Pumpkin spinach curry with black rice
I cook the pumpkin separately to the rest of this curry so it absorbs the stock flavour and remains distinct. This also helps it retain its shape. The curry can be made in advance and, as with most curries, the flavour will actually get better with a bit of chill-out time. I like to make a big batch and freeze half for later. The spinach can easily be swapped out for silverbeet or kale. Any green leafy vegetable gives a nice colour contrast and nutritional boost.
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
- ¼ Crown pumpkin, about 1 kg, cut into bite-sized chunks with skin removed
- 3 tsp Massel vegan beef stock powder, or another vegan stock powder
- 2 tsp Cider vinegar
- 1 Large onion, chopped
- 4 Tbsp Rice bran oil
- 30 g Turmeric, finely chopped, or use 3-4 tsp powdered
- 30 g Fresh ginger, finely chopped (3 Tbsp)
- 30 g Garlic, finely chopped (3 Tbsp)
- 1½ Tbsp Coriander seeds
- 3 tsp Cumin seeds
- 2 tsp Fennel seeds
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli, or another chilli powder
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- 1 Cinnamon stick, or 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 6 Cardamom pods
- 400 g Canned tomatoes
- ⅓ cup Raw cashew nuts
- 1 cup Water
- 2 tsp Salt
- 500 g Spinach, or silverbeet, cut into large pieces
- 250 g Black rice, we used Pams Super Foods instant black rice
- ¾ cup Roasted cashew nuts
Method
- Simmer pumpkin in a covered pot with 2½ cups boiling water, stock and vinegar for about 20 minutes, until tender.
- For the curry sauce, gently fry the onion in oil for 5 minutes to soften, then add the turmeric, ginger and garlic (I blitz these in a nutribullet to make it easy). Cook another 5 minutes. Finely grind the coriander seed, cumin seed, fennel seed, chilli powder, cinnamon and cardamom in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder and add to the mix.
- Blend tomatoes, raw cashews, water and salt super smooth then add to onion mix along with liquid from the cooked pumpkin. Simmer for 15 minutes then add spinach and cook a further 5 minutes until softened.
- Add cooked pumpkin, stirring through gently just before serving (so it doesn’t break up too much).
- Cook the rice according to packet instructions.
- Gently crush some roasted cashews and stir through the cooked rice just before serving with the curry.