Bean and Pumpkin Curry

I love pumpkins. Every Hallowe'en I carve incredibly intricate designs that take me about an hour a time. I'm not going to be falsely modest here- they're brilliant! But every year I end up throwing out the flesh which is such a terrible waste. This year I'm determined to put it to good use so I've been inventing recipes. This one is my first and was a huge success. Even the fairly conservative* Boy was full of praise.

I measured my ingredients as I went, but you don't need to follow exact quantities.
Serves about four.

* 600g pumpkin (about half of a medium pumpkin)
* 1 large onion
* 1 tin of kidney beans- rinsed
* 60g creamed coconut
* Paprika
* Cayenne
* 1 whole chili

Roughly chop the onion and cook until translucent in a wok or large heavy pan.

Add the pumpkin. It should be chopped into small pieces or in the strips that you have taken from the pumpkin shell with your melon baller or other tool.

Add the whole chili. We like a mild curry so I leave it whole and take it out when the cooking is finished. If you prefer more heat you can finely chop it and leave it in.

Add a heaped teaspoon of paprika and half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Stir well and top up with water.

Cook until the pumpkin is soft and the water largely absorbed/evaporated. It took half an hour for my thin strips to be well cooked but chunks may take longer. Don't let it dry out.

Add the coconut and more water if needed.

Add the beans and cook until they are warmed through.

Serve with rice or naan bread.

* Gastronomically, not politically.