BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CAULIFLOWER COCONUT CURRY

This Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Coconut Curry is my version of meatless Thai yellow curry. It has two of my favorite veggies, butternut squash and cauliflower. It’s creamy, a little spicy, sweet, salty, warm and healthy. I intended to make it a plant based soup, except I had to add some Fish Sauce. Yes, I had to, it’s a Thai thing. Let me tell you a little bit about Fish Sauce, It’s pungent and has an intense salty flavor, so a little bit goes a long way. It adds the umami flavor to the dish, but you can use salt instead and that will also make this dish vegan. I also like to add some chickpeas for protein. By the way, another name for chickpeas is garbanzo beans, it’s used in hummus and other Middle East and Mediterranean dishes.

Speaking of Thai yellow curry, I think it’s underrated. Almost everyone who loves Thai food knows about red and green curry, but not a lot about yellow curry. Thai yellow curry in Thailand usually refers to the dish called “kaeng kari”. This yellow curry is milder than other Thai curries. This type of curry, while rich in dried spices, contains relatively less chili. The primary spices in yellow curry paste are cumin, coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, garlic, salt, bay leaf, lemongrass, cayenne pepper, ginger, mace and cinnamon. In the old days, the Thai cooks would pound all these herbs and spices in a mortar until it became curry paste. But since I live in USA, it’s easier to just use store bought Yellow Curry Paste.

My secret ingredient though, it’s not a Thai herb or spice. It’s saffron. To me, saffron is the queen of all spices. It is the dried yellow stigmas from a small purple crocus flower. Each flower provides only three stigmas, which must be carefully hand-picked and then dried, an extremely labor-intensive process. It takes 225,000 stigmas to make one pound of saffron, making saffron the most expensive spice in the world. You can omit it if you can’t find it, but let me tell you, it makes this Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Coconut Curry so special.

Let me show you how I made it. Let’s cook some food!

In a large pot, heat up the oil on medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent.

Add the Yellow Curry Paste, stir for a minute.

Add butternut squash and cauliflower. Cook the veggies for a few minutes.

Add Coconut Milk and saffron (optional). Bring it to a boil and let it simmer until the veggies start to cook.

Add the chickpeas.

And the Fish Sauce (or salt).

Follow by Agave (or sugar).

Let it simmer until the veggies are tender but not mushy. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning.

Garnish with some cilantro leaves (optional). Serve hot with a side of quinoa or Jasmin rice. I hope you give this Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Coconut Curry a try, the recipe card is below.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CAULIFLOWER COCONUT CURRY

 

Save Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Mink

Recipe type: Curry

Cuisine: Thai

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, split into florets
• 2 cups of butternut squash, cut into cubes
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 (13-14 oz.) cans Coconut Milk
• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 2-3 tablespoons Thai Yellow Curry paste
• 2-3 tablespoons Fish Sauce (or salt)
• 1 tablespoon Agave (or sugar)
• ¼ teaspoon saffron
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• cilantro (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat up the oil on medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent.
2. Add the Yellow Curry Paste, stir for a minute.
3. Add butternut squash and cauliflower. Cook the veggies for a few minutes.
4. Add Coconut Milk and saffron (optional). Bring it to a boil and let it simmer until the veggies start to cook.
5. Add the chickpeas, Fish Sauce and Agave (or sugar).
6. Let it simmer until the veggies are tender but not mushy. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning.
7. Garnish with some cilantro leaves (optional). Serve hot with a side of quinoa or Jasmin rice.

Notes

Use salt instead of Fish Sauce for vegan.

3.5.3251