This dish is comfort in a bowl! Great for the winter season ahead of us. Because all my dishes are made for pairings I can't have crazy spicy flavors, but I can have flavorful dishes.
I make my own curry spice blend, but you can definitely use curry spice from your local market or spice shop.
Pumpkin Curry
Vegetarian and Vegan!
Serving- 4
Prep time- 10 minutes
Cook time- 30 minutes
Total time- 40minutes
Recipe
Ingredients-
2 tsp coconut oil
1 large shallot diced
1/2 inch fresh ginger grated
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp dried curry mixture
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground tummeric
1 1/2 cups full fat canned coconut milk (1 standard can)
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree, fresh or you can also use 1 standard can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 standard can chickpeas rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp salt
1 bunch cilantro for garnish
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or pepitas
2 cups cooked rice, follow rice instructions for four servings
Directions-
Heat the coconut oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the shallot with a pinch of salt and stir until browned (3-5 minutes)
Now add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the dried spices, cook until fragrant, 30 seconds- 1 minute
While stirring, add the coconut milk, stir until incorporated
Add pumpkin puree and chickpeas, if you think it is too thick you can add a little water
Add 1/2 tsp salt
Cover and simmer 20 minutes
Serve over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro and pumpkin seeds
Let's Pair this Dish!!!
Dry Riesling, the reason being is that Riesling has a good back bone for a dish like this, it compliments the amount of flavors that are going on. If you pair with a light acidic white wine you loose the flavor of the wine because some whites are too delicate, for example Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc. You also can pair this with Rose, that is what I did when playing with recipe ideas. Choose a Rose that is fruit forward, not too acidic. A great way to go about choosing is the lighter the Rose, the more delicate it will likely be.
Amber or Brown Ale, same thing goes for this beer pairing. These beers are a little more rich so it won't be lost with this pairing. If you choose a lager the curry will take over and you might as well be drinking water.
Cocktail hour! When choosing a cocktail I like to start with thinking where the dish originated from. So I think India and Thailand (I am not choosing a favorite, they are both unique and I love them equally) I always pair with contrasting flavors so I will not use coconut, ginger, cilantro... anything that is in the recipe. I think lime would be terrific and mango is popular in Thailand so I will make a Mango Lime Mojitio
Mango Mojito
Serving- 1
Total time- 5 minutes
Ingredients-
10 fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish
2 ounces white rum
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup mango (if using frozen, defrost) Couple cubes for garnish
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
,Top off with sparkling water (club soda)
Directions-
Combine mint, rum, lime juice, mango, sugar in cocktail shaker, You know when you hear that sound it's about to be a fun night!
Use a cocktail muddler or wooden spoon end and gently muddle
Add ice and rum to the cocktail shaker and shake.
Take tall glass and rim the top with a lime. Add sugar to a small plate and dip limed rim in sugar
Fill glass with ice and 3 chunks of frozen mango
Pour rum mixture in glass and top with sparkling water
Garnish with mint and lime