Trevor Felch
Benjarong Thai Cuisine's Pumpkin Curry.
We’re finally seeing the end of the pumpkin parade that takes over October and November each year, beginning with that first sip of pumpkin stout and ending two weeks from tomorrow with Grandma’s pumpkin pie. And oh the
dreadful pumpkin spiced latte burger. But that doesn’t mean real pumpkin has to go away as snow season (in Tahoe, at least) comes to San Francisco.
Pumpkin curry with tofu is one of the great un-heralded pillars of Thailand’s cuisine any season and it’s tough to find a more fulfilling rendition than at
Benjarong Thai Cuisine in the Marina. It's just more appropriate now that baseball is over and summer, we think, maybe, is ending.
A small rectangular bowl full of strong red curry is the base for cubes of pumpkin, morsels of silky and not elastic tofu (for non-vegetarians, beef, chicken, shrimp or a seafood combo available), and lengthy slices of red peppers for a real twist to the other calming elements. Seriously, even if you aren’t vegetarian the tofu should be the go-to protein since it turns out to be the idyllic sauce absorber. And this indeed is a deep, full-bodied coconut milk-based curry broth worthy of every drop (and not so massive that leftovers are a guarantee).
Here the coconut milk-based red curry is much more savory than that latte flavoring or spiced pie filling you’re thinking of and very thick, calling to mind a creamy chowder’s consistency instead of just being a watery sauce in a bowl like many curries. You can tell there was a long simmering time. There is good heat that makes the curry itself perfect to share a bite with soothing tofu, some broth and rice to bring down the spice a notch.
What really adds a unique dimension to the entire bowl is the Thai basil, most commonly used as a garnish for pho. Benjarong tosses it into the broth and it becomes slightly cooked, much like how kale or baby spinach wilts in a soup. It really lightens up and jolts the broth when pairing with red curry paste. This should be the secret tandem for every cook’s arsenal.
But pumpkin, or its real name, kabocha squash, is the star of this dish. Each precisely cut piece still has a little fleck of green skin left to prove this is the real deal instead of from a can or your leftover jack-o-lantern. When you really reach back and think about the pumpkin, there’s a lot in common with pineapple — both are tangy and have a stringy/chalky texture with a very high water content.
Enjoy the pumpkin curry as part of a downright steal at lunch with brown rice and four fresh, rice paper-wrapped tofu spring rolls that are saturated with mint leaves for $10.95 (many other combos of appetizers and curries are available, too.). You’re also a world away from the college party atmosphere of Chestnut and Union. Benjarong has an aura of calm and maturity that isn’t found much in these parts outside of A16 or Perry’s.
So put down that pumpkin spiced muffin and pumpkin spiced latte and ignore the ubiquitous pad thai, and enjoy some real pumpkin flavored pumpkin and excellent Thai curry.
1968 Lombard; 441-8999.