Learn how to make this delicious pumpkin pork stew recipe in the slow cooker!
Jump to RecipeLast weekend I went out to a Burmese restaurant with a homeschooling moms foodie group (you gotta love homeschool communities—they aren’t just for the kids!). It was a family-style restaurant, so we all ordered something different and shared.
All of the food was absolutely delicious, but everyone was especially impressed with the pumpkin pork stew! My first bite of it made me feel like it was Fall with colorful leaves everywhere and a slightly crisp breeze carrying the scent of apple pie was passing by! And I can tell you that living in Hawaii, it never feels like that here, haha.
All the other women with me remarked on how it was surprisingly homey and comforting. Though I think the most common phrase I heard when someone new first tried the pumpkin pork stew was, “Oh, wow!” haha. 😉
So, of course, I wanted to make this yummy stew at home! But when I tried to find a recipe for Burmese pumpkin pork stew, I couldn’t find anything quite like the one we had at the restaurant. I finally settled on three different recipes (here, here, and here) that I pulled different ingredients from and then tweaked further to make it like the one we had.
And I must say, my version of creamy pumpkin pork stew turned out pretty darn close to the original! My family loved it and said it was “definitely a ‘have-again.’”
I was surprised at how healthy it is, too! It’s loaded with veggies, but you don’t even notice (neither do the kids 😉) since it’s all blended together into a creamy mash that tastes really rich and flavorful.
What if my store doesn’t carry fresh pumpkin?
You can use another winter squash in place of the pumpkin! I actually used kambocha squash (it looks like a little green pumpkin and tastes the same), but you could also try acorn squash or even butternut, though the flavor would be less “pumpkin-y.”
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Are you ready for a new and delightful comfort food recipe? Let get making!
How to make pumpkin pork stew in the slow cooker (crock pot)
Put everything except the pork, salt, pepper, and olive oil in your crockpot.
Then cut 2 pounds of pork shoulder/butt into about 1-inch cubes, trimming off any excess fat.
In a large pan over medium-high heat, brown the cubed pork in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
You don’t need to cook the pork through—just get the outsides nice and seared.
Place the pork on top of the rest of the ingredients in the slow cooker, but do NOT mix everything together.
Cook everything until the pumpkin (or kabocha squash) is soft—about 2-3 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low.
Remove the pork from the crock pot and set aside. Using an immersion blender, blend everything else all together until it’s smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can just blend it in a regular blender in smaller batches and then return the blended veggies to the slow cooker.
Return the pork to the crock pot and stir it the stew base. Allow it to continue cooking for another hour on high or another couple of hours on low.
And you did it! Doesn’t it smell soooo good?! Serve with rice, naan, fry bread, or crusty rolls.
It never occurred to me to seek out Burmese cuisine before, but now I realize that I’ve been missing out!
What other cuisines would you like to try? Or do you have a favorite kind of food that is less well known where you live? Let me know in the comments!
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Pumpkin Pork Stew (Making With Megan)
Equipment
- crock pot (slow cooker)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork shoulder/butt, cut into 1-inch pieces with the fat trimmed off
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced*
- 1 onion, diced*
- 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb pumpkin or kabocha squash, peeled and diced*
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 3/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp rubbed sage
- 3 tsp chicken boillion powder *or 3 chicken bouillon cubes
- 2 c water
Instructions
- Put everything except the pork, salt, pepper, and olive oil in the slow cooker.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the cubed pork in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place the pork on top of everything else in the crock pot. Do NOT stir it.
- Cook until the pumpkin is tender– about 2-3 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low. Remove the pork from the crock pot.
- Using an immersion blender, blend everything else all together until it’s smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can just blend it in a regular blender in smaller batches and then return the blended stew to the slow cooker.
- Return the pork to the crock pot and stir it the stew base. Allow it to continue cooking for another hour on high or another couple of hours on low.
- Serve with rice, naan, fry bread, or crusty rolls.
