This red curry with pumpkin has all of the delicious flavors you'd expect from a Thai curry combined with the subtle sweetness of pumpkin. It's a one-pot meal that is as easy to make as it is satisfying to eat!
The beautiful thing about Thai curries is that they are endlessly customizable. You can change the curry paste, the protein, or the vegetable and create a completely different curry. With pumpkins abundant at this time of year, I decided to make a Thai red curry with pumpkin for dinner recently. It was the perfect centerpiece for a delicious Fall meal.
Thai Curry with Pumpkin
Although you can make Thai curries with a vast array of different ingredients, red curry with pumpkin is a favorite combination, both in Thailand and in the West. The pumpkin provides a creaminess and subtle sweetness that really complements the inherent spiciness of the red curry paste.
In Thailand, red curry with pumpkin is known as Gang Ped Faktong. Gang refers to curries, and ped means spicy. Together, gang ped is translated as red curry, and faktong means pumpkin. See HOW TO: Interpret a Thai menu for more details.
Ingredients
- Red Curry Paste: You can use any pre-made red curry paste on the market, or make your own from scratch. Two tablespoons will result in a medium level of spice. Feel free to add more or less depending on your heat preference.
- Coconut Milk: The thicker part of the coconut milk is used for frying the curry paste, and the thinner part combined with water is used to make the curry sauce.
- Chicken: Skinless, boneless chicken breast and/or thighs cut into bite-sized pieces work well in this curry, but you could use whatever cut of chicken you prefer, or another protein source entirely.
- Kabocha Squash: I use kabocha squash in this recipe as it most closely mimics the pumpkins that are available in Thailand. As the pumpkin cooks, it will thicken the curry.
- Makrut (Kaffir) Lime Leaves: In Thai, these leaves are known as "bai makrut". They impart a very distinct citrus flavor to the curry that cannot be substituted.
- Thai Basil: Thai basil is another essential ingredient in making Thai red curries. It adds a wonderful fragrance and flavor that just can't be replaced.
- Sugar and Fish Sauce: Sugar and fish sauce are used to season the curry. How much you add will depend on the curry paste you use.
Instructions
This red curry with pumpkin is made in the same way most red and green Thai curries are made (see HOW TO: Make Thai Curries). Follow these basic steps:
- Cook the coconut milk over medium high heat without stirring. This will allow the oil to separate from the milk, which is exactly what we want. Canned coconut milk has added homogenizers so it doesn't separate as well as fresh coconut milk.
- Add the curry paste and allow it to fry in the separated coconut milk until the aroma of the curry paste is very strong. This step usually takes about 5 minutes. Be sure to stir reguarly so that the curry paste doesn't burn.
- Add the chicken and coat it with the curry paste. Allow it to cook for a minute or two.
- Once the chicken is about halfway cooked, add the rest of the coconut milk and water to form the curry sauce. Allow this to come back to a simmer.
- Then add the pumpkin and let simmer until it is cooked, but still firm. Depending on how long this takes, you may need to add a little more water.
- Next, you'll add the makrut lime leaves and Thai basil. At this point, you should taste the curry and see if it needs additional seasonings. If so, add sugar and fish sauce to taste (I usually use 1 teaspoon of each to round out the curry).
- Serve over a bed of freshly cooked jasmine rice for an absolutely delicious Thai meal.
Storage
Thai curries in general tend to taste even better a day or more after they were cooked. The time stored in the refrigerator allows all of the disparate flavors to meld together into one deliciously coherent curry. The same is true for this red curry with pumpkin. However, as the pumpkin is reheated, it will cook more and make the curry thicker, so you may find you need to add additional water as it is reheated.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which curry paste is the best? To answer this question, I hosted a Thai Test Kitchen where I made green curry with 6 different brands of Thai curry pastes. The winners of this showdown were Mae Anong, Mae Ploy, and Maesri. I have not conducted the same taste test with red curry pastes, but I imagine that the results would be similar. In our house, we typically use Mae Anong and Maesri brand red curry pastes.
- What type of pumpkin should I use? You can use any type of pumpkin with yellow flesh in this curry. Kabocha squash is the most similar to the pumpkins found in Thailand, so that's what I usually use.
- Where can I find makrut lime leaves and Thai basil? Makrut (kaffir) lime leaves can be found at some specialty stores (I've seen them at Whole Foods before) and Southeast Asian markets. If they're not available locally, you can always find them fresh on Amazon. Thai basil is readily available at pan-Asian stores such as Ranch 99, and often at mainstream supermarkets as well.
- Can I make this curry vegetarian or vegan? Yes, absolutely! To make this curry vegetarian or vegan, you could use tofu, a meat substitute, or just omit the protein altogether. If you use tofu, I would recommend using firm tofu and frying it first, like I did in this yellow curry with tofu and vegetables. You'll also want to ensure that the curry paste you're using doesn't include shrimp paste or other animal products. Salt can be substituted for the fish sauce.
Recipe
Red Curry with Pumpkin | Gang Ped Fak Tong | แกงเผ็ดฟักทอง
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 Tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 cup boneless skinless chicken sliced thinly
- 2 cups kabocha squash peeled and cubed
- 3 kaffir lime leaves
- 1-2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup Thai basil
Instructions
- Prepare the Ingredients: Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Peel the skin off the kabocha squash and cut into 1" square cubes. Take the vein out of the kaffir lime leaves, and tear each leaf in half. Remove the Thai basil leaves from the stem.
