Coconut Red Curry with Delicata, Bok Choy, Carrots, Mushrooms & Brown Rice Noodles
This is quite the hodge podge of a curry. I couldn't decide if I should lean Asian or Indian, so we have a little bit of both and I heard no complaints. Fall is the perfect time to whip out those hearty stews and curries that can sit longingly on the stove, simmering away until you're ready to eat.
Squash has started to pop up at the farmers market and I found the cutest little delicata at the Linden Hills market. I picked up a few, along with some bok choy, determined to make a vegetable curry, and this is what I came up with. I think the leftovers were even better after a night of marination magic. You could always serve this with rice, but one benefit of rice noodles is how quickly they cook. For how hearty this dish is, it came together pretty quickly!
Coconut Red Curry with Delicata, Bok Choy, Carrots, Mushrooms & Brown Rice Noodles
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1 small delicata squash
1/2 yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
6 tbsp. red curry paste, divided
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. madras curry powder
salt, to taste
1/2 c. water
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 c. carrots, sliced (I bought those ruffled carrot chips for convenience)
1 can light coconut milk
2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 tbsp. lime juice, to taste
1 tbsp. fish sauce (omit to make vegetarian)
1 small head bok choy, sliced into 1/2-inch chunks, dividing greens from the stems
brown rice noodles, to serve (plain rice noodles will work too, I just opted for the additional fiber!)
Method:
1. Prepare all vegetables as noted above and then cut ends off delicata squash, including stem, and then cut length-wise. Discard seeds and "innards" and then cut into 1/2-inch falf moons. Delicata squash does NOT need to be peeled, as its skin is so very "delicate" and melts into the squash upon cooking. Woo-hoo! One less step for you.
2. Heat coconut oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, toss in squash slices, along with the onions, 2 tbsp. of the red curry paste, the madras curry powder, brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Saute until the onion and squash start to soften. If the curry and sugar start to burn in the pan, pour in about a 1/2 c. of water to deglaze, scraping up any brown bits. Let water evaporate, add mushrooms to the pan and continue to saute.
3. Once mushrooms have started to soften, add in carrots and bok choy stems, and saute for a few minutes more. Add in coconut milk, peanut butter, the rest of the red curry paste, lime juice and fish sauce. Stir mixture and taste, adjusting the seasoning as needed. Slightly cover the pot and let simmer over low heat.
4. While the stew is simmering, cook noodles according to the instructions on the package. Strain and rinse with cold water to stop the noodles from continuing to cook.
5. Stir in chopped bok choy greens until they begin to wilt. Make any last seasoning/spice adjustments and salt to taste. Serve curry with rice noodles.
