Description
This recipe features tender baked baby pumpkins filled with a flavorful red curry prawn mixture, served alongside refreshing pickled cucumber and fragrant jasmine rice. The squash is gently pre-cooked in the microwave, then baked with a creamy coconut and red curry sauce, making it a vibrant and comforting dish with Southeast Asian flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Pickled Cucumber
- ½ cucumber, finely shredded or sliced
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- Pinch of sugar
Baked Baby Pumpkin and Red Curry Prawns
- 2 small squashes (baby pumpkins), halved and seeds scooped out
- 1 tbsp red curry paste
- 200ml coconut cream
- Splashes of fish sauce (to taste)
- 150g cooked and peeled prawns
- Fresh coriander, for garnish
- Juice of lime, for serving
- Cooked jasmine rice, to serve
Instructions
- Prepare the Pickled Cucumber: Finely shred or slice the cucumber. Combine the white wine vinegar with a pinch of sugar until dissolved, then toss this mixture with the cucumber to lightly pickle it. Set aside for flavors to develop.
- Pre-Cook the Squash: Halve the squashes and scoop out the seeds. Fit the halves back together and microwave on high power for 10 minutes, or until almost cooked through. If needed, microwave for a few more minutes. Once done, separate the halves and place them on a baking tray.
- Make the Red Curry Sauce and Bake: In a pan, heat the red curry paste with the coconut cream and add a splash of fish sauce to taste. Spoon about half of this sauce into each squash half. Place the tray with the filled squash halves in a preheated oven at 200°C (180°C fan/gas mark 4) and bake for 10 minutes.
- Add Prawns and Finish Baking: Add the cooked prawns to the remaining curry sauce in the pan and stir to coat them well. Spoon the prawn mixture into the hollowed squash halves on the tray and bake for an additional 5 minutes to warm through and meld flavors.
- Serve: Sprinkle fresh coriander over the baked pumpkins, squeeze fresh lime juice on top, and serve immediately with the pickled cucumber and cooked jasmine rice alongside.
Notes
- The microwave step is essential to soften the squash before baking, reducing overall cooking time.
- You can adjust the level of spiciness by modifying the amount of red curry paste used.
- For a vegetarian version, substitute prawns with tofu or chickpeas and use a vegetarian-friendly fish sauce alternative.
- Be sure to serve immediately after baking for the best texture and flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed squash half with sauce, cucumber, and rice
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
