With so many reasons to indulge at the end of the year, when January comes around we tend to crave food that isn’t heavy. We look to feed our soul and wellbeing as much as our stomachs. However we are in the depths of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and that makes me want comforting food. I bring you my Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry. This curry has a rich satisfyingly cosy texture, is full of fresh veg and completely vegan. Now you can make this in just over half an hour and eat it feeling virtuous.
Making curry can be an incredibly lengthy process, building up layers of spice and flavour. However this curry only takes 30-40 minutes and you have a curry that your family will happily gobble down. There are a few spices in this curry and I have tried taking some out. I was never taken with the result and so all the spices get to come to the party. I know when we find a recipe with a long list of spices it can be off putting. But do have a go and if you love it you’ll be using these spices again.
This curry has the potential to be packed with as many vegetables as you wish, just use your favourites. You can use whatever you have in your kitchen. This curry is a fantastic vehicle for using up leftover vegetables. I use Butternut Squash, an orange vegetable packed with vitamin A & C. I put in green beans full of more vitamin A & C but also K, folic acid and fibre. As well I use, from the legume family, chickpeas to boost the potassium and protein levels. This food is good for you.
The base I use for most of my curry dishes is onion, garlic, and fresh ginger. This is a fantastic jumping off point. I whizz this up in my small blender into a paste then fry this off. I then add the spices and cook them to get maximum flavour. The garlic cloves I peel however I do not peel the ginger. The peel from ginger is perfectly safe to eat and is full of nutrients. The texture is what encouraged the trend of peeling ginger. When you are whizzing the ginger into a paste there is no point in peeling it. You are creating more work for yourself and denying your body some extra nutrients. For this curry I add half a red chilli with the seeds and membrane removed.
I serve this Butternut Squash & Chickpea curry stuffed into baked sweet potatoes. If you want you can have rice, another accompaniment if you want another vegetable is cauliflower rice. I like to top this curry with flaked almonds and some roughly chopped fresh coriander. The almonds add a crunch that is nice and crisp with a lovely fresh note coming from the coriander. This also freezes well so if there are only 2 of you make the whole thing and freeze half for next week, or another day when cooking feels like a real chore. Want another Butternut squash recipe? Try my Hassleback Butternut Squash How about another easy vegan recipe? Then my Crispy Kale and Sweet Potato Salad is the one for you.
If you try this Butternut Squash & Chickpea Curry I would love to hear what you thought in the comments below. You can share your pictures on social media with me. Tag me on Instagram @cubbinthekitchen or use the #CUBBintheKitchen to be featured in my stories.
Butternut Squash & Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
For the Base
- 1 Medium Onion
- 1 thumb sized piece of Fresh Ginger
- 2-3 Cloves Garlic
- 0.5 Red Chilli with or without the seeds as you wish
The Spices
- 2 tbsp Curry Powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 0.5 tsp Ground Coriander
- 0.5 tsp Ground Turmeric
For the Curry
- 1 Butternut Squash
- 150 ml Water
- 1 x 400g Tin Chickpeas
- 240 grams Green Beans
- 1 Tin Coconut Milk
- 1 tbsp Almond Butter
- 25 grams Ground Almonds
- 0.5 tsp Salt
To Serve
- Bunch Fresh Coriander
- Flaked Almonds
Instructions
- Let’s make that base – Peel and dice the onion, peel the garlic and chop in half, chop the garlic into smaller pieces. Chop the chilli and remove the seeds. Add all of these into a small chopper and whizz into a paste – you may need a couple of tbsp. of water.
- Prep that veg – Dice up the butternut squash, wash and prep the beans and drain and rinse the chickpeas.
- Building the flavour – Heat a pan, with a lid, with a spoon of coconut oil. Add the base paste you have just made and cook until fragrant and soft. (About 5 mins) Now add in your Curry Powder, Paprika, Cumin, Turmeric & Ground Coriander. Cook off until you can smell the spices.
- Let the Squash meet the Spice – Add in the Butternut Squash and give it a goo stir to coat in the spices. Pour in the 150ml water and put the lid on allow to steam for 10-12 mins.
- Let’s get saucy – Add in the tin of Coconut milk, Almond Butter, Ground Almonds, Chickpeas, Green Beans and Salt. Give it a good stir and bring to a bubble. Lid on and Simmer for 8-10 mins until the veg is cooked.
- Top it off – If your sauce is too runny you can add more ground almonds or leave the lid off to allow to reduce. Serve topped with Flaked Almonds and chopped Fresh Coriander.
