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Just made this, and it’s amazing. My husband has changed his tune and is now a squash lover! Thank you!
Joy D.
There is no way to make this squash coconut curry sound as seriously delicious as it is.
And yes, I know. I made curry again. It’s becoming a problem. Like, I haven’t made anything in recent memory that wasn’t some unusual use of cauliflower or a vegetarian curry. I think I might have even combined my two loves not that long ago. Helppp. Leave me some inspiration in the comments or something. My blog is dying a slow and happy curry death.
If I could only ever make one meal at home for the rest of forever, I would choose curry – vegetarian, extra saucy, with cilantro all over it. Oh wait, is that what this is? Ok. Yeah.
The curry variations that I make, and have been making for a long time, aren’t really real curries. This is obvious because 1) they don’t taste like my favorite Indian restaurant, and 2) sometimes I go on YouTube and watch videos about Indian home cooking (where did those four hours go?), and their curries are just way better. When I watch these women cook, I feel overwhelmed and entranced and inspired to go find star anise and kaffir lime leaves and cardamom pods. Isn’t there something about cooking videos on YouTube, anyways? Like some kind of magnetism that just pulls you in? Where even if you kind of don’t really like it, you find yourself loving it? Food. We just love food.
But anyways. My motivation for finding the ingredients for real curry melts away reeeal fast when it’s a billion degrees outside and I literally can’t drive myself anywhere.
So I just stay home and turn on the fan and make my own 30-minute curry. Happy.
I don’t mean to bad-mouth squash, my most beloved vegetable of the last year, but I did crave a replacement of sweet potatoes as I was making this. In case I haven’t already obnoxiously made it known to the world, I haven’t found any orange sweet potatoes here in the Philippines. Purple sweet potatoes? Yes. They’re here. And thaaat’s kinda cool. But of course I don’t want purple when I can actually have a ready supply of purple. Of course I have to go and want orange. Sometimes I am frustrating.
I promise to try to make a purple sweet potato recipe before we leave the Philippines. Just to show you.
It turns out squash is also really good in this curry. I mean, I knew it would be because I’ve been eating squash like crazy this year, but this squash lovin’ takes it to a whole new level. The creamy, peanutty curry sauce is perfect with that tender, delicate squash. That is vegetable heaven right there.
By the way, bulgur? It’s in here. I mixed it in with everything. It sounds way more scary than it is but if you’ve never tried it, this is your time. Think healthier, nuttier rice that cooks in 15 minutes.
Yum.
The fire roasted tomatoes were a total last minute decision but Helloooo Yummy. I was so glad I had a few cans of those on hand from my recent purchase of every fire-roasted tomato can in the whole store escapade. I’ve learned that certain things are hard to find in the Philippines, so when you find what you want, you’ve gotta act. And I mean fill-your-cart-full act.
All things considered, I will definitely be eating curry forever.
30-Minute Squash Coconut Curry
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This 30 minute squash coconut curry is fast, easy, and super healthy. With coconut milk, curry paste, peanut butter, cilantro, tomatoes, and squash.
Ingredients
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon each curry powder and chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon each turmeric and cayenne pepper
- 5–6 cups peeled, chopped squash (I used kabocha – butternut would be good, too)
- 1 15-ounce can thick coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons red curry paste (I used Massaman curry paste)
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 2 15-ounce cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 1/4 cup light bulgur, uncooked
- cilantro for topping
Instructions
- Cook bulgur according to package directions. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger. Saute for 2-3 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
- Sprinkle the dry seasonings (curry, chili, turmeric, cayenne) over the squash and toss to combine. Pour the coconut milk into the skillet and whisk the curry, peanut butter, and honey into the coconut milk until smooth. Add the seasoned squash and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until squash is tender but not mushy. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes (the sauce will thicken).
- Add the bulgur to the skillet and mix well, or serve the curry over individual servings of bulgur. Add chopped cilantro just before serving.
