Pumpkin Chickpea stew

Its the season of the pumpkin...everywhere you go you see pumpkins. But the best things are those that have real pumpkin in them.

I make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and it is the most popular item on the table for desert. This time when I went grocery shopping there were these small pumpkins...I picked the smallest one which was still close to 2 lbs. The recipe is super great, but the biggest difficulty is peeling the pumpkin. But once you peel it, all the other things are pretty easy.

This is a Moroccan kind of a recipe and I served it with home made naan without yeast. And it is the best combination ever.

Pumpkin Chickpea stew (Chickpeas in coconut and pumpkin gravy)

Pumpkin chickpea stew

Ingredients:

1. 1 small pumpkin , close to 2 lbs, peeled and cubed
2. 1 medium small onion chopped
3. 2 large garlic pods
4. 1 inch ginger peeled and sliced
5. 1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
6. 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin, ground coriander, crushed basil
7. 2 tablespoons raisins
8. 1 tablespoon toasted cashew and almond
9. Handful of baby spinach
10. 1 can garbanzo 
11. 1 can coconut milk
12. 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
13. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt

In a stock pot heat the oil and add the onions and fry till they become translucent. Add the pumpkin pieces and garlic and ginger and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the broth and cover and cook for 20 minutes.

With an immersion blender, blend the pumpkin to puree. Add all the ingredients and stir to combine and simmer on a low flame for 20 minutes. Serve as is or with your fav grains r with instant naan.

Note: For the soup, I added a bunch of baby spinach to a bowl and added the hot soup to it so that the spinach wilts a little. It is great.