Butternut squash and chickpea curry
4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2.5cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
½ butternut squash
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ – 1 teaspoon chilli powder according to taste
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1 tin chopped tomatoes
½ tin coconut milk
2 teaspoons vegetable stock powder
A handful of fresh coriander
1. Finely chop the onion, crush the garlic, and peel and grate the ginger.
2. Measure your spices onto a small plate.
3. Peel and cut the butternut squash into a dice.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion until soft.
5. Add the garlic, ginger and butternut squash. Cook until the butternut squash begins to soften.
6. Open your tins. Drain the liquid away from the chickpeas.
7. Add the spices to the saucepan and keep stirring over the heat to cook for 10 seconds. Be careful not to burn the spices.
8. Stir in the tinned tomato, coconut milk, and vegetable stock powder.
9. Stir in the chickpeas.
10. Turn up the heat until the sauce comes to the boil then turn down and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes until the squash is cooked.
11.If the curry is too watery, boil the sauce with the lid off until it is the correct consistency. If it’s too thick, stir in water a little at a time. Check the seasoning.
12. Finely chop the coriander and stir into the curry just before serving with rice.
The other half of the tinned coconut milk can be frozen until needed. Pour it from the tin onto a container, label and freeze.
At the time of making, one portion of curry with rice cost £1.30. This cost can be reduced by using cheaper vegetables. Using dried chickpeas can be cheaper. I suggest cooking 500g at a time and freezing what you don’t need for later.