I had half a squash that had been lingering in the fridge for almost too long and some frozen Thai curry paste that I’d made a few weeks previously. All I had to do was ask Pi-man to pick up a tin of coconut milk on the way over to watch Masterchef, and request that Ms. AR, who fancied joining the mid-week MC-watching party, bring some extra squash.
This makes a lot of curry paste, only use half for this recipe, freeze the other half in a freezer bag.
Thai Red Curry Paste
Ingredients:
4 red chillis, chopped
4 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 stems lemongrass, chopped
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger or galangal if you can get it
2 lime leaves
4 shallots, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
juice of 2 limes
2 teaspoons red paprika powder
How to make:
Toast seeds then pound in a pestle and mortar until a powder. Whizz everything in a food processor.
This was enough curry for four.
Curry
Ingredients:
1 small/medium onion
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 butternut squash
½ of the above curry paste
1 tin coconut milk
1 litre water
Fish sauce
1 lime
How I made it:
Dice and peel the squash to 1 inch chunks and roast with salt for ½ hour. Cook onion in heavy-bottomed pan with cumin until soft. Add half of the paste mixture that you will use for this recipe (¼ of total paste made in paste recipe). Add water, reduce for 20 minutes until about half of volume. Add coconut milk and cook for 10 minutes. Add rest of paste (another ¼ of total paste) cook for further 5. Add the roasted squash and cook for further 5 minutes. Season with few glugs fish sauce and squeeze in the lime.
Eaten with:
Sticky short-grain rice and shredded cabbage fried with garlic and soy. Followed by fresh, ripe mango cut up served with thick Greek yogurt with coconut prepared by Ms. AR which was delicious!
Dinner Document 