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Last Updated on November 4, 2020

The inspiration for this delicious pumpkin coconut curry I got on our family vacation in the Maldives this summer:) The Maldivian kitchen is fresh, rich in vegetables, full of spice and closely resembles Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine.

We not only fell in love with our dream island but also with all those different coconut curry recipes. You’ll find there all combinations with vegetables, with fish, with chicken…I knew then, that I wanted to cook a Maldives inspired dish by myself once I return home – but I wanted a pragmatic approach.

Buying a whole bunch of new spices for a special exotic recipe would have probably turned me off. Part of my mission on leanjumpstart.com is to provide you with quick and simplified clean eating recipes, with short ingredient lists. This easy recipe comes quite close to my mission – on top it helps with weight management too. More about this effect at the bottom of this post.

Luckily for Indian curries you can use some spices most of us have always at hand like ginger, garlic or red chilly pepper. If you cook often Indian style, you might have also red curry paste at home, which would give this recipe an even higher authenticity.

While I’ve spotted a huge variety of vegetables in the Maldives (I tried for the first time “Okra” and loved it!) – I can’t tell you for sure, if I’ve seen there any pumpkins. Nevertheless – as the autumn season is now in full swing, I decided to combine the sauce with squash I got in our vegetable subscription box. Result: We loved it!

Why I prefer red kuri squash for this Indian pumpkin curry

You can make this pumpkin recipe either with butternut squash or red kuri squash (Hokkaido pumpkin). I used for this simple recipe red kuri which is my absolute favorite autumn vegetable for two reasons: Gorgeous taste and simplicity as you don’t peel them.

Butternut squash on the other hand has a rather tough skin you don’t want to eat. So, if you have the choice, I highly recommend to use red kuri squashes for the sake of simplicity.

Pumpkin Coconut Curry

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★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

A delicious vegan pumpkin curry recipe

Author: Gabi Rupp
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 30

Ingredients

Scale

1.5 lb/600 grams red kuri squash cubes (Hokkaido pumpkin)
0.75 lb/300 grams broccoli florets
150 grams baby corn (optional)
9 flu oz./250 ml half or full fat coconut milk
9 flu oz./250 ml veggetable broth
1–2 tablespoons red chili pepper
2 teaspoons ginger, sliced
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
cilantro, chopped or 1 tsp dry cilantro (optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
additional salt to taste

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Instructions

Pour half of the coconut milk into a large pot, saute pan or wok, over medium high heat.
Add ginger, garlic and red chili pepper.
Stir to prevent the milk from burning at the bottom.
Add red kuri squash and stir to coat squash with curry sauce.
Add the veggie broth and the remaining coconut milk.
Simmer stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.
Add broccoli florets and cook for 3 minutes more.
Switch off the heat.
Taste with cilantro and salt.
Serve hot with wholegrain rice.

Notes

To give it a more exotic taste you could use thai red curry paste instead of the red chilly pepper.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 2

How to combine this recipe

As mentioned in the instructions, I mostly serve it with whole grain rice. Although this time I made an exception and used plain and sticky white milk rice. It’s not clean and I really use it very rarely, but it comes with the advantage that you can easily form an eye catching rice ball. See below.

To increase the fiber and satiation effect it’s however better to use whole grain rice. Millet or quinoa would work perfectly too for this vegan pumpkin curry.

Another clean eating recipe for weight loss

Have you seen how light this easy curry recipe with broccoli and corn is? Combined, especially with whole grain rice, it is not only delicious filling, but a perfect meal for weight management.

The only fat in this recipe comes from coconut milk. If eaten in moderation coconut milk’s fatty acids can melt your fat zones. The special property of these rare “Middle Chain Triglycerides” is, that your body burns them faster for energy. Learn more in my blog post about coconut milk nutrition.

If you like this recipe then my cauliflower coconut curry will convince you too.

Recipe variation

A similar look and feel but a slightly different taste you get if you replace the pumpkin with sweet potatoes.

Other squash recipes you might enjoy

– baked butternut squash