It’s October, and that means squash is in season, and I love squash, all the different varieties. In this recipe, I use butternut squash.
Vegan Butternut Squash, Peanut & Roast Shallot Massaman Curry
Out of all Thai curry varieties, massaman curry stands out as the mildest, sweetest, and most unusual type. It combines creamy coconut milk, meat, potatoes, and a curry paste made with roasted spices. It is still unclear if massaman curry originated in South or Central Thailand, but it certainly owes its name and origin to Muslim traders from the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
Butternut Squash is one of the healthiest foods in season this time of year
• Low in calorie density (45 calories per 100g)
• High in fibre
• Contains no cholesterol
• Has zero saturated fats
• Rich in the B-complex group of vitamins (Folates, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B-6, etc.)
• Jam-packed with Vitamin A
Try it in soups, risotto or simply roasted instead of potatoes with your dinner
Anyway, here is another way to enjoy it.
What You Need:
A large Butternut Squash peeled and cut into large chunks
4-5 unpeeled shallots
2 tablespoons of thick coconut cream – the thick part from the top of the tin.
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces.
1 star anise.
60g vegan massaman curry paste.
1.5 tablespoons peanuts.
1 tin organic coconut milk.
2 tablespoons of coconut oil.
15g palm sugar – or 100% coconut sugar.
50ml vegetable stock or water.
Juice of ½ orange
Let’s Get Cooking
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
Place the shallots and spices in the middle of a large sheet of tin foil, spoon over the coconut cream and then fold over the foil sides to create a sealed parcel. Place it on a tray in the oven and bake for 40 – 50 minutes or until the shallots inside are soft and caramelised. Once cool, slip them out of their skins and side aside.
Cook the butternut squash: place it in a pan and cover it with cold water. Add a generous pinch of salt and place the pan on medium heat. When the water comes to a simmer, turn down the heat to low and cook gently until the squash is just tender but still firm. Drain and set aside, and keep the whole spices too.
Skim two tablespoons of the thick cream from the top of the can of coconut milk and add it to a pan with the coconut oil; turn the heat to medium-high and allow the cream to boil, become oily and reduce slightly.
Turn the heat to medium-low and add the curry paste and peanuts; fry slowly in the oily cream for around 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until slightly darkened and aromatic, and the oil rises to the surface.
Add in your palm sugar and stir in to melt; cook for another minute
Cook for a minute before adding the vegetable stock (or water), and the remaining can of coconut milk.
Add the orange juice, the poached squash, roasted shallots and reserved spices, and simmer gently for 4-5 minutes more and then taste
The curry should be slightly sweet and salty, with a background fruitiness from the orange juice
Serve with some Basmati Rice & Enjoy.
As ever, let me know how you get on
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