This dish was quick to prepare and was absolutely fabulous. The biggest mistake I made was not doubling the recipe! I made it for an early birthday celebration dinner for my mom. We topped it off with a birthday pear snacking cake for dessert. 🙂 It was a great autumn comfort food meal.
This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s “Vegetarian India,” contributed by David Tanis. I increased the amount of squash, mushrooms, and garlic. Any type of wild or cultivated mushrooms could be used such as royal trumpets, oyster, shiitakes, chanterelles, or cremini mushrooms; I used a combination of cremini and shiitake mushrooms. The recipe below is double the original recipe. We ate it served over brown Basmati rice with warm naan on the side.
Yield: 8 Servings
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 20 to 28 ounces butternut or other winter squash, peeled and diced in 1/2-inch cubes
- coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 to 4 small whole green chiles, such as jalapeño or serrano
- 6 medium shallots or 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- handful of fresh or frozen curry leaves, optional (basil leaves could also be substituted)
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- pinch of cayenne, or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 1/4 pounds mushrooms, preferably a mix of cultivated and wild, trimmed and sliced 1/8-inch thick
- 15 oz can coconut milk
- 4 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime)
- cilantro sprigs, for garnish
- In a wide skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add squash cubes in one layer. Season with salt and pepper. (This may be done in batches.) Cook for about 2 minutes, letting cubes brown slightly, then flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to lift squash out, and set aside.
- Cut a lengthwise slit in each chile to open it, but leave whole. (This allows the heat and flavor of the chile to release into the sauce without making it too spicy.)
- Add shallots to skillet, salt lightly and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
- Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry/basil leaves and let sizzle for 30 seconds, then add garlic, coriander, cayenne, turmeric and chiles. Stir well and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Add mushrooms to pan, season with salt and toss to coat. Continue to cook, stirring, until mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Return squash cubes to pan, stir in coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
- Lower heat to medium and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- If mixture looks dry, thin with a little water. Taste and season with salt.
- Just before serving, stir in lime juice. Transfer to a warm serving dish and garnish with cilantro leaves.
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