A rich and spicy Sri Lankan recipe from Annabel Crabb.
Ingredients
- 1 butternutsquash peeled and cut into wedges, squash
- vegetable oil for roasting and frying
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 8 cloves
- 8 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 red onions finely chopped
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 8 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 20 g ginger finely chopped
- 1 green chilli some seeds removed, thinly sliced
- 1 x 400g tin of coconut milk
- Tiny dash tamarind paste
- Squeeze of lime juice – optional
- 170 g unsalted raw cashews
- 4–5 tbsp finely chopped coriander
- Steamed rice to serve
Servings:
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C.
- Lightly coat the pumpkin wedges with oil, sprinkle with salt and roast for about 25 minutes. (This step can be done a day in advance and the pumpkin kept refrigerated.)
- Heat a glug of oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat and add the curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds. When they start popping, add the cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, onions and turmeric.
- Keep stirring – and turn down the heat if the spices are in danger of burning and becoming bitter. Next add the garlic, ginger and chilli, again keeping it on the move to avoid burning and sticking.
- Now stir in the coconut milk and tamarind paste and simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with lime juice and salt if needed, keeping in mind that Sri Lankan curries typically celebrate the woody flavours of clove and fennel rather than the zing of citrus.
- When you are happy with the flavour, add the pumpkin and cashews and gently heat through. (Roasting the pumpkin and adding it to the curry at the last minute helps it to hold its shape, rather than dissolving into a puddle of glorious orange.)
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