Vikalinka

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Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry

This chickpea and butternut squash curry will become your family’s staple if you give it a try. I am certain you will love it as much as we do!

Brad and I have considered Indian food to be our comfort food for ages. Although we are both of European descent, somehow the taste of warm and slightly spicy curries make us feel at home.

It’s no wonder we eat them regularly, especially since we moved to Britain where it’s basically a national dish. There are not too many things that are better than a good curry coupled with crispy poppadoms dipped in mango chutney and lime chilli pickle!

Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry
I get so many requests to post a curry recipe which tells me you guys love Indian food too! I am not claiming to be an expert so what I am sharing today is something I cook often and is loved by everyone in my family. It’s a vegetarian curry and so delicious you won’t miss meat!

This particular curry is called Korma which is a blend of aromatic spices like ginger and coriander and yogurt.  If you are not familiar with Indian food it’s an excellent one to start with because of its creamy consistency and mild taste, even kids will love it.

Traditionally, korma is cooked with meat but this version is meat free.

Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry

Many people are very hesitant to venture out in the world of Indian cuisine. Rightly so, as the ingredient list is long enough to intimidate the most experienced cook!

Cooking is fun for me and the more complicated the recipe the better, so I usually have all the right spices on hand. However when we moved to England almost 3 years ago I had to get rid of my very large collection of spices and still haven’t replaced all of them.

Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry

Since then I’ve discovered Patak’s Curry Pastes which I use almost exclusively for my curries. The taste is excellent and the variety is immense.

Why worry about making it from scratch when someone has already put in all the hard work for you!

Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry

How to make Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry:

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large and deep pan and cook chopped onions, garlic and cilantro stalks over low heat for 10 minutes until soft and slightly coloured.

2.  Meanwhile dice your butternut squash to match the size of chickpeas.  I leave the skin on as I discovered it cooks very nicely and eliminates a lot of unnecessary work.

When the onions are tender add the curry paste and cook for a minute or so stirring the whole time, then add your squash, chickpeas, coconut milk, desiccated coconut, water and a pinch of salt,  bring it to a boil by turning the heat up, then turn the heat down to a low-medium and simmer it covered for 35-40 minutes.

Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry

Stir it occasionally to prevent from burning and add a few splashes of water if it gets too dry.

3. Start on the rice. Cook your rice in the rice cooker according to the manufacture’s instructions.

4.  Test the butternut squash, it should be fork tender by this point but not falling apart. Your curry should be thick so if it’s too runny, uncover and let the liquid cook down for a few more minutes.

When you are satisfied with the consistency of the curry stir in peas, spinach and cilantro leaves, cover with a lid and take off the heat.

5. Serve with steaming hot basmati rice. We love having  naan bread or chapatis and various Indian pickles and chutney with our curries. My children go crazy for crunchy poppadoms!

Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry

Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry

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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 6 -8
Author: Julia Frey of Vikalinka

Ingredients

  • Oil-1 tbs.
  • Onion chopped-2 medium
  • Garlic chopped - 3-4 cloves
  • Cilantro chopped (stalks and leaves separated, stalks reserved)- 1 bunch
  • Butternut Squash diced- 1 medium
  • Chickpeas- 1 can
  • Patak's Korma Paste or any other curry paste not cooking sauce- 2 tbsp.
  • Coconut Milk- 1 can
  • Water- 1 cup
  • Spinach- 100 gr
  • Frozen Peas- 1/2 cup
  • Desiccated unsweetened coconut optional- 2 tbsp.
  • Salt- to taste
  • Basmati Rice- 2 cups

Instructions

  • Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large and deep pan and cook chopped onions, garlic and cilantro stalks over low heat for 10 minutes until soft and slightly coloured.
  • Meanwhile dice your butternut squash to match the size of chickpeas. I leave the skin on as I discovered it cooks very nicely and eliminates a lot of unnecessary work. When the onions are tender add the curry paste and cook for a minute or so stirring the whole time, then add your squash, chickpeas, coconut milk, desiccated coconut, water and a pinch of salt, bring it to a boil by turning the heat up, then turn the heat down to a low-medium and simmer it covered for 35-40 minutes. Stir it occasionally to prevent from burning and add a few splashes of water if it gets too dry.
  • Start on the rice. Cook your rice in the rice cooker according to the manufacture's instructions.
  • Test the butternut squash, it should be fork tender by this point but not falling apart. Your curry should be thick so if it's too runny, uncover and let the liquid cook down for a few more minutes. When you are satisfied with the consistency of the curry stir in peas, spinach and cilantro leaves, cover with a lid and take off the heat.
  • Serve with steaming hot basmati rice. We love having naan bread or chapattis and various Indian pickles and chutney with our curries. My children go crazy for crunchy poppadums!
Tried this recipe?Mention @vikalinka or tag #vikalinka!

