Curried Pumpkin and Buss Up Shut (Paratha Roti)

Chef Nina Compton's curried pumpkin is packed with warm spices, aromatic ginger and rich coconut milk, and served with Buss Up Shut, a crinkled, buttery roti.

Curried Pumpkin and Buss Up Shut
Photo: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Active Time:
20 hrs 2 mins
Total Time:
1 day 21 hrs 2 mins
Servings:
6

Fresh habanero chiles add a touch of fruity heat to the chunks of tender pumpkin and softened callaloo leaves in this curried pumpkin. It's served with Buss Up Shut, a flatbread that gets its name from "busted-up shirt," which describes the bread's torn, crinkled texture, perfect for sopping up flavorful curry. Drizzle the curry with pumpkin seed salsa for a mild crunch and punch of garlic.

Ingredients

Buss Up Shut

  • 3 cups (about 12 3/4 ounces) plus 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

  • 1 ¼ cups warm water (95°F to 110°F)

  • 3 tablespoons ghee, divided, plus more for brushing

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3 ounces), softened, divided

Curried Pumpkin

  • ½ cup loosely packed fresh curry leaves (about 3/8 ounce) (from 3 curry sprigs)

  • 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks

  • 10 whole star anise (about 2 tablespoons)

  • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds

  • 1 tablespoon cardamom pods

  • ½ tablespoon whole cloves

  • ¼ cup canola oil

  • 1 medium-size (8-ounce) yellow onion, thinly sliced lengthwise (about 1 1/2 cups)

  • ¼ cup finely chopped peeled fresh ginger (from 1 [1 1/2-ounce] piece ginger)

  • ¼ cup peeled and grated fresh turmeric root (from 1/2 cup [2 1/2 ounces] whole turmeric)

  • 2 fresh habanero chiles (about 1 ounce)

  • 2 tablespoons garam masala (preferably Spicewalla)

  • 8 cups chopped peeled pumpkin (1- to 2-inch chunks) (from 1 small [4- to 5-pound] pumpkin)

  • 2 cups fresh callaloo leaves (about 2 ounces), trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • 4 cups vegetable stock

  • 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk, well shaken and stirred

Curried Pumpkin

  • ½ cup finely chopped garlic (from 20 garlic cloves) 

  • ½ cup olive oil

  • ¼ cup toasted pepitas

  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

  • 2 garlic cloves, grated using a Microplane (about 1 teaspoon)

  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Make the buss up shut:

  1. Whisk together 3 cups flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in center; add 1 1/4 cups warm water and 1 tablespoon ghee. Stir using a wooden spoon to bring dough together. Knead dough using your hands until a soft, sticky dough forms, about 1 minute. Using floured hands, divide dough evenly into 6 pieces (about 4 ounces each). Cover with a clean towel; let rest until dough is easy to use and stretch, 15 to 30 minutes. (Resting the dough helps relax the gluten and not only makes it easier to work with but also produces tender paratha.)

  2. Lightly brush a rimmed baking sheet with remaining 2 tablespoons ghee. Place 1 dough piece on a heavily floured work surface, and roll out to an 8- to 9-inch round. (They do not need to be perfect circles.) Using your fingers or a small offset palette knife, rub 1 tablespoon butter on surface of dough; lightly sprinkle with 2 teaspoons flour. Using a knife, cut a straight line starting from outer edge to center of circle to make a radius. Pick up dough at lower outer edge of where you made the cut, and roll dough clockwise, using your hands, into a tight cone shape. (The cone will be somewhat flat in shape.) Pinch the ends into the bottom (wider part) of the cone. Place the bottom (wider part) of the cone on the work surface, and push cone tip down into cone to create a volcano-like shape, folding the cone tip into the center until the dough is pushed down to an about 2-inch mound. Press down lightly to flatten the dough. Transfer to prepared greased baking sheet, and brush surface with ghee to prevent dough from drying out. Repeat process with remaining 5 pieces of dough, butter, and flour. Cover baking sheet with plastic wrap. Let dough rest in a cool (about 70°F) place for 2 hours.

  3. Heat a griddle, nonstick skillet, or tawa over medium. Lightly flour a work surface. Uncover dough. Gently flatten each dough mound, and roll each out into a 10-inch round, starting from center of each mound and working outward, rotating the dough each time you roll it to help form a perfect circle. (The dough rounds should be thin at the edges.)

  4. Working with 1 dough round at a time, gently transfer rolled dough to heated griddle. Cook until bubbles or air pockets appear on top of dough, about 4 minutes. Heavily brush top of dough, including edges, with ghee, oil, or melted butter. Flip and cook until golden, puffed, and flaky in parts, about 3 minutes. To create a torn texture, use 2 spatulas to crush paratha inward from outer edges while still on the griddle. Alternatively, wrap paratha in a clean cloth, and shake it. Sprinkle buss up shut with additional salt to taste, if desired. Place buss up shut in a bowl or on a platter. Cover with a clean towel to keep warm until ready to serve. Repeat process with remaining dough.

Make the curried pumpkin:

  1. Cut a square of cheesecloth about 8 inches wide. Place curry leaves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, coriander, cardamom, and whole cloves in center of cheesecloth. Tie sachet closed with kitchen twine. Heat oil in a large pot over medium. Add onion, ginger, turmeric, and habaneros; cook, stirring often, until onion starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garam masala and spice sachet; cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Stir in pumpkin, callaloo, and salt. Stir in stock and coconut milk. Increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until pumpkin and callaloo are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard spice sachet. Taste for seasoning, and add additional salt if desired.

  2. While curried pumpkin simmers, make the pumpkin seed salsa: Place chopped garlic and oil in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low. Simmer, undisturbed, until garlic just starts to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Fold in pepitas, lemon zest and juice, grated garlic, and salt. Serve pumpkin seed salsa alongside curried pumpkin and buss up shut.

Make Ahead

Buss up shut dough can be rolled into spirals up to 2 hours in advance.

Note

Callaloo, popular in Caribbean cooking, is a leafy green with a strong, spinach-like flavor. Look for it at Caribbean grocery stores.

Suggested Pairing

Earthy, spicy natural red: Matassa Tattouine Rouge

Originally appeared: September 2022
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