Southeast Asia-Inspired
Butternut Squash and
Spinach Curry

with Coriander and Lime Pickle Rice

Southern Asian curries simply excel at being vegetable-friendly. I feel they have the advantage over many other curries simply due to the fact that the sauce is really the star of the dish because of the stunning marriage of aromatic flavours it can boast. The sauce combines to create the perfect vehicle from which to eat any vegetable you care to add. You could use okra and new potatoes, carrots and broccoli, or green beans and aubergine, for example. Just look for a contrast in colour and texture to help give the dish a visual bite too.

There are a few less common ingredients to source, depending, of course, on your shopping style, but that’s what drives the originality of the flavours and delivers the unique aromatics within the curry. The lemongrass, lime leaves and Indonesian long peppercorns are particularly essential.

 

Serves 4

For the curry paste

3 Indonesian long peppercorns

20g (¼ cup) macadamia nuts

½ medium onion, roughly chopped

3 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1½ tsp turmeric powder

2 lemongrass stalks, base trimmed and outer leaves removed, core finely chopped

2 fat cloves of garlic, chopped

juice of 1 small lime

2 red chillies, chopped

1 tsp soya sauce

1 tbsp palm sugar

1 tbsp tamarind water

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

For the fried onions

1 small onion, finely sliced for frying

125ml (½ cup) vegetable oil

For the curry

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and diced equally

1 tsp salt

4 kaffir lime leaves

1 stick of cinnamon

300ml (1¼ cups) coconut milk

100ml (½ cup) vegetable stock

120g (5 cups) baby spinach

For the rice

250g (1 cup) basmati rice

small handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp lime pickle, loosened with 1 tsp water and lime pieces removed

* To make the curry paste

Grind the Indonesian long peppercorns in a pestle and mortar to a coarse powder. Add the nuts and crush them down in the pepper before combining the remaining ingredients and blending into a smooth paste with a hand blender. Set aside for an hour if you can.

To make the fried onions

Fry the sliced onions in vegetable oil until turning gold and crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper before setting aside.

To make the curry

Heat a little oil in a saucepan and fry the paste for a minute or two. Add the diced squash, salt, lime leaves, cinnamon stick, coconut milk and stock. Stir through on the heat, then cover and cook on a gentle simmer for 15 minutes until the squash is just becoming tender.

Make the rice while the squash is cooking.

Once the squash is just tender, add the spinach and cover again. Continue to cook for a further 5 minutes to allow all the spinach to wilt. Stir through and serve.

To make the rice

Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. Once ready, mix the finely chopped coriander and lime pickle through thoroughly to coat all the grains. You can leave the lime pickle out if you’re not a fan – not everybody is.

Serve each portion of curry topped with the fried onions.