Preheat your oven to 180°C or your air fryer to 165°C.

Dice the onions, grate the garlic, and toss them with a bit of oil. Place them in a roasting dish.

Roast the onions and garlic for about 5-10 minutes, in the oven or air fryer while it preheats until they become slightly softened and have a little colour.

While the onions are roasting, prepare the pumpkin by peeling and slicing it into wedges. Dice one green chilli. For the pickle (if making it), slice the remaining two chillies finely, and thinly slice the red onion.

In the roasting dish with the caramelized onions and garlic, add the diced green chilli, cumin, chilli flakes, bay leaf, drained white beans, 200ml of the bean liquid and vegetable stock. Stir everything together until well combined.

Place the pumpkin wedges on top of the bean mixture or on a rack above it if possible.

Roast the dish in your air fryer or oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the bean chilli has reduced and become creamy, and the pumpkin is golden brown and cooked through. Sweeter varieties of pumpkin may brown a little quicker, so feel free to remove the pumpkin and keep cooking the bean chilli until it reaches the desired consistency.

While the pumpkin is cooking, you can make the optional pickle. Heat the vinegar and sugar in the microwave until the sugar dissolves. Add the sliced red onion and green chilies to a jar, then pour the vinegar mixture over them. Set this aside until the bean chili is done.

Once the bean chili and pumpkin are ready, serve them together. Top with the optional pickle if desired and your favourite garnishes.