Fall is in full-swing back home, and Halloween is coming up. Here in Thailand, the cool season is starting, though its only cool at night. Days are still hot, but breezy and manageable. The one thing both places have in common right now, though, is pumpkins.
Pumpkins are in season here in Thailand, and have been popping up in market stalls, roadside vendors and folding tables outside houses for about a month now. Jon's already written on this blog about pumpkin soup, but in keeping with the season I've started experimenting with pumpkin myself. (The Thai pumpkin is a bit more like butternut squash than some pumpkins, but still pretty pumpkin-like - see: http://www.realthairecipes.com/category/glossary/vegetables/)
My first recipe was based on Karen pumpkin curry that I learned how to make in a super-awesome Burmese cooking class at a local restaurant. (The Karen - pronounced ka-REN, not KARE-en like the girl's name - are a major ethnic group in Burma, mostly living along the Thai border near me). Last weekend, I was in Chiang Mai and stocked up on some 'luxury items' at a supermarket stocked with imported goods. One of the items I picked up was couscous - a good substitute for rice, which I eat for lunch every day, and bread, which is pretty rare in these parts. And it cooks quickly, perfect for when I get home around 7 from teaching English after work. So, I asked myself, how can I incorporate cous-cous into the Karen pumpkin curry?
On my way home from work, I stopped at my customary post-work source of veggies to get some pumpkin and lemongrass, a key ingredient in Karen pumpkin curry. I also saw a huge bin of purple sweet potatoes that I had been meaning to experiment with, so I picked up some of those as well.
The result? A delicious pumpkin-sweet potato couscous. The pumpkin mostly melts into the couscous, making it rich and creamy, and the beautiful purple chunks of sweet potato add substance and depth. A little lemongrass and cinnamon work surprisingly well together for a slightly citrusy-sweet aftertaste.
Its super easy and quick. You could even make it in your rice cooker.
Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Couscous
makes 2 servings
1 cup Thai pumpkin, peeled and chopped into approximately 1-inch cubes (if you don't have Thai pumpkin, use another cooking pumpkin or butternut squash)
1 cup purple (or normal) sweet potatoes, cut into cubes.
2 stalks of lemongrass
1/2 a medium white onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 C oil (I used soybean, but vegetable or other similar cooking oil is okay)
2 1/2 C water
1/2 C couscous
Pound the lemongrass with a rolling pin (or empty wine bottle), especially around the root, to release the flavor, then tie it in a knot and place in a saucepan or your rice cooker, along with all other ingredients except 1/2 C of the water and the couscous. Put on medium-high and cover, cooking until the sweet potatoes and pumpkin are very soft.
Reserve 1/2 C of the cooking water, if there is that much left. If not, top up until you have 1/2 C of liquid in a new saucepan. Keep the vegetables in the other saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil, then turn off the heat and add the couscous, stirring, then cover and leave for three minutes.
Fluff the couscous with a fork, then add it to the vegetables. Return to low heat and stir, squishing the pumpkin with a fork until some of it is blended into the couscous. Add salt, cinnamon and/or pepper as needed, then serve.
Of course, did I stop there? Of course not! Since I have been complaining about all the fall foods I miss lately, I decided to take this opportunity - when I had both extra pumpkin and extra energy - and try my hand at pumpkin bread. I had always made pumpkin bread from a can, but it turns out you can substitute the canned variety for fresh, just cook the pumpkin first and mash it up. I peeled, cubed and boiled mine, but you can also roast it in the oven or microwave it.
I used this recipe, but without the extra water (my pumpkin mash was fairly watery) or the cloves and allspice (don't have them), but I guess any recipe would work.
The result? Pretty good. It could definitely use the other spices I didn't have, and tastes a bit like a mix between pumpkin and zucchini bread, but since I like both of those, its all good!
 |
| Thai pumpkin |
My first recipe was based on Karen pumpkin curry that I learned how to make in a super-awesome Burmese cooking class at a local restaurant. (The Karen - pronounced ka-REN, not KARE-en like the girl's name - are a major ethnic group in Burma, mostly living along the Thai border near me). Last weekend, I was in Chiang Mai and stocked up on some 'luxury items' at a supermarket stocked with imported goods. One of the items I picked up was couscous - a good substitute for rice, which I eat for lunch every day, and bread, which is pretty rare in these parts. And it cooks quickly, perfect for when I get home around 7 from teaching English after work. So, I asked myself, how can I incorporate cous-cous into the Karen pumpkin curry?
 |
| All of this - pumpkin, sweet potato, lemongrass and two tiny pineapples - for less than a dollar! |
The result? A delicious pumpkin-sweet potato couscous. The pumpkin mostly melts into the couscous, making it rich and creamy, and the beautiful purple chunks of sweet potato add substance and depth. A little lemongrass and cinnamon work surprisingly well together for a slightly citrusy-sweet aftertaste.
Its super easy and quick. You could even make it in your rice cooker.
 |
| Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Couscous ready to cook! |
makes 2 servings
1 cup Thai pumpkin, peeled and chopped into approximately 1-inch cubes (if you don't have Thai pumpkin, use another cooking pumpkin or butternut squash)
1 cup purple (or normal) sweet potatoes, cut into cubes.
2 stalks of lemongrass
1/2 a medium white onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 C oil (I used soybean, but vegetable or other similar cooking oil is okay)
2 1/2 C water
1/2 C couscous
Pound the lemongrass with a rolling pin (or empty wine bottle), especially around the root, to release the flavor, then tie it in a knot and place in a saucepan or your rice cooker, along with all other ingredients except 1/2 C of the water and the couscous. Put on medium-high and cover, cooking until the sweet potatoes and pumpkin are very soft.
Fluff the couscous with a fork, then add it to the vegetables. Return to low heat and stir, squishing the pumpkin with a fork until some of it is blended into the couscous. Add salt, cinnamon and/or pepper as needed, then serve.
Of course, did I stop there? Of course not! Since I have been complaining about all the fall foods I miss lately, I decided to take this opportunity - when I had both extra pumpkin and extra energy - and try my hand at pumpkin bread. I had always made pumpkin bread from a can, but it turns out you can substitute the canned variety for fresh, just cook the pumpkin first and mash it up. I peeled, cubed and boiled mine, but you can also roast it in the oven or microwave it.
I used this recipe, but without the extra water (my pumpkin mash was fairly watery) or the cloves and allspice (don't have them), but I guess any recipe would work.
The result? Pretty good. It could definitely use the other spices I didn't have, and tastes a bit like a mix between pumpkin and zucchini bread, but since I like both of those, its all good!
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