Makes 4-ish servings

Notes:

Call us basic, but we love our pumpkin spice coffee and order it as soon as it’s available each fall. But, pumpkin is a versatile, seasonal ingredient that deserves to be showcased in more than just coffee and pie. This extremely easy curry features this seasonal ingredient in a savory dish that’s full of all the hallmarks of fall: it’s comforting, warming, and just a wee bit spooky.

This is a vegetarian dish, so if your family just won’t go that route, omit the chickpeas and serve with roasted salmon on top filets instead

Pro tips:

To amp up the flavor, briefly sauté some grated or minced ginger and garlic in a drizzle of grapeseed oil, before (carefully! it may spatter) pouring your coconut milk into the pot.
If you don’t want to turn on both your oven and your stove top, we understand, but we think roasting the cauliflower adds some nice color and texture. If you don’t care about such things, just dump your cauliflower florets into the pumpkin and coconut milk mixture and let them simmer until soft.

Products recs:

On curry paste: there are tons of amazing curry pastes available at your local Asian grocery store, and those are worth exploring. But, barring an extra trip, our widely available favorites are Mekhala, Mike’s Organic, and Maesri.

Swaps:

If that’s what you have or it’s what you can find, red curry paste would work fine instead of yellow.
We think legumes are an underrated pantry staple, but you could sub some cubed tofu in for the chickpeas.
As always, the cilantro can be swapped for mint or scallions, or omitted entirely. A handful of spinach or microgreens would also work well.
Serve this dish on top of black forbidden rice to make this an extra spooky halloween dish.

Add-ons:

A dash of fish sauce would be a great addition to the broth.
We topped our curry with some chopped peanuts and think you should too. Cashews would also work well.
If you like spice, throw some chile crisp on top.
We also added some scallions we had lying around the fridge.

Equipment:

Sheet pan
Parchment sheets (optional)
Can opener
Large pot/dutch oven
Cutting board
Knife

Ingredients:

2 x ~10 ounce bag of cauliflower florets
1 tablespoon neutral oil, preferably grapeseed
1 x 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
1 x 13.5 ounce can pumpkin purée
½ jar yellow curry paste (
1½ teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more as needed
1 x 15 ounce can chickpeas
3 x 8.5 ounces bags of steamed jasmine or basmati rice
½ bunch cilantro
1 lime

Assembly:

Roast your cauliflower: preheat the oven to 425˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment, if desired. Then, pour your florets onto the baking sheet, and break up any large pieces. Toss the florets with oil, then the salt and pepper to evenly coat. Spread the cauliflower on the baking sheet and pop into the oven. Roast for 15 - 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is golden and browned around the edges - set a timer.

Meanwhile, place a large pot over a medium-high flame and pour in your coconut milk and give a good stir. Once the coconut milk has emulsified, plop in your pumpkin and whisk to combine. Then, stir in your curry paste and whisk until everything is combined.

Drain and rinse your chickpeas, then stir them into the curry. Season to taste with salt, and adjust the consistency as needed with a few tablespoons of water or stock - you can also made more curry paste if you like a stronger flavor profile. Let the stew simmer until the cauliflower is roasted.

Finish your prep: warm the rice according to the instructions on the package, then chop the cilantro leaves from the stems. Quarter your lime.

Divide your warmed rice among four bowls, then top with a ladle or two of stew. Add the cauliflower, and garnish with the cilantro leaves and lime wedge. Viola - spooky, seasonal supper.

Pumpkin, Chickpea and Cauli Curry