Butternut Curry

currypeas33This curry was inspired by my Plant It Forward Farm Share one week in November. That same week, a friend gave me butternut squash from her garden in East Bernard. So I combined yams, turnips, and butternut squash for this vegetarian curry.  This is also a good recipe for any vegetable leftovers, just cut to bite size pieces and add to prepared curry base.

  • A Taste of Thai Yellow Curry paste (can substitute other brands)TasteofThaiYellowCurry
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 2 baked sweet potatoes or yams (can substitute any potatoe)
  • 2-4 cups cooked and cubed butternut squash
  • 2 cups turnips, boiled and then cut into bite-sized pieces (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1-2 cups frozen green peas
  • 2-4 cups cooked rice
  • Optional: 1 medium onion, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • Optional: 1-2 teaspoons fish sauce, to taste
  • Optional: 1/2 lb. to 1 lb. chicken tenders or boneless chicken breast, grilled and cut into bite-sized pieces

Prepare the curry sauce by combining 1 Tablespoon of the yellow curry paste with the coconut milk in a saucepan.  The envelope will contain enough paste for about 3 batches of curry.  Store the remaining paste in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator.  Bring the curry sauce to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Stir to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Bake your potatoes ahead of time (follow the recipe for baked Russet potatoes).  You can bake them up to 1 week in advance. Store them in the refrigerator and the skins will wrinkle up and are very easy to remove.  If you are including turnips, cook them ahead and cut them the same size as your potatoes.

If using the onion, fry until brown in a large, non-stick skillet sprayed with Pam.  Add the curry-milk base to the pan and turn heat to simmer.  Add cooked vegetables (yams, butternut squash, potatoes, turnips).  If you are using chicken, add it in now.  Add 1 teaspoon of salt and if you like the flavor of fish sauce, add it now. Simmer over medium low heat (4-5 on a scale of 0-10) for 7 minutes.  Add

the frozen peas and simmer 5 more minutes.

Serve warm with cooked rice.

Serves 3-4.

Carlyn Foshee Chatfield

Note: my favorite curry base is from Taste of Thai, but that specific package has gotten harder to find in my local markets so I used a different brand this time.  It worked, but I think I’ll order my favorite so I’ll have it handy when I pick up vegetables that beg for this lovely creamy and spicy yellow base.