I’m seeing lots of pumpkins around. In huge bins outside of supermarkets, decorating bars, and adorning cafes. Who ever decided it was ‘a thing’ to carve faces into this beautifully bright winter squash and stick a candle into it’s newly hollowed centre is a genius in my books. What’s there not to like about a jolly looking glowing squash?

I thought I would be nifty this week by showing you how we do with pumpkin in Thailand, with a naughty sounding dish, ‘fak tong gang baud’, or pumpkin in sweet pandan coconut milk. You decide what you want to call it, all I’m saying is that its freaking delicious.

Pumpkin in Sweet Pandan Coconut Milk (serves 4)

You will need:
1 can of coconut milk (about 400ml, organic if possible)
400ml water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 pumpkin (about 2 1/2 cups) seeded and cut into 1″ chunks
palm sugar or raw sugar
4-6 leaves of fresh pandan tied into a knot (you may use dried as an alternative)

Wash your pumpkin and pandan well. Meanwhile, heat coconut milk, salt, and water in a large saucepan, then drop in your pandan to infuse into the milk. Bring to the boil and add your pumpkin, and turn down the heat to a simmer to cook until tender. This will take about 4-5 minutes. When the pumpkin is soft, add the palm sugar by dissolving it in the coconut milk to sweeten to taste. It’s completely up to you how sweet you would like it to be. Turn off the heat, and dish into small bowls, leaving the pandan behind. Serve while hot.