Roast pumpkin & apple massaman curry

Ingredients (serves 2)

100g massaman curry Paste, (our Payst available next-day delivery, UK-wide and comes pre-seasoned. So, if not using our Payst, palm sugar and seaweed /or soy sauce will need to be added).

50ml coconut oil or vegetable oil.

2 makrut lime leaves, torn to release flavour.

4 slices pumpkin (100/150g), with the skin on, seeds removed.

1 cooking apple, peeled, core removed and chopped into 8 wedges.

1 pick coarse sea salt.

1 tablespoon caster sugar.

1 tablespoon soy sauce

200ml vegetable stock

250ml coconut milk

100g green beans, ends removed and chopped into 2.

6 new potatoes, chopped into quarters.

1 tablespoon raisins

100g baby corn, chopped into bite-sized bits.

20g, fresh Thai basil (a handful).

Steamed jasmine rice for serving.

Optional garnish:

10g crispy shallots.

10g roasted peanuts, roughly pounded in a pestle & mortar.

2 julienne makrut lime leaves.

A few Thai basil sprigs.

Method

1.      Firstly, prepare all your ingredients and get your jasmine rice cooking. Remember to wash your rice thoroughly before cooking and use a rice cooker if you can.

2.      Next, roast your apple and pumpkin. Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees centigrade. Using your hands, coat the chopped pumpkin and apple in half the oil, lay out onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and roast on the top shelf of the oven for around 20-25 minutes until you can easily push a knife through the apple and pumpkin. When cooked, remove from the oven, sprinkle with the sugar and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes until the sugar has caramelised on top of the pumpkin and apple. Then remove from the oven and set aside for now.

3.      Next heat the rest of the oil in a large wok or pan to a medium heat. When hot add the massaman curry paste and the torn makrut lime leaves. Continue to fry the paste for 1-2 minutes in the oil, making sure to scrape from the pan regularly, so it does not stick. When the paste has begun to darken, de-glaze the pan with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, all the stock and half the cream, then bring to a simmer.

4.      Once simmering, add all the green beans, baby corn, raisins and potatoes and simmer on a low heat for a further 7-8 minutes, until all the vegetables are cooked. When all the raw vegetables are cooked, add the roasted pumpkin and apple to the curry for a minute or so to reheat if they have gone cold. If they are still warm arrange them nicely into your serving bowl to serve the curry on top of in a minute. Then remove from the heat and finish with the picked Thai basil and the rest of the coconut milk.

5.      Serve in a large sharing bowl with fresh steamed jasmine rice. If you like garnish with Thai basil sprigs, crispy shallots, roasted peanuts and julienne makrut lime leaves.