Notes
Depending on your curry paste, you might want to add a little extra salt. Three tablespoons of Massaman curry paste was just spicy enough to give it a little kick, but if you don’t like spicy, go easy on the curry paste or choose a mild variety.
This makes 6 (HUGE and very filling) servings.
Here’s how I cut my squash.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Indian
Keywords: squash coconut curry, coconut curry, vegetarian curry
I was wondering if Quinoa would be a good substitute for the bulgur.
Delicious! Love this recipe
Made this delicious curry and just added some frozen riced cauliflower to have a little more veggies. We loved it. Thanks!
Will make again.
Very good, easy, taste-full and quick!
I didn’t have tomatoes so added peas for some colour and texture. Sided with quinoa instead of bulgur for some protein.
Just made this! So good! I used non-fire roasted tomatoes to calm down the spice and served with some simple roasted tofu to up the protein. It was great!!
Sounds wonderful! So gld you liked the recipe, Elizabeth!
This was great!
Made this tonight except with butternut squash and minus the honey. I fried the squash up with the garlic and spices (after they’d been in for a few minutes). Plus I added a ton of spinach and a packet of tofu (cubed). And just normal tinned tomatoes as I didn’t have fire roasted ones. It was soooo tasty – the whole family loved it. Thanks!
So happy your family enjoyed the recipe, Victoria!
Omg what a delicious recipe!! I was skeptical because of the peanut butter but I will be making it again tomorrow because we finished it tonight!
Ha! This made me laugh out loud!
made this for my family during quarantine—it was excellent! just the right amount of spice, rich depth of flavor, and not too salty or too sweet. thank you for the great recipe.
Glad you enjoyed the curry!
For the chili powder, did you use the American version or Indian version?
Just the American version here.
I really enjoyed this! It took a little longer to cook, but that wasn’t a big problem. It was very tasty and cheap to make! I added a can of red beans to increase the fiber/protein.
Forgot to mention that I didn’t peel the squash because I like the peel. I also subbed tahini for the peanut butter since my husband has a peanut allergy. I adore peanut butter and expect it would have been extra delicious with it… but the recipe seemed great to me with tahini too!
Yummy! Thanks for the tahini tip, Molly! 😊
Made this tonight and it was so delicious!! My whole family, including three kids ages 9, 8, and 6, enjoyed this! Thank you!
So happy to hear the whole family enjoyed this, Jodie! 😊
Delicious and so easy. I added spinach, chicken and a little salt. My sons loved it!
I used recipe ready, pre-peeled and cut butternut squash from Trader Joes.
Good hack! Thanks for the tip, Beth!
This was delicious! Thank you:) I used squash and eggplant because I had one I had to use. Squash took a little longer to cook than advertised, but I’m also working on a new range that actually has settings like I’ve never had before and don’t have it down yet. I will keep this recipe on rotation. Thanks again!
Glad to hear you enjoyed the curry, Dawn! 🙂
I forgot to mention, I prepped my veggies on Sunday for the week, so I can just cook up a storm quick and easy. I was also thinking that I liked this spice mix so much that I will make a batch to keep in my spice cabinet for future use…Just thinking ahead!
Would this work in slow cooker? How about subbing sun butter for pb? My husband has a nut allergy
I used tahini instead of peanut butter due to a peanut allergy. I still thought it was delicious.
Loved this curry recipe! I did add more (yellow) curry paste. I split the batch and added chicken to one half, and shrimp the other. I used butternut squash and green beans. Really liked the addition of peanut butter and tomatoes. As said above, not really a ‘quick’ recipe, with peeling the squash. Very delicious!!!
I must be the worst at following a recipe so I have no idea how yours turns out but I did not use curry paste but added cumin,mustard and garam masala. As it finished cooking I added lime juice. The final result was awesome!
hi,
maybe this is a silly question but should the garlic be minced? i’m assuming so! 🙂
Just made this and it’s soooo DELICIOUS!!’