Roasted pumpkin with curry sauce

SERVES 4-6 AS PART OF A BANQUET // PREP TIME 35 MINS // COOK 1 HR 40 MINS

“Mum loved pumpkin soup – the ’90s café kind with croûtons. But she never made non-Thai food at home,” says Anderson. “I reckon this is my mum’s concession to pumpkin soup.”

Vegetable oil, for drizzling

1 small kabocha (Japanese) pumpkin, (1kg), halved lengthways, seeds removed

Shredded makrut lime leaves, to serve

RED CURRY PASTE

10 dried long red chillies, soaked in

water for 20 minutes, chopped

5 red birdseye chillies, chopped 10 garlic cloves

10 whole white peppercorns, toasted 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only,

cut into 1cm pieces

3 red shallots, coarsely chopped 2 coriander roots, coarsely chopped 1 tbsp finely grated galangal

1 makrut lime or lime, finely grated 1 tsp each ground cumin and coriander

seeds, toasted

1 tbsp shrimp paste

CHOO CHEE CURRY

2 tbsp grapeseed oil

500 ml (2 cups) coconut cream,

plus extra to serve

2 tbsp fish sauce or to taste

2 tbsp finely grated palm sugar

or to taste 1 Preheat oven to 180°C. Place pumpkin on a piece of foil, drizzle with oil and season to taste. Enclose pumpkin in foil, place on an oven tray and roast cut-side up until pumpkin is soft but still holds its shape (2 hours). Increase oven temperature to 200°C. Unwrap pumpkin, return to oven and roast until browned and golden (30 minutes).

2 Meanwhile, for curry paste, place chillies and 1 tsp salt in a large mortar and pestle and pound until crushed. Add remaining ingredients and pound to a paste. Refrigerate until ready to use. Makes 400gm. 3 For choo chee curry sauce, heat oil in a large wok over high heat. Add 70gm curry paste and stir-fry until fragrant (3 minutes). Add coconut cream, fish sauce and palm sugar; adjust seasoning to taste. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened (10-12 minutes). Keep hot until ready to serve. Makes 380ml.

4 Place pumpkin on a serving plate and pour over choo chee curry sauce. Scatter with shredded makrut leaves and drizzle with extra coconut cream, to serve.

Note Leftover curry paste will store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.