Pumpkin and Seafood Curry

In keeping with "National Curry Week"

I have another curry for you,

one with a Thai influence.

I don't get to make this very often

as my husband does not eat pumpkin and,

I confess, I'm not crazy about sea food,

so this is a bit of a 'Jack Sprat and His Wife' dish for us.

I eat the pumpkin and he eats the fish.

If you don't like it hot, vary the amount of curry paste.

The recipe for my

"Yellow Thai Curry Paste"

can be found in my e-book,

"Herbs and Spices",

Which will be available soon.

Ingredients:

1 can of coconut milk

30ml Yellow Thai Curry Paste

250ml fish stock

20ml Thai fish sauce

10ml white or light brown granulated sugar

5ml turmeric

3-4 lime leaves, snipped into strips

1 stem of lemongrass, bruised

1 kg pumpkin (or butternut), peeled and chopped into large chunks

500g salmon, or other firm fish like cod or monkfish, cut into 1 inch cubes

100-200g prepared raw prawns

2 small pak choy, chopped

Juice of 1 lime

Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

.

Method:

Put the creamy top half of the can of coconut milk into a large saucepan with the curry paste and mix well.

Add the rest of the coconut milk, stock, fish sauce, sugar, turmeric, lime leaves and lemongrass into the broth and bring to the boil. Reduce to simmer.

Add the pumpkin chunks and cook until tender.

Add the fish and prawns and cook for about 5 minutes before adding the pak choy and lime juice. Simmer for a few more minutes to just wilt the greens.

Serve with rice or noodles, garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

.

If you are making this for a special dinner,

prepare the broth up till the pumpkin is cooked.

The broth can then be set aside

and warmed again when ready to add the fish.

To make a vegetarian version,

omit the fish and add a tin of chick peas or beans of your choice.

These will need to be cooked in the broth

for about 15 minutes to absorb the flavours.

.