As October arrives, pumpkins come into their own. Naturally sweet, earthy and full of colour, pumpkin can be used in everything from comforting curries and soups to salads and sweet treats.
Roasting pumpkin brings out its natural sweetness and creates a beautiful contrast with warming spices. This month, we're celebrating pumpkin with a comforting Pumpkin & Chickpea Curry, combining roasted pumpkin with chickpeas, spinach, coconut milk and aromatic spices.
It’s a warming, flavour-packed dish that makes the most of this seasonal favourite.
Simple, seasonal ingredients prepared with care.
Why We Love Pumpkin 🎃
Pumpkin is incredibly versatile and works beautifully in both sweet and savoury dishes. Its naturally sweet flavour pairs particularly well with warming spices such as cumin, turmeric and garam masala.
Roasting also gives pumpkin a delicious caramelised edge, making it the perfect ingredient for comforting autumn dishes.
Seasonal Benefits
- Naturally rich in colour and flavour
- A versatile ingredient for both sweet and savoury dishes
- Pumpkin seeds can also be toasted and used as a garnish
- Makes a great base for warming autumn dishes
- Perfect for roasting, puréeing, curries and baking
Pumpkin & Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- Pumpkin
- 600g pumpkin, peeled and diced into 2cm pieces
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- Salt and pepper
- Curry
- ½ red chilli, finely diced
- 2 onions, finely diced
- 1 piece of ginger, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 100ml vegetable stock
- 400ml coconut milk
- 1 tbsp mango chutney
- 250g spinach leaves
- Chickpeas
- 20g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
To Serve
- Steamed rice
- Garlic flatbread
- Fresh coriander
Method
- Roast the Pumpkin
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Toss the diced pumpkin with the rapeseed oil, cumin seeds and a pinch of salt.
- Spread onto a baking tray and roast for 20–25 minutes, until starting to soften and brown.
- Prepare the Curry
- Heat a little oil in a pan over a medium-low heat.
- Add the onions, chilli, ginger and garlic and sweat for 10–15 minutes.
- Add the spices and tomato purée and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.
- Add the spinach and cover for 30–60 seconds, allowing it to wilt.
- Stir through the chickpeas and mango chutney and bring back to a simmer.
- Add the roasted pumpkin and gently stir through, taking care not to break up the pumpkin.
- Finish with fresh coriander.
- Serve with steamed rice, fresh coriander and garlic flatbread.
Chef’s Conor’s Tip
“Roasting the pumpkin first brings out its natural sweetness and gives the curry another layer of flavour. Add the pumpkin towards the end and stir gently so the pieces keep their shape.”
Sustainability Tip
- Make the most of the whole pumpkin.
- Instead of discarding the seeds, clean and toast them with a little oil and seasoning. They make a delicious crunchy topping for salads, soups and curries.
- Using the whole ingredient wherever possible is a simple way to help reduce food waste and make the most of seasonal produce.
Enjoy! 🎃
