Name: Amy Chanta and Palisa Anderon’s choo chee pumpkin
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 165 min
Total time: 195 min
Yield: 4 - 6
Ingredients: Vegetable oil, for drizzling; 1 small kabocha (Japanese) pumpkin, (1kg), halved lengthways, seeds removed; Shredded makrut lime leaves, to serve; Red curry paste; 10 dried long red chillies, soaked in water for 20 minutes, chopped; 5 red birdseye chillies, chopped; 10 garlic cloves; 10 whole white peppercorns, toasted; 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, cut into 1cm pieces; 3 red shallots, coarsely chopped; 2 coriander roots, coarsely chopped; 1 tbsp finely grated galangal; 1 makrut lime or lime, finely grated; 1 tsp each ground cumin and coriander seeds, toasted; 1 tbsp shrimp paste; Choo chee curry; 2 tbsp grapeseed oil; 500 ml (2 cups) coconut cream, plus extra to serve; 2 tbsp fish sauce or to taste; 2 tbsp finely grated palm sugar or to taste

Amy Chanta and Palisa Anderon’s choo chee pumpkin

Thai-style roasted pumpkin with curry sauce, from the Chat Thai mother-and-daughter duo.

Serves 4 - 6

Prep

30M

Cook

2H 45M

Total

3H 15M

“Mum loved pumpkin soup – the ’90s café kind with croûtons. But she never made non-Thai food at home,” says Palisa Anderson. “I reckon this is my mum’s concession to pumpkin soup.”

Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for drizzling

1 small kabocha (Japanese) pumpkin, (1kg), halved lengthways, seeds removed

Shredded makrut lime leaves, to serve

Red curry paste

10 dried long red chillies, soaked in water for 20 minutes, chopped

5 red birdseye chillies, chopped

10 garlic cloves

10 whole white peppercorns, toasted

2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, cut into 1cm pieces

3 red shallots, coarsely chopped

2 coriander roots, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp finely grated galangal

1 makrut lime or lime, finely grated

1 tsp each ground cumin and coriander seeds, toasted

1 tbsp shrimp paste

Choo chee curry

2 tbsp grapeseed oil

500 ml (2 cups) coconut cream, plus extra to serve

2 tbsp fish sauce or to taste

2 tbsp finely grated palm sugar or to taste

Method

1.Preheat oven to 180°C. Place pumpkin on a piece of foil, drizzle with oil and season to taste. Enclose pumpkin in foil, place on an oven tray and roast cut-side up until pumpkin is soft but still holds its shape (2 hours). Increase oven temperature to 200°C. Unwrap pumpkin, return to oven and roast until browned and golden (30 minutes).

2.Meanwhile, for curry paste, place chillies and 1 tsp salt in a large mortar and pestle and pound until crushed. Add remaining ingredients and pound to a paste. Refrigerate until ready to use. Makes 400gm.

3.For choo chee curry sauce, heat oil in a large wok over high heat. Add 70gm curry paste and stir-fry until fragrant (3 minutes). Add coconut cream, fish sauce and palm sugar; adjust seasoning to taste. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened (10-12 minutes). Keep hot until ready to serve. Makes 380ml.

4.Place pumpkin on a serving plate and pour over choo chee curry sauce. Scatter with shredded makrut leaves and drizzle with extra coconut cream, to serve.