Blue Elephant's Halloween warmer pumpkin recipe

It not only helped out Cinderella, but the humble pumpkin could make all of us live happily ever after.

Now Chef Noroor Somany Steppe, the award-winning founder of the Blue Elephant group and widely acclaimed as one of the world’s leading Thai chefs, has used this versatile vegetable to conjure up a bewitching Halloween recipe.

Complementing the soft texture and slight sweetness of the flesh with ingredients such as chilli, cumin and coriander, Chef Noroor has created a delicious dish that will delight diners not just over Halloween but throughout the entire pumpkin season.

The good news is that this recipe is not only tasty but extremely nutritious. The pumpkin's bright orange colour means that it is loaded with beta-carotene, which experts reckon can reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and protect against heart disease and some degenerative aspects of ageing. Pumpkins are also a source of other vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin C and potassium.

Please see below for Chef Noroor’s recipe:

Kaeng Phed Nua Fuk Thong
(Red Curry with Beef & Pumpkin)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons red curry paste
½ teaspoon ground roasted cumin seeds and coriander seeds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
90 grams beef (sliced into bite-size pieces)
80 grams pumpkin (cut in pieces)
250 grams coconut milk
2 kiffir lime leaves, torn in half
15 sweet basil leaves (Horapha leaves)
1 large red chilli (angle sliced)
Seasoning
½ tablespoon palm sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
Garnish
Sweet basil tips

Method

1. In a saucepan on a medium heat, add vegetable oil and red curry paste.
Mix paste with oil until an aroma develops. Gradually add coconut milk
2. Add sliced beef; simmer until beef is half-cooked. Add pumpkin
3. Add remaining coconut milk. Allow it to boil for about a minute
4. Add seasoning, kaffir lime leaves and red chilli
5. When the curry boils, add the sweet basil leaves. Gently mix well and pour the curry into a serving bowl
6. Decorate with tips of sweet basil leaves.