 

Reader Interactions

Comments


  1. This was really yummy. Sauteed the onions, garlic, and coriander in a pan as instructed. Dumped this amd the rest of the ingredients in a slow cooker with just 1/2 cup water. 4 hours on high. At 3.5 hours, tossed in the spinach and the sweet peas. Right before serving, i added the cilantro. Also, i could not find the Indian curry in time, so i used up the last bit of Ras al Hanout i had and 1 teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt and one cube of vegetable bouillon. I was hoping to have enough for leftovers and another dinner, need to make doubles next time. Thank you for the recipe. Might add cauliflower next time!

    Reply

    • Hi Nicole, I understand it was not to your taste. However, Korma curry is a mild curry and does not need more spices. If you didn’t enjoy it, I would recommend using stronger tasting curry pastes like Madras or Vindaloo. In terms of soupy, just boil down the liquid to desired consistency. The success of the recipe hugely depends on your cooking instincts, which could not be taught in the written recipe.

      Reply

      • One more comment if I may.
        This was actually one issue for me as to how long I had to let the liquid evaporate to brimg down the excess of liquid. I had to stop the cooking because my butternut was falling apart. The water is unnecessary in this recipe. I have been cooking for 45 years and my cooking instincts are pretty good but not as good as yours, I am sure.
        Thanks for your reply.

        Reply

        • Can I ask you if you used a curry paste or a sauce? They are very different products. Water is absolutely necessary if you are using a paste as it is very dry, and one can of coconut milk is simply not enough to cook all these vegetables. Can you also scroll down through all the comments to see how many people cooked this dish successfully and many more on Pinterest? Like I said Korma curry might not be to your taste just like sushi is not to everyone’s taste, this does not make this a bad recipe. I am quite confident that it is in fact a keeper as I’ve made it for years and so have many of my readers.

          Reply

  3. Love this curry dish and the family does too!
    Just wondering about the beautiful cast iron pan you used any suggestions on what to look for when purchasing a cast iron pan.

    Reply


  5. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and beautiful pictures! In Germany it’s hard to get hold of curry pastes so I adapted from my Korma recipe instead:

    1 inch piece of ginger, grated
    1 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
    1/2 tsp black pepper
    2 tsp turmeric
    1 tbsp Garam Masala
    1 tsp ground cumin

    I also added some lemon juice at the end, to lighten up the heaviness of the coconut milk. Oh and I added a few chopped tomatoes and in the end served with pilaff rice from the oven.

    Delicious, thanks again!

    Reply

  6. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe – I love it! The first time I made it, my boyfriend was very hesitant hearing no meat in the title, but we both loved it. I really like that it uses curry paste instead of curry powder, and I had never used it prior, but now use it instead of curry powder for some recipes. It also holds the flavour well and is a delicious leftover.

    Reply

    • Great, Maggie!! I am so glad it turned your meat loving boyfriend too! Curry pastes are excellent time savers as they are developed specifically for certain recipes by using multiple ingredients and have a far more complex flavour than a curry powder.

      Reply

      • Can the recipe be transferred and cooked in a slow cooker once all the ingredients are added? If so would I then need to use less water??

        Reply

        • I haven’t made it in a slow cooker, so I can’t be certain but slow cookers usually require less liquid, so less water is correct. Also, I would add spinach and peas in the last half hour of cooking, otherwise spinach would disintegrate completely.

          Reply


  7. Thanks for a great recipe!! I have never tried the Patak’s curry pastes before and this one was delicious! I made it for me and my boyfriend last night! We are both fans! I’m always on the look out for great vegetarian meals and this fit the bill perfectly!

    Reply


  8. Just thought i would add my voice to those above – the family loved this meal and we will defiantly will be making again both in it’s the vegetarian form above and with a little chicken.

    Reply

    • I sometimes throw chicken in for some extra protein and to entice children into eating it!! Thanks for your feedback, Colin!

      Reply


  10. I made this last night and it was a hit!! I had actually just brought back a yellow curry paste packet from Thailand so I used that! I was just a little bummed though because it seemed way too watery. . The liquid never thickened, it was a very thin consistently, and the butternut squash were starting to fall apart so I couldn’t cook it longer. I even cooked it uncovered for a third of the time. Next time I will use half the water. . But otherwise it was great and everyone ate it all up!! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

    • Hi Angela, I’ve heard a similar comment before, I cook on a gas stove and I think my sauce boils more rapidly because of the flames, which makes the liquid evaporate faster as well. That might be why you ended up with more liquid.

