Burmese Pumpkin Curry with Tamarind

Cayenne is a red or green hot chili pepper used to flavor chile food dishes and is also used for medicinal purposes. Named for the city of Cayenne in French Guiana, it is a cultivar of Capsicum annuum related to bell peppers, jalapeños, and others.

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Serves 2

Pumpkin is the most wonderfully versatile ingredient and this pumpkin curry of Burmese influence is softened with Tamarind with a beautiful mint back note.

Ingredients
50g/3.5 Tbsp Tamarind Pulp
1 Tbsp flavourless Cooking Oil
1/2 Tsp Ground Turmeric
1 Small Onion: Coarsely Grated
30g/2 Tbsp Ginger: Finely Grated
2 Garlic Cloves: Crushed to a Paste
1/2 Chili: Deseeded and finely chopped, I used a cayenne chili
1/4 Tsp chili shrimp paste (optional)
500g Pumpkin: Peeled, deseeded weight cut in to 25mm cubes, use a nice firm pumpkin like a butternut squash
1 Tsp Fish Sauce (Nam Pla)
1 Tsp Mint Sauce: I make my own mint sauce which is a combination is of fresh mint, sugar and cider vinegar

Instructions
Roughly chop the Tamarind pulp and placed in a bowl with 150ml/ 2/3 cups boiling water and allow to steep for 10 minutes stirring occasionally and then pass the liquid through a fine sieve reserving the liquid and discarding the pulp.

Add the cooking oil to a heavy based pan over a medium heat.
When the oil is up to temperature add the turmeric and stir then immediately add the garlic, ginger, chili and grated onion and cook for 3-4 minute stirring occasionally.

Add the chili shrimp paste and stir to incorporate then add the pumpkin and stir to coat.

Add the tamarind liquid you prepared earlier along with the fish sauce and 100ml/.5 cup of water then cover with a lid and cook until the pumpkin is cooked which should take about 8-12 minutes depending on the size of the pumpkin.

Remove from the heat and stir in the mint sauce and check the seasoning, if you need more salt a little more fish sauce or a bit of salt, serve hot.

Notes
Serve with boiled rice.

From krumpli.co.uk