Serves - 4

Prep time - 15 minutes | Cook time - 20 minutes

A traditional Sri Lankan recipe from the Amarasinge family. Cade has cooked this so many times over the years, always in a clay pot. It is usually one of the recipes shared at his cooking workshops and a curry he serves on retreats. You can also blend this to make pumpkin soup.

CURRY PASTE

2 medium garlic cloves

4 cardamom pods

8 fresh curry leaves

2 tsp of fresh ginger

15 cm piece of pandan leaf, tied in a knot

3 cm piece of cinnamon bark (keep whole, do not smash)

SPICE MIX

1/4 tsp turmeric 

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp jaggery or coconut sugar

2 tbsp coconut oil

500g Japanese pumpkin, skin on (cut into 5 x 5 cm pieces)

1.5 cups coconut milk

1 tsp salt, or to taste

water, if needed

Pound all the curry paste ingredients (except the cinnamon and pandan leaf) in a mortar and pestle until a rough paste is formed. Scoop into a dish, add the cinnamon and set aside. Add all the spice mix ingredients into a small dish and set aside. 

Heat the coconut oil in your clay pot, starting on a low heat. When the vessel is hot, add the curry paste and fry for a few minutes until the garlic turns golden and the kitchen smells amazing.  Add the spice mix and cook for 10 seconds, then add the pumpkin and coconut milk.

Bring to a boil for 10 minutes with the lid on, check and stir it every now and then. You may need to add a splash of water. WHen the pumpkin has turned soft but still holds its shape, it is ready (be careful not to overcook or the pumpkin will fall apart into a soup).

NOTE - This dish doesn't want to be over-stirred, as it can break up the pumpkin too much. Stir only when needed. Keeping the skin on the pumpkin helps it to keep its shape.