Rosemary’s Pumpkin Curry
(Masamba Amawungu Omwe Anaphikidwa Ndi Rosemary)
by Allegra McEvedy from Bought, Borrowed & Stolen: Recipes & Knives from a Travelling Chef (Conran/Octopus)
Photography: Andrew Montgomery
Serves 6, and takes 20 minutes to get it going and then about the same again simmering time
Rosemary was one of the lucky few I met in the peanut-growing region of Lilongwe who had a proper roof over her head; most lived under corrugated iron, which meant that every year when the fierce monsoon came, everything they owned got pretty drenched, much of it ruined, thus making it even harder to build for a better future.
Adjacent to Rosemary’s simple living quarters was a little hut with a fire burning in the middle of it that was her kitchen. She made this curry in front of me using a memorably long wooden spoon, with more energy and smiles than I would have thought possible for one with such a gruelling life: peanuts are a bugger to harvest. You can also use any squash for this, although the best are the starchy ones, like spaghetti or acorn squash.
Ingredients:
75g/3oz salted peanuts, preferably Fairtrade
1kg/2lb pumpkin or squash
2 onions, coarsely diced
3 tablespoons groundnut oil
500g/1lb potatoes (about 3 medium), peeled and chopped into roughly 5cm/2 inch chunks
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped (with seeds), or more, to taste
2 teaspoons curry powder
A pinch of ground cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon (heaped) poppy seeds, plus a bit more for serving
200g/7oz French beans, topped (but not tailed) and halved
4 ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
Salt
Method
Grind the peanuts in a food processor or pound with a pestle and mortar. Peel and deseed the pumpkin/squash and cut it into very large pieces, around 6 x 8cm/2½ x 3 inches, just to give you a rough guide.
In a wide, heavy pan, fry the onions in oil over a medium heat. Cook for a minute or two, then turn up the heat and add the potatoes. Cover with a lid, and stir from time to time until they are just starting to soften around the edges.
Turn the heat down a bit and mix in the garlic and chillies, followed a couple of minutes later by the ground peanuts, curry powder, cloves, turmeric, poppy seeds and a good pinch of salt. Put the kettle on.
Add the pumpkin to the pan, stir again and cook for a few minutes. Pour on enough boiling water to just cover the vegetables and put on the lid to bring it back to the boil quicker. Once it’s bubbling fast, add the beans and tomatoes, give it all a prod, and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until it’s reduced to a good curryish sauce consistency.
Sprinkle with poppy seeds and serve with rice.
Drinks tasted on air, alongside the dish:
Comments