Description
This Indian Pumpkin Curry is a flavorful and comforting dish made with tender pumpkin, aromatic spices, and creamy coconut milk. It combines rich garam masala, tangy amchur powder, and subtle sweetness from jaggery to create a delightful balance of flavors. Ideal to serve with rice, roti, naan, or any flatbread for a satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables and Legumes
- 350 grams pumpkin (12 ounces, about 2 ½ to 3 cups diced)
- 1 cup chickpeas (cooked or canned, optional)
- 1 ¼ cup onions (fine chopped, 1 large onion)
- 1 ¼ cup tomatoes (deseeded & fine chopped, 2 large or 1 cup tomato puree)
- 1 green chilli (optional, chopped, Indian/Thai or Serrano peppers)
- ¼ cup coriander leaves (fine chopped)
Spices and Flavorings
- ½ tablespoon ginger paste (or grated ½ inch peeled & grated)
- ½ tablespoon garlic paste (4 to 5 grated cloves)
- 1 to 1 ½ teaspoon salt (½ + 1 tsp, divided)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chilli powder (adjust to taste; I use 2 tsp)
- 1 ½ teaspoon garam masala (1 + ½ tsp, divided)
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon fennel powder (optional, leave if unavailable)
- 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves, optional)
- 1 to 1 ½ teaspoon amchur powder (or tamarind paste or lemon juice, adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon jaggery (or brown sugar, optional)
- 1 Indian bay leaf (or 1 sprig curry leaves, optional)
- 2 inch cinnamon piece (or ½ inch cassia, optional)
- 1 star anise (optional)
Liquids and Oils
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 to 1 ½ cups hot water (add in batches)
- ¾ cup coconut milk (or 4 tablespoons almond flour blended with ½ cup water)
Instructions
- Prepare the aromatics: Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the Indian bay leaf, cinnamon piece, and star anise if using. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Sauté the onions and spices: Add the finely chopped onions and green chilli to the pan. Cook until onions turn translucent and start to brown slightly, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the ginger paste and garlic paste and cook for another 2 minutes until aromatic.
- Add tomatoes and dry spices: Mix in the chopped or pureed tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes soften and oil starts to separate on the sides, about 8 minutes. Add Kashmiri red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, fennel powder (if using), and salt (½ teaspoon). Stir well to combine and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add pumpkin and cook: Add the diced pumpkin pieces and stir to coat with the masala. Cook for 3-4 minutes, allowing the spices to infuse into the pumpkin.
- Simmer with liquids: Pour in 1 cup of hot water and stir. Cover and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes until the pumpkin is tender, adding more water as needed during cooking to maintain a curry consistency.
- Add chickpeas and coconut milk: Incorporate the cooked or canned chickpeas if using. Stir in the coconut milk to add creaminess and simmer for an additional 5 minutes to blend flavors.
- Final seasoning: Add garam masala (1 teaspoon), Kasuri methi (if using), amchur powder or tamarind/lemon juice, jaggery, and remaining salt (1 teaspoon). Stir gently and cook for another 2 minutes to marry all flavors.
- Garnish and serve: Turn off the heat. Sprinkle with finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice, roti, naan, or preferred flatbreads.
Notes
- This pumpkin curry is versatile and can be made vegan by ensuring jaggery or sugar used is vegan-friendly and using oil instead of ghee.
- Adjust the spice levels by varying the amount of Kashmiri red chilli powder and green chilli according to your preference.
- If chickpeas are unavailable, you can omit them or substitute with rajma (kidney beans) as mentioned in the ingredient notes.
- For a thicker curry, reduce the amount of water; for a thinner gravy, add more.
- The Kasuri methi and fennel powder add extra aromatic depth but can be omitted if not available without significantly affecting the dish.
- Serve this curry with rice, roti, naan, poori, or even dosa for a complete meal experience.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 190 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 401 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 19 mg
