Butternut Squash Red Curry

I’ve had some butternut squash sitting on my kitchen counter for a while now…and it seemed like a good idea to use one in an interesting new curry. I also had a red curry craving at the time. So the decision for Butternut Squash Red Curry was pretty easy to settle on. I really like Curried Butternut Squash Soup….this couldn’t be too different, I figured. And it turned out well! We had some people over last Wednesday when I made this, and it was all devoured pretty fast. Between the color, the flavor and the heat (it is very spicy!), it was a decent hit.

All you really need is some squash, red curry paste, some fresh basil, and a thickener of some sort - I used light coconut milk. You can do a lot of things with red curry paste, so easily available in jars at asian food stores, or most grocery stores. Here is the recipe:

Butternut Squash Red Curry

You will need:
1/2 of a butternut squash, seeded, peeled, and diced into 1/4" cubes
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp fresh basil, chopped
2 heaped tablespoons red curry paste
1 serrano pepper
1 cup water, or more, as needed
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 tablespoon veg oil

Heat up the oil in a wide, shallow skillet on medium heat. Saute the onions, and garlic until softened. Add the ginger, stir well. Add the diced butternut squash, and let sit covered on medium heat for about ten minutes, or until it is cooked halfway through. You can tell when it's halfway done when your spatula can squish the edges of a piece of squash but not go all the way through. At this point, add the red curry paste and stir until well combined, for one or two minutes. Add the water, it should be enough to cover the squash. Bring up to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer, then add the coconut milk and the basil. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. Butternut Squash Red Curry done!
You can put chicken in this, to please those who “like their meat” at your house :) Just add it in while sautéeing the onions. Also, substituting chicken stock instead of water will give it a richer flavor.

Serve warm, over hot cooked rice. (I served it with leftover fried rice, which worked out pretty well too.) You should really also garnish with some green stuff, like cilantro or green onions, which, in hindsight, I wish I had! Enjoy!