Hi everyone, Jess here.
Today I spent the afternoon at a friends house for her annual cookie swap. I knew I wouldn’t be home in time to cook up dinner so I thought I’d rely on the slow cooker.
Given the delicata squashes were bitten by the cold (you can tell when you see little translucent-like spots on the skin and in the flesh) I knew I had to use them quickly. I have been trying to perfect a squash curry recipe for a couple of months now. I think I’m getting closer but at this point, I figured I’d share the foundation I’m working with and perhaps together we can improve it!
This stuff (in my opinion) is absolutely wonderful when working with winter squash! I believe it’s my favorite ingredient from a can. When you open it, you can smell all these wonderful flavors that harken to a far off land (or at least to a good curry dish at a good Thai restaurant). For a little over a dollar, you can grab a can of this from the local Asian market. With a couple of cans of coconut milk and a few other choice ingredients, this paste makes for a warm and tasty winter veggie accompaniment. Here’s what I used for ingredients tonight:
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 can Masaman curry paste (you will have to get this at your Asian market)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cans coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp. grated ginger
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar (packed)
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
- 2 Tbsp. fish sauce (see the note on the next line)
- 1 Tbsp. tamarind paste (1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce or can substitute for fish sauce and tamarind paste relatively well)
Veggies
- 2 small onions, slivered
- 5 blue potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
- 3 delicata squash, halved and cut into 1/2 inch slices
- Peanut butter (a spoonful or so)
You can skip using the oil and basically toss everything else into the slow cooker and come back in 6 hours. However, if you have an instant pot or other slow cooking device that browns, that’s even better. I started browning my onions in a bit of the oil, until just before they were beginning to turn translucent.
Next, stir in the curry paste and cook for 2 more minutes.
Next, in goes the grated ginger and first can of coconut milk.
Next, in goes those wonderful colorful veggies.
And finally the other can of coconut milk, brown sugar, lime juice, and other remaining sauce ingredients.
Fold the squash and potato into the sauce and slow cook for 4-6 hours.
5 hours later, I had this to serve over jasmine rice. The squash was a tiny bit more delicate and softer compared to the potatoes, but if you like your veggies more firm you may want to go with a larger and chunkier cut squash or pumpkin.
To make our meatless dinner a little meatier, I sautéed some Fat Moon Skiitakes before tossing them with my favorite peanut sauce. These were a nice topper for the curry.
Once you get the sauce where you want it, there are many variations to make. If you choose, you can skip the slow cooker and simmer the veggies in the sauce on the stove for 15-ish minutes until tender. You can make it a carnivore’s version by adding chicken when browning the onions. Though I’m still on the journey to the “perfect” version of this dish, I wanted to share it as-is. After all, it’s the journey, not the destination that counts! Thank you for taking this journey with me, and if you try this dish, I’d love your thoughts on making it even better!