Serves 4
Preparation time 20 minutes plus standing
Cooking time 35 minutes
flesh of ½ coconut, chopped into small pieces
275 ml (9 fl oz) very hot water
2.5 cm (1 inch) piece of fresh root ginger, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
750 g (1½ lb) pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into small chunks
2 fresh green chillies, deseeded and thinly sliced
25 g (1 oz) butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds
salt (optional)
Tip the coconut into a food processor with the measurement of hot water. Process until the coconut is finely grated. Transfer to a bowl and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Put the ginger, garlic, turmeric, sugar and lime juice in the food processor. Strain the coconut-infused water through a sieve and add the liquid to the processor, discarding the pulp. Process until smooth.
Scatter the pumpkin in a casserole dish. Add the chillies and pour in the coconut mixture from the processor. Cover with foil and place on the lower rack of the halogen oven.
Set the temperature to 200°C (392°F) and cook for about 30 minutes until the pumpkin is tender. While cooking, melt the butter in a frying pan on the hob and gently fry the onion for 8–10 minutes until very soft. Stir into the curry and cook for a further 5 minutes. Check the seasoning, adding salt if needed, and scatter with the pumpkin seeds. Serve with plain or flavoured warm naan bread and mango chutney.
For mango & coriander chutney to serve as an accompaniment, dice the flesh of 2 small ripe mangoes and place in a bowl. Crush 12 cardamom pods using a mortar and pestle, and remove the husks. Crush the seeds a little more and tip into a frying pan. Add 2 finely chopped shallots, a good pinch of cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon vegetable or wok oil. Cook very gently until the shallots have softened. Add to the mango with a handful of chopped coriander and 150 ml (¼ pint) natural yogurt. Stir, refrigerate and eat the same day.