Indian-style Butter Pumpkin with Rice
Serves 4 with leftover pumpkin Prep 20 mins Cooking 50 mins
We all love butter chicken, so why can’t we have that tasty sauce smothered over a deliciously roasted piece of gnarly pumpkin? I’ve made sure there’s extra pumpkin for you to play with. Use the leftovers to make a tasty frittata! Just whack it in a shallow pan with some beaten eggs and milk.
100 50 g g butter raw cashews
3 tsp garam masala
1 tsp each ground turmeric,
cardamom and mild chilli powder
1 cup (250 ml) thick Greek-style
yoghurt
1.6 kg crown pumpkin,
cut into 3 cm thick wedges
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked,
stems and roots finely chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
700 g tomato passata
400 ml canned coconut cream
steamed basmati rice to serve
TOMATO ONION SALAD
3 1 red tomatoes, onion, cut thinly into sliced wedges
1 Lebanese cucumber,
peeled and chopped
juice of 1 lemon or lime
1 tsp mustard seeds, toasted
Place cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Soak until required. Preheat oven to 200°C. Heat the butter in a flameproof roasting pan or large ovenproof frypan over high heat. Add spices and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add yoghurt and mix to combine. Transfer to a bowl and brush over pumpkin pieces to coat. (This can be done the day before and left to marinate.) Return pan to heat and add oil, garlic, ginger, coriander stems and roots, and cook for 1 minute to soften. Add brown sugar, tomato passata, coconut cream and strained cashews and bring to a simmer. Use a stick blender to whiz mixture and finely chop cashews into sauce. Carefully place pumpkin, cut side up in the pan and transfer to the oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until pumpkin is cooked through and sauce has reduced. Meanwhile for the salad, toss all ingredients in a bowl.
Serve butter pumpkin scattered with coriander leaves, some of the onion from the salad and remaining salad and rice alongside.