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Last week, we went from 86°F to rainy, windy, and cold in just 5 days. A hearty curry is, therefore, welcome.
So what do we have here? Tender jackfruit with roasted pumpkin chunks served with a creamy pumpkin sauce that is infused with spices, garlic, and ginger. Yep, it’s double pumpkin: chunks + sauce. Let’s get into this Indian-inspired recipe!
It starts with the pumpkin. You roast one half in the oven for about 25 minutes until just tender so you can cut it into chunks, and the other half for a full 45 minutes. The other half will be used in the sauce.
The flavorful sauce, which is actually the star of the recipe, gets its richness and creaminess from full-fat coconut milk. Spices like garam masala, turmeric, paprika, and fenugreek bring a ton of flavor. For a hint of heat, I highly recommend adding some ground chili as well.
To give the sauce a slightly sharp flavor, I stirred in non-dairy yogurt. It mimics the tanginess you would get from heavy cream. You can use soy, coconut or almond milk yogurt, just make sure it is plain and unsweetened. Don’t have any yogurt in your fridge? Add a squeeze of lemon juice, and you should be good!
When your sauce is ready, fry some garlic and ginger before adding jackfruit and pumpkin chunks. I slightly mashed the jackfruit with a fork to give it a “pulled pork” texture. Once your jackfruit is starting to brown, pour in the curry sauce and cook for a few more minutes, stirring to coat the jackfruit and pumpkin chunks with that utterly delicious sauce.
You can serve this comforting pumpkin curry as is, on a bed of rice, or with naans. It’s perfect for those chilly evenings when having a hearty meal is totally necessary. Grab a blanket, put on your favorite movie, and enjoy!
If you are looking for more Indian-inspired recipes, check out my Dal Palak or Masala Chickpea Buddha Bowl!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Roasted Pumpkin Jackfruit Curry
Ingredients
- 1 small pumpkin
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 5.3 ounces non-dairy yogurt optional
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp garam masala more to taste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground fenugreek
- 1/4 tsp chili optional
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 20-ounce can young green jackfruit drained and rinsed
- to serve: fresh parsley, rice, or naan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wash the pumpkin, cut it in half, and scrape out the seeds. Brush the pumpkin with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and place it cut side down on the baking sheet.
- Roast one half for about 25 minutes, remove from the oven, and cut it into 1-inch chunks. Set aside.
- Continue roasting the other half for 45 minutes. Once very soft, remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes, and discard the skin. Place the pumpkin flesh in a blender with the coconut milk, non-dairy yogurt, water, spices, maple syrup, and salt. Blend on high speed until very smooth.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and ginger and cook until garlic is soft, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin chunks, jackfruit and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom.
- Pour in the pumpkin sauce and stir to coat. Let simmer for 5-7 minutes, adding more water if needed until it reaches a thick yet creamy consistency. Tastes and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Serve warm on a bed of rice or as is. This curry will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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This looks so good!!!
Looks delicious! Definitely will try it one day; thanks!
28 yrs vegan but just discovering jackfruit. Massive discount on pumpkins post Halloween so gave this a try.
Used cardoman as no fenugreek and the latter can make you smell if it for days Added vegan bouillon and a few mushrooms and peas for extra flavour and colour.
Loved this curryand as a true brit had leftover curry today. It tastest even better having been left for a while.
Can’t wait to try your other recipies
Lee
Thanks for sharing! The addition of mushrooms is a nice idea, it always pairs well with pumpkin!
Personally, I’m a huge fenugreek fan, especially in curries 🙂
Glad to hear you liked it!
Absolutely delicious!
The jackfruit is subtle in taste, and adds a nice sweet balance to the curry. The curry sauce made with part liquidised pumpkin is really lovely.
Add some homemade mango chutney to round this dish off.
Thanks for your rating Jayne! Mango chutney sounds delicious!
Hi Thomas! I just found your website and so excited to try these recipes. I just wanted to check and see if the recipes do just make one serving? Thanks!
Hi Ursula, this recipe makes about 2 large servings or 3 smaller ones.
Is there any liw fat alternatives to the coconut milk like more dairy free yogurt
Well, the coconut milk brings a lot of creaminess. You could try using light coconut milk if you want a lighter curry.
Hi Thomas! Would you make any adjustments for using fresh jackfruit? I’ve recently discovered a large asian grocery store near where I live in Paris, and would like to try my hand at some of the fresh produce I’ve spotted there!
Hi Micheala,
You want to make sure it’s a young green jackfruit, not the ripe one. Regarding the adjustment I’m afraid I can’t help, I never had the courage to buy a whole fresh jackfruit, the process to open it and get the “meat” seems very time-consuming. There are some videos about it on youtube if it can help.
I only could buy frozen jack fruit and it was yellow……is that ok too?
Didn’t taste like pork, but banana.
You got ripe jackfruit, not the young green one.
I live in a small town that does not have jackfruit. Any suggestions for an alternative? Thank you.
Well, considering it is one of the main ingredient of the recipe, there is no really alternatives. You might want to use seitan or vegan chick’n strips if you can find it.
How many people does this serve?
Two, you can see it in the recipe card.
I made this recipe for our supper. I used butternut squash and added green beans for some extra body. It tastes nice, but if I were to make it again, I would fry the spices in oil first to temper them. Otherwise it is a good winter recipe.
Thanks for your feedback!
Can you use canned pumpkin instead of an actual pumpkin?
Yes, it will work as well!