PUMPKIN WITH ALMOND, YOGHURT & COCONUT SAUCE

The wonderful team from Kesar are delivery Indian takeaway around Mornington Peninsula during the current lockdown period. The idea for this recipe came from their delicious pumpkin makhani I had delivered one evening.

Makhani (or makhni) is a sauce made with ghee and cream, but here I improvised with what was on hand. Generally you’d use ghee (clarified butter) to cook the onion, but I’ve used olive oil and butter and instead of adding cream, I opted for coconut milk to make a nutty creamy sauce with the almonds. Spring onions are used for now, but replace with garlic when available. Ginger is not grown on the Peninsula, if you have some by all means add it, but if not, the sauce is still delicious.

serves 6

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

1kg pumpkin, seeds removed, cut in to six 2cm wide wedges

6 spring onion, white part, coarsely chopped, or 3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cm piece of ginger, chopped

¾ cup Greek yoghurt

400g tin chopped tomatoes or passata

30g unsalted butter

1 onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

½ cup almonds, chopped or use ground almonds

1 teaspoon salt

200ml coconut milk

1 cup plucked coriander leaves

Pre-heat oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced). Line a large roasting dish with baking paper. 

Using half the olive oil, brush all sides of the pumpkin wedges to coat well. Arrange the wedges over the roasting dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until just tender.

Using a small food processor or mortar and pestle, blend the spring onion (or garlic) with the ginger. If using whole almonds, add to blender until finely chopped. In a medium bowl, place the spring onion mixture, yoghurt and tomatoes together.

Meanwhile, melt half the oil and butter in a large heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat until it begins to froth. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes until softened and golden brown, stirring occasionally, reducing heat if catching. Stir in the spices and cook for a minute until aromatic. Add the yoghurt mixture and salt. Stir to combine. Stir in the coconut milk. Cook for 5 minutes and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat if it begins to catch on the base. Transfer the roast pumpkin wedges to the pan and cover with a lid or foil and seal around the edges. Cook for 5 minutes.

Remove the lid, scatter over the coriander leaves and extra almonds for garnish. Serve with rice or roti bread.