Halloween Grub!

Both Ed and I had never really done a proper Halloween as kids i.e. pumpkin carving and going trick o'treat. This year we decided we would. We bought a 99p pumpkin from Aldi, reviewed a few carving videos on YouTube and presto! Our semi-wicked, evil smiley jack o'lantern was ready. I must add that the credit for wanting to carve a pumpkin and actually doing both  go to Ed. I merely directed ;) .I decided to not waste anything and so made a yummy Thai style pumpkin curry from the pulp and roasted the pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin and Chicken Curry:

Ingredients:

6 chicken thighs/legs

 Shredded pumpkin flesh

2 green peppers

1 large onion

Fresh garlic paste

Ginger paste 

Lemongrass paste

1 tsp chilli powder/2 fresh chillies

1 can coconut milk
1 tsp nam pla ( fish sauce)
2 tbsp lime juice
 Method:

Marinate the chicken in chilli, garlic, ginger and fry lightly. in a wok/casserole Add onions, pinch of salt and continue to fry.  When the onion gets translucent, add chilli powder. When the chicken has slightly browned, add ginger, lemongrass and garlic. Mix well and continue to fry. When the chicken looks nearly cooked, add the pumpkin and peppers and continue to fry for about 10 mins. The pumpkin will reduce and the juices from the chicken will combine to form a lovely sauce. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, stir well and continue to cook. After 5 mins, add coconut milk. Cover the dish and continue to cook till the chicken comes off the bone. If you want to up the spice go for 2tsp chilli powder.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

Ingredients:

Pumpkin seeds

Italian seasoning

1 tsp Paprika
Pinch of rock salt

Leerdamer- grated ( you could use any hard cheese)

 Method:

Set oven to 150 deg C. Mix all the ingredients together and place in a baking tray. Grate cheese. Bake for 15 mins. Turn the seeds over a bit and bake again for 15 mins.