My home-cooked Pumpkin curry is known for its thick coconut milk gravy and aromatic tempering, which complement the pumpkin’s natural sweetness.
The result is a nourishing and healthy vegetarian curry.

With a tempering of onions, garlic, curry leaves, and mustard seeds, this pumpkin recipe is easy to make and is a popular vegetarian curry served with rice and curry menu.
Cooked with everyday ingredients and spices found in a Sri Lankan kitchen, enjoy this traditional and authentic dish with a variety of other side dishes.
Warm, hearty and rich with flavorful ingredients, a home-cooked meal with this pumpkin curry is bound to be memorable.

Menus for Sri Lankan yellow Pumpkin curry.

Here are a few serving suggestions for pumpkin curry. You can use the same menus or reduce the amount of other side dishes mentioned below as per your need.

• Sri Lankan menu 1.
  • White rice.
  • Pumpkin curry.
  • beef curry.
  • Wambatu moju.
  • Poppadom.
  • beans curry, and a raw cucumber salad.
• Try a Sri Lankan village-style menu 2.
  • serve red rice,
  • Canned salmon curry.
  • This spiced pumpkin curry.
  • Pol sambal.
  • devilled potato.
  • And some thibbatu stir fry.
• Sri Lankan menu 3.
  • White rice.
  • chicken curry.
  • tomato-onion raw sambol.
  • Beetroot curry.
  • Pumpkin curry.
  • and a Gotu kola sambol.

More pumpkin curry recipes.

Sri Lankan beef and pumpkin curry.
Vegetarian pumpkin-mushroom chickpea curry
Black pumpkin curry

What you will need in the kitchen.

• Chopping board and knife.
• 2 medium-sized plates or bowls to hold the measured spices and tempering ingredients
• Wooden spoons are to be used for cooking the curry and tempering
• A medium-sized cooking pan to cook the pumpkin coconut milk curry.
• A small bowl to hold the tempered onions and mustard once it is done.
• A large bowl to serve the pumpkin curry.

Storage, freezing and reheating guide.

• Storing.
  • Let the pumpkin curry cool down before transferring it to a container.
  • Store in an air-tight glass container, as the spices will stain plastic. The curry can be refrigerated and consumed within 2 days.
• Freezing.
  • Once the curry is cool, transfer it to a container and freeze.
  • Consume within a week, because of the coconut milk and texture of the pumpkin, the longer you freeze, the taste might change.
• Reheating.
  • Remove from the freezer, let the curry reach room temperature, and then reheat over a stovetop or microwave. Use a microwave cover to avoid splattering.
• Avoid food waste by.
  • Cook only as much as you need; any leftovers can be refrigerated. Share with family and neighbours.

recipe difficulty- easy

Ingredients for the Pumpkin curry.

• For tempering.
  • Oil – Any type of cooking oil, preferably coconut oil, vegetable oil, or sunflower oil.
  • Curry leaves, onions sliced fine, garlic cloves sliced fine – adds aroma, flavour and includes health benefits.
  • Turmeric powder and chilli flakes(substitute with red chilli powder or whole red chillies).
  • Black mustard seeds.

• To cook the Pumpkin curry.
  • Pumpkin– preferably yellow pumpkin.
  • Garlic cloves are finely sliced.
  • Cardamom pods – slightly bruised to release their aroma.
  • Cinnamon piece – adds aroma and health benefits.
  • Water as needed to semi-cook the pumpkin.
  • Thick coconut milk – you can use powdered coconut milk. Follow instructions to make the thick coconut milk.
    • liquid coconut milk -use as recommended.
    • Coconut cream- dilute with water to make it into liquid coconut milk.

Step-by-step photo tutorial.

How to cook Sri Lankan Pumpkin curry.

How to temper the pumpkin curry.

In a pan over medium heat, pour the oil.
Allow the oil to heat for a few seconds. Add the curry leaves, sliced onions, and garlic slices.
Sauté the ingredients until they turn soft.
Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the turmeric powder, red chilli flakes and mustard seeds.
Maintain low-medium heat and continue to cook the ingredients while stirring with a wooden spoon.
The constant stirring will allow the ingredients to saute but not burn.
Sauté for a few seconds, allowing the mustards to blister.

Continue cooking for another 2 minutes over low heat.
Allow the ingredients to cook until they turn golden brown.
Once Sautéed, transfer the ingredients to a bowl and set aside.
Tempering is what gives the creamy coconut curry more flavour.
Make sure to do the tempering without burning the mustard or the red chilli flakes.
Burnt mustard and chilli flakes ruin this pumpkin curry if not done correctly over low-medium heat.

How to prepare and cut the pumpkin for the curry.

• Wash the pumpkin.
• Place the pumpkin over a hard surface and use a heavy knife to cut through the ridges you have already found in the pumpkin.
• You will be cooking the pumpkin with the skin. As the pumpkin has a hard, thick skin, use a sharp, heavy knife to cut through the thick skin. 
• Remove all the seeds and then cut the wedges into 2-inch-thick cubes.

