Vegan Thai Buttercup Squash Curry

This super easy vegan thai buttercup squash curry is served in its own bowl.

The Story:
I love going to the grocery store and finding produce I’ve never seen before. Recently, we’ve been buying tons of blood oranges, but also I’ve spotted some buttercup squashes. This squash is a dry-type, so I decided it would work best integrated into a coconut milk curry. Truth be told, the outer shell is very tough and a workout to get through, but this makes it the perfect way to present the dish- in its shell.

Gather your tools. You’ll need:

1. very sharp, strong knife 2. baking sheet 3. spoon 4. medium-sized pot

Gather your ingredients. You’ll need:

1. 1 buttercup squash 2. can of coconut milk 3. red curry paste 4. kaffir lime leaves 5. bell pepper 6. ginger 7. salt

Vegan Thai Buttercup Squash Curry

Ingredients:
1 buttercup squash (~ pounds)
1 oz. can of full fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
4-5 kaffir lime leaves
1 bell pepper, deseeded and sliced into strips (we had orange, but red or purple (or even green) would make this dish more visually appealing)
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut buttercup squash in half horizontally. Scoop out seeds and stringy fibers. On a cookie sheet, set buttercup squash halves open side up and bake for 40 minutes. Then invert and bake open side down for an additional 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, start rice or noodles (we used 1 cup of dry jasmine rice, which complemented the curry perfectly.)

Once the squash is done baking, scrap out as much of its flesh without breaking the rind. Mash well. Combine coconut milk, red curry paste, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, bell pepper, and salt. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes.

Place ~1 cup of rice into buttercup squash shell, pour over about 3/4 cups of curry. Serve immediately.

Note: You will have more rice and curry than will fit into your two buttercup squash halves. This recipe serves four.