Caribbean chicken and pumpkin curry

Pumpkin in curry creates a lovely substance, balance and touch of sweetness. This version is finished with a touch of rum!

Caribbean chicken and pumpkin curry. Credit: Hairy Bikers Comfort Food

• serves

  8

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned, or a jointed chicken, skinned
• Juice of 1 lime
• Steamed rice and fresh herbs, optional, to serve

Marinade

• 4 spring onions, roughly chopped, plus extra, sliced, to garnish
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 20 g piece of peeled ginger, roughly chopped
• 2 scotch bonnets (or according to taste), deseeded and finely chopped
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1½ tbsp medium curry blend, preferably Caribbean
• ½ tsp ground allspice

Curry

• 3 tsp (15 ml) vegetable or coconut oil
• 1 onion, thickly sliced
• 300 ml chicken stock or water
• 2 tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 large sprigs thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 400 g pumpkin, peeled and cut into large chunks
• Juice of ½ a lime
• 1 tsp rum (optional)

Marinading time: several hours or overnight.

Instructions

1. Put the chicken thighs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
2. Make the marinade by putting the spring onions, garlic, ginger, chillies, lime zest and juice, curry powder and allspice into a small food processor and blitzing to a paste – add a little water to this if it is not being cooperative. Pour the marinade over the chicken and mix thoroughly to make sure the chicken is completely covered. Leave for as long as you can – at least a couple of hours, but overnight is better.
3. Heat the vegetable or coconut oil in a large casserole. Add the onion and cook on a medium heat for several minutes until starting to turn a golden brown. Add the chicken and the marinade to the casserole – the idea is not to brown the chicken, but do give the marinade ingredients a couple of minutes to cook before adding the stock or water.
4. Next, add the tomatoes, thyme and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down, cover, and leave to simmer for around 40 minutes. Add the pumpkin and cook for a further 10 minutes, covered. Remove the lid and cook for another 5-10 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly and finish off cooking the pumpkin. Drizzle in the rum, if using, and lime juice.
5. Serve with sliced spring onions, some fresh parsley or coriander and steamed rice.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.