A heaping bowl of bright orange butternut squash swimming in creamy coconut curry is just the welcoming kind of quick Thai meal to warm the soul on chilly nights.
The problem with most Thai curries
Even though a Thai curry can be composed of the vegetable chunks of your choice, the problem is the curry paste.
Unless you make your own curry paste, which requires about 10 ingredients, the store bought versions often contain shrimp paste.
Shrimp paste is the basis of most Thai curry pastes.
There are some exceptions. Most notably with the yellow curry paste from the Mae Ploy brand.
For other brands, you need to read the ingredient list to ensure there is no shrimp paste or fish sauce if you’re making a vegan curry.
The problem with butternut squash
Let me guess.
You like butternut squash.
But you don’t want to cut it.
In which case, I would recommend substituting this recipe with delicata squash, the easiest pumpkin to cut. Just reduce the cooking time by 5-10 minutes, since it is thinner and cooks more quickly.
Just 10 Ingredients
- Butternut squash – peeled, deseeded, and diced, or prebought, ready to go chunks
- Yellow curry paste – using premade curry paste such as Mae Ploy or another brand that does not have shrimp paste or fish products.
- Red bell pepper – it just looks more colorful than green ones
- Baby spinach – to add bright green freshness
- Coconut milk – for creamy goodness
- Vegetable stock – or water, to think out the coconut milk
- Onion and garlic – to freshen up the premade curry paste
- Brown sugar – or sugar. To balance out the salty curry paste. Add more sugar if you like a sweeter curry
- Cooking oil
- Turmeric powder (optional) – for extra, bright yellow color
The process
Time needed: 35 minutes.
- Prep vegetables
Mince garlic. Chop onion. Peel, deseed, and chop butternut squash into large chunks.
- Cook curry paste
Heat a pan to medium heat. Cook the curry paste with the onion, garlic, and oil to bring out their flavor before adding the butternut squash, coconut milk, vegetable stock, and sugar..
- Bring to a boil and finish with remaining vegetables
Bring the coconut milk to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until the butternut squash is soft and cooked through. Add the red bell pepper and spinach. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the the bell pepper is slightly softened and the spinach is wilted.
- Serve hot
Bring the pot to the table or serve in bowls on top of your grain of choice: steamed rice, whole grain or cauliflower rice.
Helpful Tips
- If you don’t care to peel and cut butternut squash, try using delicata squash. You don’t have to peel it, and it is much easier to cut.
- Use a yellow curry paste or other colored curry paste that does not contain any animal products such as fish sauce or shrimp paste.
- If you prefer to dump everything in a pot all at once, that will work too. Stir frying the paste and vegetables separately just adds a little more nuance and develops more distinct flavors.
Related Vegan Recipes
Twice Baked Honeynut Squash with Vegan Wild Rice Stuffing
Thai Black Rice Pudding: the Superfood you’re not Eating
Vegan Thai Butternut Squash Curry
Ingredients
- 1 lb butternut squash cut into 2 large 2" chunks
- 1 Tb oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 Tb yellow curry paste with no shrimp paste, such as Mae Ploy
- 1/2 ea onion cut into a large dice
- 1 can coconut milk 14 oz
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 c vegetable stock
- 1 ea red bell pepper cut int 2" chunks
- 2 c baby spinach loosely packed, about 2 handfuls
Optional
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
Instructions
- Heat a pan to medium heat. Add oil, garlic, onion, and yellow curry paste and stir fry for 1-2 minutes until garlic is fragrant. Add onion and stir fry for 30 seconds more. Add the turmeric, if using, with the onion.
- Add brown sugar, butternut squash, coconut milk, and veg stock. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until butternut squash is tender.
- Add bell pepper and spinach. Cook for 2-3 min until spinach is wilted and bell pepper is slightly softened.
- Serve hot with rice, whole grains, or cauliflower rice.
Notes
- If you don’t care to peel and cut butternut squash, try using delicata squash. You don’t have to peel it, and it is much easier to cut.
- Use a yellow curry paste or other colored curry paste that does not contain any animal products such as fish sauce or shrimp paste.
- If you prefer to dump everything in a pot all at once, that will work too. Stir frying the paste and vegetables separately just adds a little more nuance and develops more distinct flavors.
Leave a Reply