Thai Coconut Butternut Squash Curry
A quick and easy one pot butternut squash curry made with coconut milk, squash and ham. Great recipe to use for any types of leftover meats.
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 394kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups ham (or any type of leftover meat like turkey, chopped)
- 2 onions (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 butternut squash (peeled and cubed)
- 1 cup tomatoes (diced - canned or fresh)
- ¾ cups coconut cream (or coconut milk)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
Preparation
- Finely mince the garlic and dice the onions and set it aside.
- (Optional) To easily cut squash, poke multiple holes in it and put it in the microwave for 3-5 mins. This softens this up so it can be easily chopped. Be careful! The squash is VERY hot once it's been microwaved.
- Cut the tips of the squash off and cut down the middle lengthwise. Scoop out all the seeds and discard them.To remove the skin, I like to cut them into smaller 3-inch chunks and then cut off the skin with a knife.
- Cut the squash into ½ to 1-inch chunks and set them aside.
Cooking the Squash Curry
- Set the stove on to medium-low heat and add oil to a high walled pot
- Once the pot has been heated and the oil shimmers, toast 1 tablespoon curry powder and 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste for about 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. (Be careful on this step, the oil splashes a lot!)
- Adjust the heat to medium heat
- Add the onions and ham to brown and soften. Cook for approximately 3-5 minutes
- Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute
- Mix in 1 cup tomatoes and squash. (Don't worry if it looks dry, the squash will release it's liquids once it cooks down)
- Add in ¾ cups coconut cream (or coconut milk) and 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
- Adjust the stove back to low to simmer for 60 mins and check every 15-20 mins to stir it.
- Do a taste test. If you like your curry more savory add ½ teaspoon of soy sauce (or ½ teaspoon of salt)
- After an hour, the squash will get soft. Stir it a few times to break up the squash so that it melds into the curry more. If you like your curry chunky, then it's ready to serve!If you like a smoother curry, cook it for another 10 minutes to soften the squash more and stir it again.
- Serve it up with some rice or some naan and enjoy! (This taste even better the next day!)
Notes
- To easily cut squash, poke multiple holes in it and put it in the microwave for 3-5 mins. This softens this up so it can be easily chopped. Be careful! The squash is VERY hot once it's been microwaved.
- To remove the butternut squash skin, it is easier to use a knife to cut it off instead of peeling it with a vegetable peeler because the skin is quite tough and thick.
- During the cooking process, it may look very dry. Don't worry, the squash will release it's liquids once it has been soften. If you add water, it will make it too runny. Trust the squash! ? If it's too dry for you even after the squash has been soften and fully cooked, you can add a bit of chicken stock.
