GOAN BUTTERNUT SQUASH CURRY

This is one of my favourite curries from the wonderful Meera Sodhas book Fresh India.
I love the simplicity and the flavour she packs in to all her recipes.

The sauce for this recipe is blended in minutes, which you can do while the butternut squash is roasting in the oven, making this a fuss free and fast delicious dinner!

All of the ingredients are powerful foods, including garlic, chilli, ginger, coriander and coconut milk!

This is seriously good enough to impress friends and family and I have served it on many occasions for dinner, everyone loves it and the flavour  is outstanding!

This will also give your immune system a real boost with all the garlic, natures antibiotic, coriander, the best chelator of heavy metals from the body, ginger a real inflammation buster and chilli to  boost the circulation.

I have added a tin of chick peas to bulk it out, or other oven roasted veggies, even potatoes or sweet potatoes work well if your butternut squash is on the small side!

I top it off with some caramelised red  onions and a garnish of flaked almonds or toasted coconut flakes.

You really need a big bunch of coriander, I buy mine from our local Asian Supermarket but if you only have the paltry bags from the supermarket then you can bulk the sauce out with some spinach or wild garlic when its in season, although then it won't taste quite so delicious! You can never have too much green stuff!!

So here is the wonderful recipe!

Ingredients - serves 4 as a main course

• 1 large butternut squash (1.5kg) 
• 1 large red onion
• rapeseed oil
• a large bunch of coriander (150g)
• 4cm fresh ginger, peeled
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 2 green chillies
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 400ml tin coconut milk
• 1 tin chickpeas, drained (optional)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4
Peel and half the squash, remove the seeds and cut each half into thick half moons around 1cm thick.
Put onto a large baking tray and drizzle with rapeseed oil.
Mix with your hands to coat the slices in oil then roast for 35 to 45 minutes, turning halfway, until starting to caramelise around the edges.
Slice the red onion into thin half moons, and cook in a frying pan, in some rapeseed or coconut oil for 15 to 20 minutes.

To make the sauce, add the coriander, chillies, ginger, garlic, to a blender with the spices, lemon juice, coconut milk, salt and pepper and blitz until everything is blended into a smooth green sauce.

Transfer the sauce to a pot and heat it over a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer the cooked butternut squash to an ovenproof dish and pour the sauce over the top. If you want to add a tin of chickpeas then add them now.
Cover with tinfoil and return to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

You can lightly toast the flaked almonds at the same time.

Serve  topped with the red onions and flaked almonds, alongside some rice.