Description
A fragrant and creamy Thai Pumpkin Curry with chickpeas, spinach, and coconut milk, perfectly balanced with spices, lime, and herbs.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 tablespoon cooking oil (divided)
- 1 red bell pepper (seeded and sliced)
- 1 small orange or yellow bell pepper (seeded and sliced)
- 1 red chile pepper (serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped)
- 1 onion (sliced)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 to 4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 ½ cups diced pumpkin
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 slices fresh ginger
- 2 makrut lime leaves leaves (or use bay leaves)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or use vegetarian fish sauce or soy sauce for vegan version)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
- 3 ½ cups spinach leaves
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a medium skillet on the stove top, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chile pepper and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat.
- In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, curry paste, turmeric, and cumin and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute more.
- Add the pumpkin, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook, stirring to mix the ingredients well, until the pumpkin begins to soften, about 5 minutes more. Add the reserved peppers along with the ginger, lime leaves, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar, if using. Stir in the broth and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the pumpkin is tender, about 5 minutes more.
- Once softened, take out about 1 cup of pumpkin and put it in a blender. Process until smooth and then return to the pot.
- Add the chickpeas and bring the soup back to a simmer over medium heat. Cook briefly, until the chickpeas are heated and then stir in the spinach and cilantro and cook a minute or two until the spinach wilts. Remove from the heat.
- Serve hot.
Notes
For a vegan version, substitute fish sauce with soy sauce or vegetarian fish sauce. Adjust curry paste to preferred spice level.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 550 kcal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 1179 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 73 g
- Fiber: 18 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg