Butternut Squash Coconut Curry with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
I love ordering curry when we go out to eat, but I was determined to make it at home so I could have it anytime I wanted.
Since butternut squash is one of my favorite things ever, I decided to make a butternut squash curry!
In go the usual curry suspects. Including the biggest curry time hack–jarred curry paste.
I use Thai Kitchens and almost always have it on hand for a quick flavor boost.
And of course, the beautiful butternut!
I love butternut squash to pieces–and it’s soo good in curry–but to be honest it can be a little bit of a pain to peel and cube. SO if you’re not in the mood, you can totally sub sweet potato too.
(I actually do that a lot.)
And of course – creamy, dreamy coconut milk from the food Gods!
I use full fat coconut milk, but also “cut it” with broth. I love how creamy and thick coconut milk is, but adding the broth lightens the curry up a bit and in my opinion makes for a better eating experience.
Turmeric, because I put that ish in everything I can (like with this soup, and this lemonade). Not only does it make whatever you’re eating glow bright and beautifully, it is one of the most medicinally beneficial spices in the world!
And mushrooms because how could you not?! I feel like mushrooms are a very important part of a good bowl of curry.
I used these cutie little beech mushrooms, but feel free to use whatever you love/can find at the grocery store.
Really, this curry is so adaptable so feel free to use whatever veggies float your boat.
It would be equally delicious with some broccoli, green beans, bamboo shoots…you know, whatever you’ve got hanging out in your fridge.
And something to soak up all that luscious butternut squash curry, shall we?
I love to whip up a cilantro lime cauliflower rice. In this picture I riced my own cauliflower in the food processor, but we all know that these days it’s MEGA easy to just grab a bag of pre-riced cauli from the grocery store.
If you don’t love cilantro, leave it out! Plain cauli rice is perfectly delish.
You can also just make regular white rice, which we do a lot too when we’re in the mood for a few more carbs.
TA DA!
Welcome to yum town!
You can leave this recipe as it is for a vegetarian meal.
OR you can add shrimp or chicken, which we also do a lot.
Do what works for you.
Either way, you are now a curry magician. Congratulations.
Butternut Squash Coconut Curry with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
For the curry
- 2 cups butternut squash, cubed (you can also use sweet potato)
- 1.5 cups beech mushroom, or other mushroom
- 1.5 cups snow peas
- 1 small bell pepper, sliced
- 1 15 oz can of full fat coconut milk
- 1.5 cups broth (or a little less, depending on the thickness of your coconut milk*)
- 4-5 scallions, sliced
- 2 inches fresh ginger, grated
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon red Thai curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen brand)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 medium Red chili pepper, sliced (or heavy dash of chili powder)
- coconut oil
For the cauliflower rice
- 2-3 cups riced cauliflower
- fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- lime
Instructions
For the curry
- Prep all of your ingredients.
- Add a bit of coconut oil to a pot over medium heat. Add turmeric, curry powder, chili or chili powder, and red Thai curry paste and stir - this wakes up the spices. After a minute or so, add minced garlic, grated ginger, white parts of the scallions, and a bit of salt. Saute for another 1-2 minutes and add coconut milk and broth.
- Bring liquid to a simmer, and add fish sauce, coconut sugar, and butternut squash. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes remove lid and add mushrooms, snow peas, and bell pepper. Continue to cook, uncovered for another 5 minutes, or until the butternut squash is tender but not too soft.
- Once you have added the remaining vegetables to the curry, heat a bit of coconut oil in a pan over medium high heat and add riced cauliflower along with the juice from 1/2 a lime (use the whole lime if it is not very juicy). Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring and seasoning with salt to taste. Remove pan from heat and stir in cilantro.
- Serve curry with cilantro rice and garnish with the green tops of the scallions, Thai basil or cilantro, and extra lime wedges.
Notes
*Thickness of canned coconut milk varies a lot between brands. If your coconut milk is very thick, use the full 1.5 cups of broth. If it's a little thinner (like Trader Joe's brand, for example) reduce the amount of broth a bit.
This makes 2 very generous servings, which is ok because leftovers will only get tastier as the flavors meld into one another. The recipe can easily be doubled to serve more hungry mouths.
If you're not a fan of cilantro, leave it out! This curry is delish with plain cauliflower rice or with standard white rice.
I love to serve this with peach iced tea with Thai basil and lime.
7 responses to “Butternut Squash Coconut Curry with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice”
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Wow, how did you make that butternut squash look so sexy!? Your photos are amazing and this sounds just gorgeous. I always favour white rice over brown, but cauliflower is where its at.
Thanks, Chantelle!
You certainly know how to take beautiful shots. I especially love the wooden spoon & turmeric image!
thanks, Rami!
[…] 33. Butternut Squash Coconut Curry With Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice This curry is packed with everything you’d want to be in it, from red chili pepper, coconut sugar, and butternut squash to beech mushrooms, snow peas bell pepper, and Thai curry paste. It’s served with a delicious lime and cilantro cauliflower rice on the side. […]
Hi if I would like to add chicken to this recipe when do I add it.
Have a great day!
Marilena
I’ve done that before too!