It's that time of year again. Where spooky themes are everywhere and mounds of sugar are available around every corner. The best thing about this time of year for me is the number of pumpkins everywhere, in the stores and on the interwebs. Today we're going to use that wonderful fruit - I'll let you google about that yourself - to make a savory and very comforting dish. I'll be the first to admit, the level you can reach with a sugar high around this time of year can be one of the scariest things about this holiday. Feed yourself this curry first to combat the sugar demon child inside you, that unforgivingly crashes when you least expect it.

Curry is something that's made so artfully in other cultures, that I almost didn't want to list the ingredient "curry powder" in this recipe. But if you see the combined spices of turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, fenugreek, cayenne, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg in your curry powder ... you'll be just fine. Luckily, curry powder is pretty common in grocery stores and the convenience of all the combined spices in a little container is a treat. So enjoy this stick-to-your-ribs meal and have a very happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Curry

About 4-6 servings

Ingredients
1 small sugar pumpkin
2 large carrots
1 red onion
3 clove garlic
1 lime
1 can of coconut milk
3-4 cups water
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon gochugaru
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

chopped cilantro for topping
steamed rice for serving

Steps
1. Chop the carrots and onions to about 1” pieces. Roughly mince the garlic cloves.

2. Put a clean dish towel underneath the pumpkin laying on its side. Using a back and forth motion with your knife, cut the top and bottom off. Flip the pumpkin to one of the cut sides and put the dish towel under that. Starting from the top to bottom, cut off the skin of the pumpkin, rotating one piece at a time. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove all of the pulp and seeds. Cut into ½” cubes.

3. In a medium-high heat pot, add vegetable oil and starting browning the pumpkin, red onion, and carrots for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the vegetables get slightly tender, add in the garlic, gochugaru, fish sauce, brown sugar, salt, and curry powder. Add in the water, covering the vegetables about ½“. Stir everything together, then keep at a low boil for about 20 minutes.

4. Once the vegetables are tender turn the heat to medium-low, then squeeze in the lime juice and add the coconut milk. Stir and keep on the heat until you see bubbles starting to form, showing the curry is heated through with the curry milk. Remove from heat and serve with steamed rice and top with cilantro.

Notes
- Cutting a pumpkin can be very dangerous if your knife slips. Pay attention to slippery surfaces and be confident with your knife. The sharper your knife the better.