Canned Pumpkin Belongs In Your Next Homemade Curry

Few things compare to a hot bowl of curry on a cold, dreary, mid-winter day. Steaming hot, silky, and creamy in texture, and boosted with comforting spices, a serving of homemade curry will not only fill your belly — but it will warm your heart. However, should the day come when you may need to bump the coziness up another level, you should know that canned pumpkin belongs in it, too.

You've all surely heard about pumpkin spice lattes, but what about a bit of pumpkin spice in your curry? This combination brings together two iconic fall-winter flavors, and it just so happens that they pair together perfectly. Just like the pumpkin spice mix in your lattes, warming curries often utilize spices like cinnamon and ginger. They're usually given added depth in traditional Indian dishes by the addition of everything from curry powder to cumin, turmeric, and garam masala. And, just like in Thai coconut curries, where kabocha squash is often used, the canned puree adds a subtle sweetness and creamy texture that can reduce, or even eliminate the need for dairy.

Stirring in canned pumpkin puree to your curry broth quickly adds sweetness, texture, and extra cozy flavor to your favorite curry recipes — but maybe not all of them. Some curry recipes go better with pumpkin than others. The best are recipes like Tasting Table's vegetable coconut curry which includes mild curry powder, turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, and ginger. Here, the pumpkin can either be added or substituted for the butternut squash. Considering that the pumpkin will make it slightly sweeter, you'll have more room to play with the spice. 

Canned pumpkin would also work wonderfully in our recipe for chicken massaman curry, where the savory, and umami flavors of ingredients like soy and fish sauce could be complemented by its sweetness. Paired with warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg that are usually found in massaman curry paste, the canned pumpkin will help to bring the warming flavors forward and, thus, add another level of complexity and comfort to your curry. The possibilities don't end there, however. Pumpkin can be added to any curry recipe that would benefit from added creaminess and sweetness, just maybe stick to yellow-style curries with a thicker sauce, rather than more liquid green or red curries popular in Thai cuisine.