Vegan Bon Appetit: Pumpkin Shrimp Curry

Today's installment of Vegan Bon Appetit comes to us from November 2011 in the form of Pumpkin Shrimp Curry; minus the shrimp, of course.

In an effort to continue to use up leftover pumpkin (I swear this pumpkin puree supply is never ending!) and prepare and/or veganize some of those Bon Appetit recipes that have caught my eye, I decided to give this curry a whirl.  What can I say, I am a sucker for curry... and butternut squash... and this recipe contains both.  But what was I to do about the pesky shrimp that were getting in the way of this being an accidentally vegan dish; replace them with king trumpet/ oyster mushrooms.

Knowing that oyster mushrooms often stand in well in place of seafood, I thought they would be a great substitute to take the place of shrimp.

However, the boyfriend quickly accused me of being "one of those people who creates a substitute without having any idea what the taste or texture of the actual thing is like."

Our conversation went a little like this:
Him: Are those round things mushrooms.

Me: Yes, I put them in to replace the shrimp in the recipe. I figured the texture is similar, right?!

Him *disturbed look*: This is nothing like shrimp. You've never had shrimp, have you? Go eat a shrimp.

Me: Ew! No. Just tell me what a shrimp is like.

Him: It's nothing like this. This is more like a mussel. Actually, its texture is making me nauseous a little. But it's fine, I'll eat it. (insert comment from above)

This is how I learned that an oyster mushroom is called such because of their slight physical, taste, or textural resemblance to oysters or mussels, but apparently are nothing like shrimp.  This is why I usually stick to just using vegetables and not doing much in the way of meat substituting. Probably had I just added the mushrooms and not said they were replacing shrimp he wouldn't have batted an eye.

The choice of adding mushrooms is up to you. The curry is hearty and delicious either way. My only criticism towards the original recipe is it definitely needs salt.

Here's the original recipe. My substitution vegan version is below.

Pumpkin Curry  
Ingredients
4 King Oyster (King Trumpet) mushrooms, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
3 T olive oil
1 C sliced onion
1 T minced ginger
1 T minced garlic

1 plum tomato, chopped (optional - I didn't have one, so I didn't use it)
1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée
2 C vegetable broth
1 C unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 C butternut squash, roasted and diced
1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice

salt to taste
Steamed brown rice

Garnish 

Cilantro
Lime zest
Fried shallots

Directions 
Heat 1 T oil in a pan and add mushrooms in a single layer, being careful not to over crowd the pan. Cook for about 3 - 5 minutes on each side, until a lightly browned sear is created. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat remaining 2 T olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and ginger; sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Stir in plum tomato and pumpkin purée; cook, stirring frequently, until pumpkin is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry powder, and cayenne pepper; simmer for 20 minutes. Add butternut squash, mushrooms, and lime juice. Simmer until mushrooms and squash are warm. Serve with steamed rice. Top with cilantro, lime zest, and fried shallots.