When I love a recipe, I have this habit of making and making it all week until I'm fed up of it! This month has been pumpkin heaven, with the supermarkets full of them. Not just orange pumpkins either, but green and yellow, miniature white ones, all in different shapes and sizes. 

I carved my pumpkins last weekend and have spent everyday since eating pumpkin in some form. I made a huge batch of soup at the weekend and it's been my lunchtime staple in this cold and gloomy weather. 

Today I decided to liven up the last serving with a little cream, a lot of chickpeas and some seared ginger tofu. It's so easy to make and adds another dimension and heartiness to endless bowls of soup! 

You can go straight in with this as a curry recipe, or make the soup first and split the batch so that you have a couple of options for the week. 

INGREDIENTS (for the soup) 

1 pumpkin

2 white onions

1 tbsp olive oil 

3 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp vegan bouillon

500ml boiling water

1 tin coconut milk 

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp turmeric 

1/2 tsp ginger

1 tsp ground cardamom 

Vegan cream (to decorate)

Salt and black pepper to season

For the Curry

200g firm tofu (I used tofoo) cubed

4 tbsp tamari sauce

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp maple syrup 

1 tsp sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger or 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger

You'll want to marinade the tofu in advance. In a small bowl, combine tamari sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Pour the marinade over the tofu. Let it marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. 

200ml vegan cream (I used Oatly) 

1 tin drained chickpeas

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170C

Scoop the insides of the pumpkin out using a metal spoon. I do this by slicing the top off, then scooping away layers, setting the seeds aside to plant next year

Spoon the flesh into a large, ceramic oven dish. Add two roughly chopped onions, three cloves of garlic and a good drizzle of olive oil

Sprinkle the spices through, season with salt and stir everything together well. Then roast in the oven at 170C for 30 to 40 minutes until the pumpkin and onions are soft

Transfer to a saucepan, pour over 500ml of boiling water with an added tablespoon of vegan bouillon powder, then pour in a tin of coconut milk

Simmer over a low heat, stirring regularly for 5 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and transfer to a blending jug or use a hand blender to create a smooth, thick soup

Now to transform it into a pumpkin curry 

I love to make my curry a little more creamy and slightly heavier on the spices! Add half the soup back into a saucepan and pour in 200ml of cream. I've used an Oatly Carton, but you can add tinned coconut milk or cream if you prefer

Stir everything together well, then add it to a nutribullet so that you blend the consistency super smooth. Return to the pan and season with a little more cardamom and garam masala

Warm 1tbsp coconut oil in a frying pan, add the marinated tofu cubes and pan fry for 5 minutes until golden brown. Add the drained chickpeas and continue stirring until they're also golden brown

Pour the curry into the pan and stir through well

Serve with fresh yoghurt (I used vegan) and fresh coriander, mint or parsley