Like Yayoi Kusami’s famous art installation, aptly titled “All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins”, I too am obsessed with pumpkins. Due to the pandemic, we struggled through several moves this year and are finally beginning to feel a bit settled. At least we are back in the United States with no additional moves scheduled until summer 2022 🙂
On the plus side, it will be the first time I get to spend the holidays with my family after many years. My sister Nadia and I are working on a Thanksgiving menu with a Bangladeshi twist this year. Of course, little pastry chef Noah will be in charge of all the pumpkin spice baked goods. Hopefully, we will be organized enough to share the fusion twists on the blog. For now, she pushed me to finally get our favorite fall Bangladeshi recipe up. A savory and sweet beef stew. See below for her traditional slow-cooked stove top version and well as my Instapot weeknight winner.
One of the best parts of being stateside this time of year is that pumpkin spice is everywhere. Growing up, one of our aunts usually hosted Thanksgiving. There was always Turkey (sometimes in a curry), but the sides were always traditional spicy Bangladeshi recipes. Ironically, I didn’t discover pumpkin pie (or pumpkin spice) until studying in Paris. My roommate hosted a Friendsgiving complete with a sweet pumpkin pie after spending weeks hunting down pumpkin puree and other ingredients. Pumpkin spice fever is slowly creeping into Europe. Whether you are in the mood for a pumpkin spice latte or a Bangladeshi-style beef and pumpkin curry. It’s a lot easier to find the ingredients in France now.
Bangladeshi Beef and Pumpkin Curry (Sylheti Style)
In Bengali, pumpkin is called misti kumra or misti kadhoo (sweet gourd). It is a staple vegetable and is prepared in various ways in Bengali cuisine. Bangladeshis do not waste any part of the pumpkin plant since the pumpkin stems, blossoms, and leaves are all edible and delicious. The Bangladeshi style of frying pumpkin blossoms with egg is similar to Italian cooking, but just without any cheese.
Even in America, our uncles continued the tradition of growing pumpkins in the backyard. We were lucky to have an uncle with a true green thumb. He planted a ton of pumpkin seeds to enjoy the blossoms and leaves throughout the summer in advance of the pumpkin harvest in the fall. Some years he would be able to harvest 10-20 pumpkins, which he generously shared with family. We would freeze some to enjoy later in the year.
This dish is super popular with our entire family. We love to accompany this recipe with delicately steamed rice flour flatbread. What distinguishes this cooking style (from the Sylhet region of Bangladesh) from other Asian pumpkin curries is the strong heat factor of the spices. The heat is not diluted with the addition of coconut milk or yogurt. The closest flavor combination I have tried is Afghani Khaddo Buranee, but in that dish, the pumpkin is covered in a meat and yoghurt sauce.
When I stumbled upon premade frozen rice flour flatbread in a Bangladeshi market (there are a ton of South Asian shops near the Gare du Nord station) in Paris, I knew I had to make beef and pumpkin curry for our lockdown Thanksgiving last year. I finally acquired an Instapot during the lockdown, which has significantly reduced the time required for week-night meal prep when it comes to traditional Bangladeshi slow-cooked meals.
We hope you enjoy the recipe! Let us know in the comments if you try it.
Bangladeshi Beef and Pumpkin Curry
Hearty fall beef and pumpkin curry with flavors guaranteed to please pumkin spice lovers!
- Instapot (optional)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large onions (chopped)
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (can substitute fresh chopped)
- 1 cup water or beef broth
- 2 whole cardamom seeds
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 medium cinammon stick
- 1.5 tsp cumin powder
- 1.5 tsp coriander powder
- 1.5 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1.5 tsp red chilli powder (medium heat powder. adjust if stronger.)
- 0.5 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice
- 2 lbs beef cubed (bone in or chuck roast is best)
- 1.5 lbs pumpkin (large cubes)
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp pepper (optional)
Traditional Stovetop
Step 1
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cumin seeds. Let simmer and stir until onions turn translucent, this takes about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking and stirring until onions are soft and dark brown, 15 to 20 minutes. You may need to add a couple of tablespoons of water if needed to prevent the onion from sticking.
Step 2
Stir in the ginger/garlic paste, green chili, tomato, cardamom seeds, cloves, and cinnamon stick. Cook and stir until the garlic begins to brown, 3 to 5 more minutes.
Step 3
Mix, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garlic powder, chili powder, and ¼ cup of water into the onion mixture. Simmer until most of the water has evaporated and mixture has thickened.
Step 4 Â
Stir in the beef pieces until coated with spice mixture, simmer over medium low heat, stir occasionally, until the beef is cooked and tender, about 45 minutes.
Step 5
Then add in the pumpkin cubes and remainder of the water. Cover the pot and let it simmer on low heat for an additional 30 minutes.
Step 6
The curry should be done cooking and now you can stir in the garam masala and pumpkin spice. I like to add 2 tablespoon of chopped cilantro and a few green chilis to garnish. Serve with flatbread, naan, or rice
Instapot Method
Step 1
Start Instapot in saute mode. Heat 3.5 tbsp oil and add aromatics (onion, ginger-garlic paste) and diced tomato. Saute for 5 minutes. Add salt, whole spices, and powdered spices (except the pumpkin spice which you save for step 4). Stir, then add half of the water/beef broth. Saute for 5 minutes.
Step 2
Add meat and coat with spice mixture. Saute for 5 minutes.
Step 3
Turn off saute mode. Remove whole spices. Add remaining water or beef broth. Put the lid on and seal the Instapot. Set Instapot to high pressure and set the timer to 30 minutes.
Step 4
To save time, roast the cubed pumpkin on a baking sheet while the beef is cooking in the Instapot. Drizzle pumpkin with remaining oil and sprinkle with pumpkin spice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees, tossing them halfway through.
Step 5
Release pressure when the Instapot timer goes off. Remove lid. Switch to saute mode and add pumpkin. Stir beef and pumpkin to mix together without mashing. Cook for 5 minutes to thicken the gravy.
Step 6
Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with cilantro and (optional) sliced green chillis. Serve with rice, flatbread, or naan.
I like to roast the pumpkin with spices in the oven while the beef is cooking in the Instapot to save time. They can also be added to the Instapot after the beef is done for an extra 4-5 minutes or pressure cooking if you want to reduce cleanup. Bone-in or chuck roast beef cubes are best for this recipe, but you can substitute stew meat. Â
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