Roast Pumpkin and Bramley Apple Massaman Curry

Massaman is one of the most complex curry pastes in Thai cooking. It carries a long list of warm spices - cardamom, cassia bark, cloves, star anise, nutmeg - alongside peanuts and a rich soy base that sets it apart from most other Thai curries. Aromatic and deeply layered rather than fiery, it's the kind of thing that improves the colder and darker it gets outside.

The Payst massaman paste is the same one we use at Farang, made in small batches the same way as all our others. It lends itself well to being vegetarian - the spice and peanut base is rich enough to carry vegetables without needing meat - and we've run it as a vegan curry on the menu more than once.

I was first taught a version of this at The Begging Bowl in Peckham where I began my career as a Thai chef. That version used duck legs, chopped into bite-sized pieces, marinated in dark soy and fried before braising in the curry. Exceptional. This vegan version takes the same principles and applies them to roast pumpkin and apple, which works at least as well and is a lot simpler to pull off at home.

The raisins are in here because of Chef Prin Polsuk from Samrub Samrub Thai in Bangkok - now Michelin-starred and listed on Asia's 50 Best. A few years ago I was invited to cook at an event at the top of the Gherkin in London alongside Prin and Mark Dobbie from Som Saa, and watching Prin cook was one of those kitchen moments that stays with you. He added raisins to his massaman and I'd never seen it done before. They swell in the curry sauce and give occasional bursts of sweetness that work perfectly against the spice and the sour apple. I took the inspiration and it's been in my version ever since.

The apple is a Bramley because I grew up with them - Middle Barton in the Cotswolds, apple trees everywhere - but any apple that can hold its own in heat will work. Sweet-sharp, firm enough to keep some shape. Peel and core it and keep an eye on the timing - overcook it and it purées into the sauce making the whole thing overwhelmingly sweet. You want pieces that hold their shape and give you a hit of apple in certain mouthfuls rather than just disappearing into the background.

Roast Pumpkin and Apple Massaman Curry

Serves: 2 | Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 40 mins | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 100g massaman curry paste (Payst massaman, available next-day delivery UK-wide - pre-seasoned. If using your own paste, add palm sugar and soy sauce)

• 50ml coconut oil or vegetable oil

• 2 makrut lime leaves, torn

• 4 slices pumpkin (100-150g each), skin on, seeds removed

• 1 Bramley apple (or any firm, tart apple), peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges

• 1 pinch coarse sea salt

• 1 tbsp caster sugar

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 200ml vegetable stock

• 250ml coconut milk

• 100g green beans, ends trimmed and halved

• 6 new potatoes, quartered

• 1 tbsp raisins

• 100g baby corn, cut into bite-sized pieces

• 20g fresh Thai basil

• Steamed jasmine rice to serve

Optional garnish

• Crispy shallots

• Roasted peanuts, roughly pounded

• 2 makrut lime leaves, julienned

• Thai basil sprigs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Get your jasmine rice on first.

2. Coat the pumpkin and apple wedges in half the oil and lay on a lined baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and roast on the top shelf for 20-25 minutes until tender to a knife. Scatter over the caster sugar and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes until just caramelised. Set aside.

3. Heat the remaining oil in a large wok or pan over medium heat. Add the massaman paste and torn makrut lime leaves. Fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring, until the paste darkens and smells fragrant. Deglaze with the soy sauce, then add the stock and half the coconut milk. Bring to a simmer.

4. Add the green beans, baby corn, potatoes and raisins. Simmer for 7-8 minutes until the vegetables are just cooked through.

5. Add the roasted pumpkin and apple to the curry and warm through gently - you want them to hold their shape rather than break down. Take off the heat and stir in the Thai basil and remaining coconut milk.

6. Serve in a large sharing bowl over jasmine rice. Finish with crispy shallots, roughly pounded peanuts, julienned makrut lime leaves and extra Thai basil.

Chef's notes

Watch the apple carefully. Add it late and don't rush it - a few minutes too long and it dissolves into the sauce. You want those occasional pockets of sweet-sharp apple in the finished bowl.

The raisins swell as the curry cooks and soften into the sauce. Don't skip them - they're a small thing that makes a noticeable difference to the balance of the dish.

The Payst massaman paste is available for next-day delivery at payst.co.uk. More recipes at faranglondon.co.uk.