Pumpkin Curry Recipe

pumpkin curry over rice with cilantro garnish

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American-Thai, Asian-Inspired, Thai

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 35

Servings: servings

Calories: 606kcal

Author: Emily

This Thai-inspired Pumpkin Curry Recipe is easy to make and tastes just like take-out!

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Equipment

large pot or skillet (I used my dutch oven)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
8-10 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 2 breasts)
1 medium yellow or white onion, sliced into crescents
½ cup carrot sticks (about 2-3 carrots)
1 head broccoli, cut into florets (can peel and slice broccoli stems as well)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced or grated ginger
2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste (for spicier sauce add 2 additional tablespoons)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk (full-fat will give you the best results)
1-2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
½ lime, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce
4 cups cooked jasmine rice, prepared sticky
fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
lime wedges for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Prepare all of the ingredients first so they are ready to go. Cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Slice the onion into crescents. Peel and cut up the carrots into sticks about 2" long. Cut up the head of broccoli into florets. If you want to use the stems, peel the outside first and then slice them into thin disks. Mince the garlic and mince or grate the ginger (see notes). Lastly, juice half of a lime and use the other half for garnish.
Heat a large pot or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and chicken pieces and cook the chicken all the way through until there is no pink left. Remove the chicken from the pan into a bowl and set it aside.
Add the prepared onion, carrots, and broccoli stems (if using) to the pan and stir into the remaining oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the red curry paste, garlic, ginger, and salt to the pan and stir to combine. The fumes can be spicy from the curry so don't get too close. Continue stirring and cooking for 2 more minutes.
Pour in the pumpkin puree and coconut milk and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 8 minutes. Add 1-2 cups of broth depending on how thick or thin you would like your curry to be.
Place the cooked chicken and the broccoli florets in the pan and stir everything to combine. Allow the curry to cook for 3 more minutes and then remove it from the heat. Stir in the lime juice and fish sauce (or soy sauce).
Serve over sticky rice. Garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges if desired and enjoy!

Notes

Preparing all of your ingredients ahead of time will make the cooking process much easier and smoother. The actual cooking process goes pretty fast so you want everything to be ready to go before you start.
The stems of the broccoli make a great addition to this dish. Just make sure you peel the stems first and then slice them into thin disks. Less waste and more healthy veggies for you!
When you add the red Thai curry paste to the pan, the fumes can be spicy so be careful not to get too close (trust me on this one).
A tip for ginger: I always have frozen ginger root in my freezer. When a recipe calls for ginger, I grate the frozen ginger. It's so much easier than trying to mince ginger into small pieces and you don't even need to peel it if you don't want to!
If you want a spicier curry, you can add more red Thai curry paste to the mixture while cooking.
The curry sauce will thicken as it cools. This is where the broth will come in handy. I personally like my pumpkin curry on the thicker side and don't add as much broth. If you have leftovers, you will want to add broth or water to the cold curry before re-heating because it does thicken up quite a bit in the fridge.
Store any leftover curry in a covered container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Nutrition