Silky Pumpkin And Tofu Curry Recipe

Curry is a well-loved dish around the world known for its bold flavors, hearty ingredients, and for consistently delivering a satisfying meal that's easy to make and full of nutrition. This silky pumpkin and tofu curry recipe highlights all of the warm goodness of classic curry while adding a nice autumnal flair. A simple home-made curry paste is one of the standout features in this recipe, and it calls for basic ingredients that you most likely have in your pantry. The pumpkin brings in a rich and silky texture, blending well with the other ingredients, and giving you the cozy taste of fall.

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn loves how customizable curry can be, something she took full advantage of in this recipe. "One of my favorite things about curries is how you can modify them in many ways to keep things interesting," she explains, adding, "I'm leaning into fall with this dish, but because you can find canned pumpkin any time of year, you can make it year round." And if you do want to go all-out and prepare your own pumpkin for this recipe, we'll walk you through the steps for doing so.

To make this recipe, start in the produce aisle and grab garlic, ginger root, limes, an onion, a red bell pepper, spinach, and super firm tofu. You can also use extra firm tofu in this recipe, but you'll need to drain the moisture first. Chopped cilantro is an optional topper for the curry, so pick up a bunch if you want the extra flavor and pop of color. Stop by canned goods area and select a can of pumpkin puree, full fat coconut milk, vegetable broth, and tomato paste.

Then check your condiment and spice cabinet for chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, turmeric, soy sauce, avocado oil, and coconut sugar. Lastly, if you want to pair your curry with rice, make sure you have any type you like on hand.

Make a red curry paste by combining the tomato paste, garlic, ginger, chili powder, cumin, coriander, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and turmeric in a medium pot.

Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.

Add the pumpkin puree and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the oil to a large pot over medium-high heat.

Saute the onion and bell pepper for 8 minutes.

Add the cubed tofu and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently until the edges start to brown.

Add the pumpkin and red curry paste mixture, coconut milk, broth, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cook on low for 10 minutes.

Stir in spinach and remaining lime juice and cook for 3 minutes or until the spinach has wilted.

Top the tofu pumpkin curry with cilantro if desired and optionally serve with rice.

If the stores are bursting with pumpkins, and you want to make the pumpkin puree from scratch, you can. When looking for a pumpkin, you'll want to choose a small sugar pumpkin which is also known as a pie pumpkin. These varieties are smoother and have more flavor than carving pumpkins.

The first step will be to cut the pumpkin for roasting. Using a large chef's knife, cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds, either setting them aside for roasting or discarding them. Now you'll want to cut each half into three or four wedges, so they are easier to work with. Using a sharp knife, remove and discard the skin, then cut into 1-inch cubes.

Toss the pumpkin cubes with some avocado or olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Lay them out on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes in a preheated 400 F oven. If you prefer to use your stovetop, you can add the cubes to a pot and cover with water, then boil for about 20 minutes until tender.

When the pumpkin has cooked, let it cool for about 15 minutes, then put it into a food processor, and pulse until it's smooth. Then add it to the red curry paste mixture in place of canned pumpkin in step 3.

Like all soups and curries, it is easy to modify with additional ingredients. If you want to bulk up the vegetables, there are several options. Cauliflower pairs well and adds a hearty texture. Carrots and sweet potatoes will add a touch of sweetness, and green beans will add some crunch. Add carrots during the saute stage, and the other options when you add the tofu.

To add more protein to complement the tofu, or use instead, add a can of chickpeas, white beans, or cooked brown lentils. You'll want to add any of these towards the end of cooking time. Additionally, you can add in a cooked grain like brown or white rice to incorporate it right in, instead of serving it separately. If you want to use uncooked grain, use white rice or any quick cooking grain, and add during the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

We've used fresh spinach in the curry, but any other green will work. Try collard greens, curly or lacinato kale, or red chard. For any of those greens, make sure to remove and discard the stems and chop the leaves finely before adding in the final step.