Rebecca Sly, the executive chef at Government House, offers up her recipe for whole baked pumpkin curry:
Serves 4
- 1 onion medium diced
- 200 g garden peas
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 400 ml double cream
- 100 g grated coconut
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 2-inch piece ginger minced
- 200 g basmati rice
- Coriander leaf (cilantro) to garnish
- Generous knob of butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 3/4kg pumpkin or several smaller ones
1. Add a generous knob of butter to a frying pan and sauté onions and spices, once onion is softened add the peas, grated coconut, minced ginger, garlic and mix together
2. In a separate mixing jug or bowl combine ingredients from the pan with the coconut milk, cream and season to taste
3. Scoop out seeds from pumpkin, leaving the lid separate. Place pumpkin(s) in a roasting pan or oven proof dish. Add the liquid ingredients, add a little more black pepper (I also like to add freshly grated nutmeg) and bake at 190 C/375 F for 45 minutes to one hour and 15 minutes. It is important to keep checking on the pumpkin as overcooking will cause the pumpkin to sag and leak
4. Whist pumpkin is cooking, boil or steam the rice
5. Once the pumpkin is cooked, add in the rice and top generously with coriander leaf (cilantro)
