Butternut Squash Curry Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound butternut squash or pumpkin or winter squash, cubed into 1 ½ inch pieces)
• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes – cubed into 1-inch pieces – please see notes.
• 3 tablespoons ghee ( you could sub olive oil, but ghee absolutely makes this dish)
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 whole cardamon pods, broken open ( green if possible)
• 1 teaspoon nigella seeds (optional)
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds ( black mustard seeds if possible)
• ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (or sub 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves-add with tomatoes)
• 3 tablespoons plain yogurt ( full fat)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon asafoetida powder (optional)
• 1 medium tomato, diced with juices
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or Amchoor powder-mango powder)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste

Instructions

1. 1

   Chop squash and potatoes: Prep your winter squash and potatoes- making sure potatoes are cut a little smaller than squash-see notes.

2. 2

   Prep spices: Gather all your spices together, the cooking part will go fast.

3. 3

   Melt the ghee: In a large, heavy bottomed, or cast iron skillet, heat the ghee over medium heat.

4. 4

   Add whole spices: Add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, smashed cardamon pods ( including shell) , nigella, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and sauté until they begin to crackle.

5. 5

   Add yogurt and ground spices: Add the yogurt, chili powder, cumin, coriander, ground turmeric, optional asafoetida powder, and fry 3 minutes.

6. 6

   Make the sauce: Add the tomato and its juices and the lemon juice. Cook 2 minutes. Add water, salt and stir.

7. 7

   Simmer: Add the potatoes and the winter squash, give a stir, cover tightly and simmer gently 15-20 minutes until tender. Check for doneness. You want the potatoes to get tender, being careful not to overcook the butternut… so continue simmering covered, until potatoes are fork-tender, adding a splash more water to loosen up the flavorful sauce.

8. 8

   Taste and adjust: Give a final stir, taste for salt, adjusting to taste, turn over onto a serving dish, scraping out all the goodies out of the bottom of the pan, and pile it over the squash and potatoes. Remove the bay leaves if you like, or use them as a garnish.

9. 9

   Serve with Fluffy Basmati Rice.