20.2.14

Pumpkin Curry

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When I was in high school, I had an Australian friend who absolutely refused to eat pumpkin pie. He said that pumpkins were certainly not meant to be in sweet things. They were a savory vegetable, and pumpkin pie was as weird as tomato pie or cabbage pie.

Now, I thought this was funny because, having spent plenty of growing up years in America, I considered pumpkins a sweet thing. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter… maybe a sweet pumpkin casserole if you're feeling particularly adventurous. However, after almost a decade of living in Fiji with other cultural influences influencing my perception of pumpkins (and other things), I now consider pumpkin one of the best of vegetables. It is wonderful sweet, and amazing savory, and can be made into SO many things. Pie, bread, soup, curry, pasta, ravioli filling, lasagna sauce, happy little spiced cubes to pile into pitas with tzatziki… pumpkins are a favorite of mine. Pretty much all of these things can also be done with a butternut or acorn squash to much the same effect.

For this post, I shall limit myself to one of my favorite applications of pumpkins: curry. I personally generally like vegetarian curry better than meat curry, although I will certainly not turn down a lamb curry. I am not a big fan of potato curry, but I love pumpkin, jackfruit, and sweet potato curry. So here you are: my pumpkin curry recipe.

Pumpkin Curry
(printable recipe)
1 small- medium pumpkin
2 onions, sliced

vegetable or olive oil

4 cloves garlic (smashed or minced)
2 T curry powder
2 T garam masala
1 T cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp paprika or 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional, for spiciness)
1/2 C coconut milk (optional)

Slice pumpkin into halves, scrape out the seeds, and peel the pumpkin. Peeling it is a little labor-intensive-- I've found that a serrated knife seems to work best for me, setting the pumpkin half on a cutting board and slicing off the skin, similar to skinning a pineapple. Cut the peeled pumpkin into about 1-inch square cubes, set aside.

Coat the bottom of a large saucepan with oil, and fry the onions and garlic until the onions begin to be slightly translucent. Add the spices and stir until fragrant, making a thick paste. Add about 1/2 c water, enough to thin the paste and make sure the spices don't burn.

Add the pumpkin cubes, and stir well. Add the coconut milk and/ or enough water to nearly cover the pumpkin (leave an inch or so out of the water, you don't want to drown the pumpkin). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer with the lid on until pumpkin is nearly cooked (about 20-30 min). Take off the lid and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly (about another 10-15 min).

Serve with rice and rotis (see here for roti recipe).

14.2.14

Live. Laugh. Love.

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It's such a cliche.
Valentine's Day: the day for exchanging chocolates and red roses and hoping that some special person will notice you. 
Or the day for having it pointed out in no uncertain terms just how nonexistent your "love life" really is.

 But yesterday, as I was thinking through the "ideal" evening with my own "special someone," something dawned on me. Or, perhaps I should say "re-dawned" because it has occurred to me before. My favorite thing about my husband is that he is my friend

I know, that is cliche too. 
But I think that it is often overlooked. So much emphasis is placed on the chocolates and roses and fluffy pink feelings and romantic candlelight dinners and tuxedos (although, I will say, I'm a sucker for my dressed-up husband. With a bow tie.)

My favorite evenings, though, are the ones where we are doing the dishes together and making fun of each other and laughing so hard we can't breathe. 

Or the ones where we are eating by candlelight again, not to be romantic, but because the power has gone out. Again. 

Or the ones where we run outside 
and desperately try to pull all of the dry laundry off the line 
as the first sprinkles of rain begin to fall, 
and we are getting all tangled up the clean clothes and clothesline 
and laughing and tripping over our toddler 
who is trying so hard to help 
and is just managing to be everywhere that is most inconvenient. 

Or the ones where we eat a whole roll of oreos (who decided that so many delicious little cookies should go in one package?) while I read a book and he sits beside me and plays a computer game. 

When we were engaged, we were warned over and over again (perhaps due to our rather short dating time) that after we were married, the fun and romance would wear off, and at some point we were going to have to face the reality that is mundane married life. 

Well… duh. Of course the fuzzy feelings can't last forever, continuously, all the time. 

But friendship can. 
And when we just aren't feeling the starry-eyed romance in the middle of the stuff that is life… 
we can always laugh. 
At each other. 
With each other. 
At life. 

And I think, that is what love really looks like. 
Not chocolates (although I do love chocolate). 
Not roses (not my favorite flower, anyways). 
Not tuxedos (although, refer to the above confession regarding my stance on suits.) 



But love is laughing and rolling up our sleeves and washing the dishes. 
Or sweeping. 
Or stumbling around and finding the matches and candles in the dark so that we can see to finish dinner. 
Or giving the toddler a bath because he sat in a puddle. Again. 
And always, being willing to laugh. 
And live.
And love.