Afghan-Style Pumpkin (With Yogurt Sauce)
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2tablespoons neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn
- 1medium onion, chopped
- 1teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1minced fresh chili, like jalapeño or Thai, seeds removed
- 8cups 1-inch cubes pumpkin flesh
- 1½cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock, plus more as needed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 2cloves garlic, crushed
- 1pound ground beef (optional)
- 1-14½-ounce can crushed tomatoes (double if omitting the meat)
- ¼teaspoon coriander
- 1cup yogurt, preferably whole-milk
- ¼cup chopped fresh mint, plus more for garnish
- 1teaspoon minced garlic
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
329 calories; 22 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 756 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Put the oil in a pot or deep skillet that can later be covered on medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the turmeric, ginger and chili, and cook for another 2 minutes, until aromatic.
- Step 2
Add pumpkin and stock; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and turn heat to low. Cook, stirring once or twice, until pumpkin is tender, 15 to 30 minutes. Check periodically to make sure there is adequate liquid; if the pumpkin is done and the liquid is thin, remove lid and turn the heat to medium-high. Boil mixture until thick; taste and adjust seasoning.
- Step 3
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add garlic. If using ground beef, add it and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and coriander and reduce heat to low; simmer until the mixture thickens, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Step 4
Combine the yogurt, mint, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir.
- Step 5
Spoon the ground beef or tomato sauce over the pumpkin. Top with yogurt sauce and more fresh mint and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
The original Afghani recipe calls for roasting the pumpkin with sugar and cinnamon, not for simmering on the stovetop. Not sure why MB went with stovetop. Search for other kaddo borani recipes and you will find the technique. Peel and clean the pumpkin, cut into big chunks, cover with oil, sugar, cinnamon and roast on a lower heat. You will get a much better texture and flavor profile.
Mark mentions in his Kitchen Matrix cookbook that you can simply skip the beef to make this a vegetarian recipe. He says that a 4-pound pumpkin will yield about 8 cups of cubes. He recommends cutting the pumpkin just as if you were carving a jack-o'-lantern: cut a circle around the stem, then pull up on the stem and discard it. Using the cavity as a handle, peel the pumpkin with a sturdy vegetable peeler. Then cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds.
I read once to always use butternut squash in place of pumpkin. It's served me well.
I used a Hokkaido pumpkin for this dish as they are readily available here (Germany), have bright orange, sweetish flesh and don’t need to be peeled. I added a couple of carrots, a red bell pepper and chili flakes as I had no fresh chili on hand. Simmered gently on the stove-top, served just with tomato sauce with plenty of garlic and topped with the tangy yoghurt sauce and fresh mint from the garden. Delicious.
We made it following the directions, using kabocha squash, but left out the ground beef. The kabocha cooked very quickly. The flavors are amazing, especially topping it off with the mint and garlic yogurt.
We made this dish tonight (the vegetarian version) and it was amazing! We would not change a thing!! We also made basmati rice and served the dish over the rice. All so good! Looking forward to tomorrow night for the leftovers!