Coconut Chickpea and Squash Curry Stew
- Savory
- Indian
- Mild
- Stovetop
- Oven
Tender squash and chickpeas simmered in a mild coconut curry sauce until rich and creamy, then spooned over rice. A comforting one-pot dinner that leans on pantry spices.
- Total
- 50 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 35
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Blooming spices
Instructions
-
Peel the squash, scoop out the seeds and cut the flesh into 2 cm cubes. Drain the chickpeas thoroughly in a colander.
~10 min
-
Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the squash cubes in a single layer and brown them for 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until the edges are golden. Transfer the squash to a plate.
~8 min
Browning the squash in a hot pan triggers the Maillard reaction, building deep savoury flavour and firming the cubes so they hold their shape while simmering.
Brown the squash in a single layer without crowding; if your pot is small, do it in two batches so the pieces caramelise instead of steaming.
Searing Get the oil hot and leave the squash untouched until it releases easily; crowding the pot traps steam and gives you pale, soft cubes instead of golden edges.
-
Lower the heat to medium. Add the curry paste, onion powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, ground coriander and turmeric to the pot and stir for 45 seconds until fragrant, taking care not to let them scorch.
~2 min
Blooming the spices in hot oil dissolves their fat-soluble aromas and makes them taste fuller; scorching turns them bitter, so keep the heat moderate and keep stirring.
Blooming spices Stir the ground spices into the hot oil for under a minute, just until they smell toasty; if they darken or smoke, the heat is too high and they will taste bitter.
-
Pour in 300 ml water and scrape up the browned bits, then stir in the coconut milk, drained chickpeas, 1 tsp salt and black pepper. Return the squash to the pot, bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 18 to 20 minutes, until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife and the sauce has thickened slightly.
~20 min
The water deglazes the pot, lifting the browned squash juices into the sauce, while a gentle simmer lets the coconut milk reduce and thicken without splitting.
-
While step 4 cooks
While the stew simmers, rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear. Combine it in a saucepan with the remaining 300 ml water and 0.5 tsp salt, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
~15 min
Rinsing washes off surface starch so the grains stay separate, and the covered rest lets steam finish the rice and firm the grains.
-
Stir the spinach into the stew in handfuls and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until just wilted. Taste and adjust the salt, then serve the stew over the rice.
~3 min
Spinach wilts in moments and loses its bright colour and bite if overcooked, so add it last and pull it off the heat as soon as it collapses.
