Karen Martini's vegan pumpkin yellow curry with chickpeas and coconut

Name: Karen Martini's vegan pumpkin yellow curry recipe
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 30g coriander seeds; 75g cashew; 1 onion, finely chopped; 5 garlic cloves, sliced; 50g ginger; 1 lemongrass stem, white part only, thinly sliced; 20 curry leaves; 4 red bird’s-eye chillies, chopped; 1 bunch coriander, leaves picked, stems and roots washed well and thinly sliced; 80ml ghee; 30.00 ml curry powder; 2 tsp ground cardamom; 1 heaped tbs salt flakes; 900g pumpkin, peeled and cut into rough 6cm chunks; 400g can chickpeas, drained; 400ml can coconut cream; 40g palm sugar (jaggery); 7 makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, 3 very thinly shredded; 1 lime, to serve

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Karen Martini's Karen Martini's yellow curry of pumpkin, chickpea and coconut

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by Karen Martini

CHEF

Apr 15, 2026

“This is a rich and super-fragrant vegan curry. The zesty tang of the lime leaves and juice complements the sweetness of the pumpkin, which becomes quite rich when cooked in coconut.” - Karen Martini.

This is an edited extract from Cook: Green by Karen Martini, out April 28, Hardie Grant, $39.99.

4 1/2‌ tbs (30g) coriander seeds
1/2 cup (75g) cashews
1 onion, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, sliced
10cm piece fresh ginger (50g), sliced
1 lemongrass stem, white part only, thinly sliced
20 curry leaves
4 red bird’s-eye chillies, chopped
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked, stems and roots washed well and thinly sliced
1/3‌ cup (80ml) melted ghee, coconut oil or olive oil
1 1/2 tbs curry powder
2 tsp ground cardamom
1 heaped tbs salt flakes
900g pumpkin, peeled and cut into rough 6cm chunks
400g can chickpeas, drained
400ml can coconut cream
40g palm sugar (jaggery)
7 makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, 3 very thinly shredded
1 lime, to serve

Method

1.

Toast the coriander in a dry frypan over medium heat for 1 minute 30 seconds, or until toasted and fragrant. Grind lightly using a mortar and pestle.
2.

Toast the cashews in the same pan over high heat for about 6 minutes, or until golden and scorched.
3.

Add the onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, curry leaves, chilli and coriander stems and roots to a blender with 1 tbs of the ghee or oil and whiz to a rough paste.
4.

Add the remaining ghee to a large saucepan over medium heat and fry the paste for 4 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the ground coriander, curry powder, cardamom and salt, then stir through for 30 seconds. Stir in the pumpkin to coat.
5.

Add the chickpeas, coconut cream, palm sugar, whole lime leaves and 850ml water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring in the cashews during the last 10 minutes, reserving a few to serve.
6.

Serve topped with the shredded lime leaves, the reserved cashews and coriander leaves and a good squeeze of lime

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Recipe Notes

You could add chicken thighs with or instead of the chickpeas. Cut 400g chicken thigh fillets into 3cm pieces and add to the pan with the dry spices and cook until tender.