is in season.  This dish is perfect for a cold, stormy night when the trees are turning and the wind has its hint of the chilly winter to come!  Since it is October, I'd say this is a beautiful time of year to eat Pumpkin Korma and enjoy the colors of Fall! Washington has truly beautiful seasons and Fall has slowly crept its way onto our landscape here in the Pacific Northwest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A quick word about the pumpkin for this recipe.  It's absolutely okay to use canned pumpkin but I like to use fresh pumpkin when it's in season because it lends itself to a stronger pumpkin flavor and because I like pieces of pumpkin to accompany the other vegetables.  Of course, use what you are comfortable with and what you have time for, using fresh pumpkin can add about 20 minutes to the prep time for this dish but it is so worth it!

 

To prepare the pumpkin, you'll need about 2 cups of cubed pumpkin.  Use an organic sugar pie pumpkin and cut in half.  Then scoop out the seeds and remove all the inner strings and mushy parts (great culinary jargon, I know!).  I like to save the seeds and roast them with a little bit of olive oil and salt for a healthy snack later and sometimes I dry the seeds to save for my garden the following season.  Once you've cleaned the inside, use a knife to carefully cut off the skin.  Once you have the clean flesh of the pumpkin, cut into cubes.  To steam the pumpkin, place a large stock pot of water on the stove to boil and add the pumpkin to a steamer basket.  Cover and let steam for about 10 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.  To make a puree, add the pumpkin to a blender and process.  This puree can be used to make soups, pies, smoothies, sauces, or anything else that you might used canned pumpkin for! Now that we have our steamed pumpkin, let's put it to good use! We will use some of our pumpkin to make puree and some will be reserved to be added to the vegetables.

 

Pumpkin Korma Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 small onion, diced

2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced

4 carrots, cubed

1 jalapeno, seeded, minced

3 Tbsp. raw cashew, ground to flour (use a coffee grinder to make cashew flour)

3 Tbsp. raw cashew pieces

2 tsp. sea salt

2 1/2 Tbsp. curry powder

1 Tbsp. garam masala

1 cup coconut cream

2 cups vegetables

 - 1/2 cup green beans, chopped

 - 1 cup cauliflower, broken into bite-sized pieces

 - 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced

 - 1/4 cup chickpeas (mine are sprouted but you can use canned or cooked)

2 cups pumpkin, steamed

 

Method:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until tender. Add ginger and garlic, stir and cook an additional minute. Add the carrots, cauliflower, jalapeno and season with 1 Tbsp. of the curry powder and salt.  Stir and cook for ten minutes.

2. While the vegetables cook, add 1 cup of the steamed pumpkin, the coconut cream, 1 1/2 Tbsp. curry powder and the garam masala to a blender and process until smooth and creamy.

3.  To your skillet, add the rest of your vegetables, the remaining cup of steamed pumpkin, and the cashew flour to the pan and stir.  Now add your pumpkin puree to the pan and stir again. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for ten minutes.

4. Add the cashew pieces and stir just before serving.

 

To serve:

Serve pumpkin korma over a bed of jasmine or basmati rice or even over quinoa.  Garnish with fresh cilantro and shredded coconut.  Enjoy!

 

 



 

I had some leftover steamed pumpkin from making this dish so I used it in a simple supper that I had the following night.  In our house, veggie korma goes quick and we never have leftovers so I was really happy to have the pumpkin! I've made some rice and steamed some kale to serve alongside some pinto beans, fresh romaine, bell pepper, cilantro and hot sauce for an open face burrito plate. Simple, wholesome goodness to end a busy day.

 

Thank you for vising the Venturing Vegan blog today! I hope you get a chance to make this recipe and that you love it as much as we do! Happy Fall to all!