Vegan Butternut Squash Curry
One of my all time favorite things to make during the colder months are curries - they are so easy to make, there are so many curries to choose from and you can really make curry with anything.
I have always made vegan curries as I love curries with loads of vegetables (chickpeas, potatoes, lentils etc) but with Butternut Squash being everywhere and with Halloween coming up I thought this would be a perfect moment to make a Vegan Butternut Squash Curry. Not only is it deliciously creamy but the Yellow Curry really has a mild flavour that doesn’t tire you bite after bite.
As you will see in the ingredients there are many things you can add to this curry if you want to. The base is made of Butternut Squash and Rice but you can add whatever you prefer, we really like Chickpeas, Lentils and Spinach.
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cooking Time: 25 Minutes
Ingredients (for 4):
Butternut Squash - 700g
Yellow Curry Powder (you can use this one) - 2 Tbs
White Onion - 1
Garlic - 2 cloves
Coconut Milk - 600ml
Lukewarm Water - 170ml
Datterini Tomato Sauce (we like to use these) - 400g
Minced Ginger - 2 Tbs
Red Pepper Flakes (you can use these) - 1 teaspoon
Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Additional: Spinach, Cooked Chickpeas or Cooked Lentils
On the side/ To Serve:
Basmati rice - 70g per person
Peanuts
Coriander
Preparation:
Cut the butternut squash, remove the seeds and cut into 2 cm cubes.
Get your pot out and heat some olive oil (use a pot rather than a pan as we will later add the coconut milk and water and cover it up). Once the oil has heated up add the onions and cook them onions for about 2 minutes or until golden.
Now add the cut up garlic and the minced ginger and cook for another 3 minutes.
Next up, add the curry powder and the red pepper flakes and mix around. Once the curry and red pepper flakes are added to the mixture they will “come alive” so make sure the onions are nicely covered with everything.
Now you can add the diced butternut squash, datterini tomatoes, coconut milk, water, and salt.
Cover the pot with a lid and increase the heat to medium/high.
You can now start making the rice on the side according to the instructions on the package.
Let everything simmer for 15 minutes. Remember to stir the pot quite often in order for the squash not to get stuck to the bottom and burn. Once the 15 minutes are over you will have to check if the butternut squash is tender enough - if you feel like it’s still too hard leave to cook for another couple of minutes until you feel like it’s done (it needs to be really soft and easily pierced by a fork).
Now is the moment when you can bring the heat to low and add anything you want to add (you can also enjoy your butternut squash curry on its own). We like to add spinach or canned cooked chickpeas or canned cooked lentils. You can simply add the additional ingredients and stir for 2/3 minutes.
Your curry is officially done and you can serve it with your rice :) If you wish you can serve it with peanuts or fresh coriander.