- Fry the Curry Paste: Open your can of coconut milk and scoop off the top ⅓ cup to get the thicker coconut cream. Heat the coconut cream over medium high heat until it starts to bubble and separate (you will see small bubbles that look oily). Add your red curry paste and fry in the coconut cream until you can really smell the paste (about 5 minutes).
- Cook the Curry: Add your chicken, coat with the curry coconut paste, and let cook for a minute. Then add the other ⅔ cup of thinner coconut milk and 1 cup water and let simmer. Add in the kabocha squash and torn kaffir lime leaves and allow to simmer until the kabocha squash is cooked. You may need to add more water, depending on how long you allow the squash to simmer.
- Adjust the Seasonings: While the squash is cooking, taste the curry and adjust the flavors. I generally need to add just a teaspoon each of fish sauce and sugar, but this will depend on which curry paste you use (see Note). Once your curry is seasoned to your liking and the squash is cooked, add your Thai basil leaves.
- Serve the Curry: Allow the Thai basil to cook for a minute or so, then remove the pot from the heat. Garnish with a sprig of fresh Thai basil. Serve the curry with warm jasmine rice.
Daniel Mackay
I have been cooking with Maesri curry pastes for a few years now and stand by them. My favorite thai resturant in Austin, Tx that also runs a small thai grocery store and cooking school swears by this brand and is who turned me on to them. Palm sugar is very necessary with this brand of paste. Fish sauce is also a necessity if you really want to achive that umami flavor profile. I really appreciate all the hard work that goes into this blog Rachel!
noa
will tofo work insted of chiken?
Thanks
Rachel
Sure! I tend to use fried tofu instead of regular so that it will stand up better in the curry. It's also best to add it towards the end rather than the beginning like you would chicken, if it's already fried.
Chantelle
Hey Rachel, love love love all your recipes, can't wait to try this one tonight! Reading your site just makes me want to go back to Thailand. Have you or your partner ever had coconut cream in the little porcelain cups, it's not like what we think coconut cream to be, more like a jello?
Sarah
@Sara, I made this recipe with Mae Ploy and it was great. That seems to be a good brand - I know chefs who use it (all types - red, yellow, green, Panang, Massaman).
@Rachel: I ended up putting a few Tbs of tom yum soup (from a can, product made in Thailand) into my leftover yellow curry and it became a lot more interesting and complex. Have you ever tried that? I love your web site and I can't wait to try more. This is my first time cooking Thai food. I am ecstatic that I can make my favorite dish at home now!
Sara
Hi,
I love all the recipes you have here and I've tried making curry a couple times but none of the curry pastes I try work! Are there other brands that I can find at my local Asian grocery that you have found that work besides the one you list in the Pantry page? I'd love not to have to order curry paste online. Thanks so much!
Rachel
Hi Sara, I haven't tried all of the curry pastes out there, but I would imagine that any brand that's made in Thailand would be pretty good...
Sara
Are there any specific brands you have tried that worked? For example a brand called "Mae Ploy"? I really want to make a good curry but am losing patience with all the bad curry pastes!
Thanks!
Rachel
Hi Sara, unfortunately I haven't tried the Mae Ploy brand. Once we found the Mae Anong brand, we were happy and haven't needed to try anything else. If you do try it, please let us know what you think!
Lance
Based on my experience with curry pastes imported from Thailand and depending on the dish, the three best curry paste brands are Nittaya, Mae Ploy and Mae Anong. Which of these I choose for a dish depends on the "salt" and "heat" factors. Nittaya is a curry paste that will make beautiful, fragrant curries with a great balance between spicy and salty while still allowing you room to add the wonderful earthiness of fish sauce. Mae Ploy is another personal favourite, but it does lean toward the spicy. Mae Anong has a quite low salt content, so this paste is perfect for making fish cakes or other items where you can add as little or as much of the paste as you want for flavour without worrying about the dish getting too salty. If you make a traditional curry with it, you also have lots of room to attain a very rich depth of flavour with fish sauce.
When buying a curry paste, check the ingredient list and if salt or shrimp paste is high on the list then you are likely dealing with a "salty" curry paste. For example, the Aroy-D brand was a complete disaster for me because the salt content is so high. When I tried it the salt content was so high that the other flavours were lost and I had no room to add any fish sauce. As an aside: Aroy-D brand coconut milk in the cardboard boxes is one of the better coconut milk offerings I have found. It doesn't contain emulsifiers and allows you to "crack" the coconut milk to get a beautiful oily finish to your curries.
One final thing - I have heard good things about the Maesri brand of curry paste, but I haven't yet tried it. Has anyone else?
Rachel
Thanks so much for your insights, Lance! I actually have all of these brands of curry paste in my pantry, but haven't gotten around to doing a taste comparison yet... Will have to try them soon!
Briana
Do you suppose you could use butternut squash in this recipe instead of the kabocha? Thanks!
Rachel
Hi Briana, I would think butternut squash would work well, but I haven't tried it. Let me know how it turns out if you do!
Rachel
Thanks for the comment! You can substitute salt for fish sauce. Just be sure to taste the curry as you're making it because the amount of salt will depend on which curry paste you use. Some need a lot of salt and some don't need much (or any) at all. Best of luck!
Tastespotting peruser
Looks so good.
Please. what to do without fish sauce and chicken? I'd use tofu though. Just not use fish sauce and leave it blank? I am a complete novice at cooking. Thank you very much