Cooking the Pumpkin curry.

Use the same pan used to temper the ingredients.
Add the pumpkin and pour in the water(1 cup, keep 1/2 a cup more just in case you would need more water to semi-cook the pumpkin before adding the coconut milk)
The pumpkin cubes should be soft before you add the coconut milk.
If this means adding extra water than mentioned in this recipe, then please do add to reach the correct consistency.

Set the heat to medium while the pumpkin is cooking.
Add turmeric, garlic, cardamom pods, and cinnamon. Combine well with the pumpkin and let it slow-simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the pumpkin turns soft.

While the pumpkin cooks, you can either cover it with a lid or leave it open.
Leave your wooden spoon in so that the water doesn’t spill over, but use caution when touching the spoon again as it will be hot.
Cook until the water reduces and the pumpkin pieces turn soft.

Once the pumpkins are tender, reduce the heat.
Pour in the coconut milk, mix and season with salt.
Continue to simmer over medium heat for a further 10 to 15 minutes.

Cook until the desired consistency is reached, milky with a thick gravy and soft Pumpkin pieces.
Reduce great to low and then add the tempered ingredients to the cooking pan.

Mix the tempering over low heat. taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve warm with your rice and curry.

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Pumpkin curry(Sri Lankan, vegetarian)

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

My home-cooked Pumpkin curry is known for its thick coconut milk gravy and aromatic tempering that complements the natural sweetness of the pumpkin. The result is a nourishing and healthy vegetarian curry. With a tempering of onions, garlic, curry leaves, and mustard seeds, this pumpkin recipe is easy to make and is a popular vegetarian curry served with rice and curry menu.

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Ingredients

• Ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons

For tempering

• 4 to 5 tablespoons of oil
• A handful of curry leaves
• 1 large onion sliced fine
• 2 garlic cloves sliced fine
• 1/2 teaspoon of chilli flecks
• 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds

To cook the pumpkin curry

• 500g of Pumpkin, cleaned and cut into the required size.
• 3 garlic cloves finely sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1-inch cinnamon piece
• 1 cup of water(keep 1/2 a cup more just in case you would need more water to semi cook the pumpkin before adding the coconut milk)
• 1/2 a cup of thick coconut milk(increase to 1 cup for more gravy)

Instructions

Tempering.

1. In a pan over medium heat, pour in the oil and allow it to heat for a few seconds.
2. Add the curry leaves, sliced onions and garlic slices.
   Sauté the ingredients until they turn soft. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the turmeric powder, red chilli flakes and mustard seeds.
   Maintain low-medium heat and continue to cook the ingredients while stirring with a wooden spoon.
4. The constant stirring will allow the ingredients to saute but not burn.
   Sauté for a few seconds, allowing the mustards to blister.
5. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes over low heat.
6. Allow the ingredients to cook until they turn golden brown.
7. Once Sautéed, transfer the ingredients to a bowl and set aside.
8. Tempering is what gives the creamy coconut curry more flavour.
9. Make sure to do the tempering without burning the mustard or the red chilli flakes.
10. Burnt mustard and chilli flakes ruin this pumpkin curry if not done correctly over low-medium heat.

How to prepare and cut the pumpkin for the curry.

1. Wash the pumpkin.
2. Place the pumpkin over a hard surface and use a heavy knife to cut through the ridges you have already found in the pumpkin.
3. You will be cooking the pumpkin with the skin. As the pumpkin has a hard, thick skin, use a sharp, heavy knife to cut through the thick skin. 
4. Remove all the seeds and then cut the wedges into 2-inch-thick cubes.

Cooking the pumpkin curry.

1. Use the same pan used to temper the ingredients.
2. Add the pumpkin and pour in the water(1 cup, keep 1/2 a cup more just in case you would need more water to semi-cook the pumpkin before adding the coconut milk)
3. The pumpkin cubes should be soft before you add the coconut milk.
4. If this means adding extra water than mentioned in this recipe, then please do add to reach the correct consistency.
5. Set the heat to medium while the pumpkin is cooking.
6. Add turmeric, garlic, cardamom pods, and cinnamon. Combine well with the pumpkin and let it slow-simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the pumpkin turns soft.
7. While the pumpkin cooks, you can either cover it with a lid or leave it open.
8. Leave your wooden spoon in so that the water doesn’t spill over, but use caution when touching the spoon again as it will be hot.
9. Cook until the water reduces and the pumpkin pieces turn soft.
10. Once the pumpkins are tender, reduce the heat.
11. Pour in the coconut milk, mix and season with salt.
12. Continue to simmer over medium heat for a further 10 to 15 minutes.
13. Cook until the desired consistency is reached, milky with a thick gravy and soft Pumpkin pieces.
14. Reduce great to low and then add the tempered ingredients to the cooking pan.
15. Mix the tempering over low heat. taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
16. Serve warm with your rice and curry.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 266Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 12mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 3g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.

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