      Reply


  11. Just cooked this for dinner. It was very delicious and will definitely be on the menu again before the pumpkin season is over. I used parsley and will use more spinach instead of the peas thre next time. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply


  16. Wow. I made this for a weeks worth of lunches to heat up at work. It’s so delicious and the colors are just amazing. I eat it with rice noodles that have been given a healthy dash of soy sauce, sriracha, and sesame oil. It’s a great blend. Yum Yum Yum.

    Reply


  18. I made this recipe last night and it went soooo well. Super tasty and quite easy to make.
    I didn’t have the Korma paste so I used Thai paste. That was a little spicy then… But still good 🙂
    Thanks so much for the recipe!

    Reply

  19. I’m planning on making this this week — should there be any adjustments if I use lite coconut milk? Thank you!

    Reply

  20. This looks amazing! I plan to make it tonight for Father’s Day but both my husband and dad are big on meat. Any suggestions as to how I could incorporate chicken into this dish? Thanks so much!

    Reply

    • Katie, just brown diced chicken breast as the first step and then continue with the recipe. I hope this helps.

      Reply

  21. I realize this is an older thread, but I just found your recipe and am excited to try it! One question, when you said to add the cilantro stalks, is there a point that you take the stalks out of the dish? I’m pretty new to cooking homemade meals ( just got married) so pardon my ignorance of it’s showing 🙂

    Reply

  22. I made this today. It was gorgeous. Definitely having it again and my daughter is coming to finish it off tomorrow

    Reply

  23. I made this for the first time and am eating it right now! very lovely, although as another commenter said, mine isn’t as “dark” as yours. I might add more paste next time as I’m not getting a ton of that flavor. Overall great healthy recipe 🙂

    Reply

  25. I am making this right now and it looks and smells wonderful!
    If you don’t peel the squash are you eating the skin? I roasted the squash which allowed the skin to easily come off.

    Reply

    • Laurie, butternut squash skin is really soft when cooked this way, not at all like when you roast it. In fact, it blends in with squash. If you roast the squash first it would get too soft for the curry unless you add it at the very end.

      Reply

  26. I googled ‘Butternut squash chicipea curry’ and found this recipe. It looks so good and simply that I can’t wait to try it. I also love your blog!

    Reply


  27. It’s a beautiful looking dish and simple to make too. I just tried it out for the first time. Hubby and I loved it!! This recipe is a keeper for sure..:) Thanks!

    Reply

  28. So… I was only able to find Patak’s korma curry sauce and not the paste in my grocery store? Do you know how much tweaking I’ll have to do to get this ‘correct’?

    Reply

    • Liz, I would start by reducing the water amount by 1/3. You can always add a bit more if the curry starts to look dry in the process.

      Reply


  31. Just made this, and it’s delicious. Mine however isn’t as dark as yours. I assumed we had to drain the can of chickpeas because of the top pic, and added the correct amount of curry paste…

    Reply

  34. I made this tonight and fell in love (i just didn’t have the spinach and will have it next time!!)
    Thank you very much and congrats for the wonderfull pictures!
    Chloé

    Reply


  36. Liked this recipe a lot, but felt there was too much water. Next time, I might start with a cup and then add more water as needed. With two cups, I simmered for 40 minutes without a cover on just to try and reduce the liquid to something thick, and in the end resorted to cornstarch slurry.

    Reply

    • Andy, did you use a Korma paste or a sauce because they are quite different? You would definitely need much less water if you used a sauce. The paste, however, is quite dry and you’d need 2 cups of water to cook a lot of butternut squash. Also, I have a gas stove, which usually cooks much faster due to direct flames so that could be the reason mine boiled down quicker. You should definitely adjust the recipe according to your taste, so well done on the slurry solution!

      Reply

  38. I love Indian food and can’t wait to try this curry!! Where does one find “Patak’s Korma Paste or any other curry paste”? in the ethnic section at the grocery store if I don’t have an Indian market close by?

    Reply

    • Alice, Patak’s curry pastes and sauces are pretty mainstream, at least in the UK and Canada and are found in all major supermarkets. They should be next to any other Asian sauces and condiments. Good luck! 🙂

      Reply

  42. Great recipe, Julia! Such wonderful photography, too. We’re going to be posting this on Twitter and Facebook for #MeatlessMonday. Keep it up, and we’ll be sure to try this, too. 🙂

    Reply

Trackbacks

  2. […] Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry – yes please!!! Tip: organic squash is very inexpensive almost all year around in the states. In the northern states of the USA, it is really affordable since it can be grown well into the cold months. This is the perfect recipe for the cold winter months. So delicious! It is super easy to put together and you just let it sit while you do other things such as cleaning the dishes. Recipe Here. […]

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