Chicken and butternut squash curry

[azziria]

It's been a while since I cooked something that got such universal approval - even DD had seconds - so I thought I'd better get the recipe down for posterity so that I can cook it again. Quick and easy to throw together, but not very accurate measurements because I made it up as I went along.

Chicken and butternut squash curry

Feeds four very healthy appetites.

1 chicken, jointed and cut into pieces
2 onions, finely chopped
Half a largeish butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon Balti curry paste (Pataks)
1 lb tomatoes, chopped and cooked down and liquidized into sauce with a dessertspoonful of tomato puree added (could substitute a tin of chopped plum tomatoes)
1 sachet of creamed coconut

Fry chopped onions in some vegetable oil until soft. Add curry paste and chicken pieces. Cook until sealed, then add tomatoes, creamed coconut and butternut squash. Add water if necessary to cover chicken and squash, then cover and bake in the oven for an hour or so. Serve with rice.

Comments

[linaelyn.livejournal.com]

Hey! I make this, and it's EK's favorite! Except, the ingredients are very slightly different, partially due to the differences in what's offered in our different locations' markets! Different brand of curry, of course, but that's not the only change. F'rinstance, coconut comes in sachets??? I usually add about 1/2 a can of coconut milk and a Tablespoon of coconut oil (if I have it handy); if I don't have that handy, I use about 4 oz. yogurt and perhaps a bit of dried, flaked coconut. I suspect the end result is quite similar.

Sometimes I use yams or sweet potatoes in place of the squash, because they're easier to peel & chop!

[azziria.livejournal.com]

The creamed coconut is a sort of almost-solid, almost waxy in texture white stuff that comes in a little plastic sachet and melts into the curry to make it taste really silky and subtly coconut-y. Mmmm...

And yes, I can see that sweet potato would work just as well, given that it has the same sort of sweetness and texture. I'm using butternut squash because we grew it this year for the first time (in among the corn, a bit of Native American companion planting there!) and for almost no effort whatsoever got some fantastic squashes. It'll be on our growing list again next year :-)

[linaelyn.livejournal.com]

Wow, GO YOU on the gardening! I've succeeded with corn here, but our summer is so dry that we've never had much success with squashes or melons; they require more dedicated watering-attention than I've ever managed.

I'm envious of your creamed coconut sachets, now. Sounds delicious! I'll have to see if they're available for purchase online, just to give it a try.

[linaelyn.livejournal.com]

Found it!
(http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-price-comparison/Marinades_And_Sauces/Pataks_Original_Creamed_Coconut_Sachets_4x50g.html)

I've seen this brand carried at one of the local Indian markets (there are dozens, here. My neighborhood isn't called "little India" for nothing!) so I suspect I just might be able to find the stuff locally! Or have the market order it for me, specially.

[azziria.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's the stuff I use :-)

[ihlanya.livejournal.com]

My, that sounds totally delicious. And it's freezing cold and wet and rainy here, which makes a butternut curry sound even more delicious.

It looks easy enough for me to try as well! *scribbles down the recipe*

Thanks for sharing this!

[monkeypuzzle.livejournal.com]

Oh so saving these! Om nom nom nom!