Revamp Vegan Curry For Fall With One Canned Ingredient

There are many ways to eat more pumpkin this fall thanks to the canned and pureed version of the popular autumnal ingredient. It's not just about baked goods and lattes — pumpkin puree adds layers of flavor and creaminess to savory meals too. Add it to a pot of chili, empanadas, and even homemade pizza — or elevate your vegan curry this season with the canned pumpkin puree instead. It's exactly what Tasting Table recipe developer Miriam Hahn does with our silky pumpkin and tofu curry. "The pumpkin brings in a rich and silky texture, blending well with the other ingredients, and giving you the cozy taste of fall," Hahn says.

The creamy, silky texture is sure to elevate any version of vegan curry, including our recipe, of course. But there's also the flavor factor that pumpkin provides. It won't add quite the same flare that it does to desserts when combined with sugar and spices like cinnamon or nutmeg. Instead, the mildly sweet, earthy, and nutty flavors will balance the richness of the homemade curry paste and acidic lime juice used in our recipe.

Let's get into how to incorporate pumpkin puree with the vegan curry according to Miriam Hahn's guidance. To begin, use one cup of canned pumpkin puree for the recipe. This makes about five servings (which might not be enough if everyone goes back for seconds). To ensure a balance in flavors for the base of the curry, combine the pumpkin with the homemade curry paste. Later on, you'll add that base to the tofu and vegetables along with coconut milk and spices. If you want to take it further and increase the spice levels to balance out the coconut milk and canned pumpkin puree, consider a dash of chili powder, paprika, or even cayenne pepper.

This recipe is great, but canned pumpkin puree lends itself to a variety of other vegan curries in fall and even throughout the year too. Add it to your go-to curry recipe with or without meat. To keep it vegan friendly, add pumpkin to our vegetable coconut curry recipe or add the puree to this slow cooker vegetable curry recipe to eat as soon as the leaves hit the ground.