I know that one is supposed to use uncooked cubed squash for this recipe, but my hands were aching and I had a lot of baked squash on hand. Having baked squash on hand made it much faster to prepare and develop flavours.
Kerala Naadan Mathanga Curry
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, or other squash, peeled and cubed. I used Blue Hubbard Squash.
3 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 dried mild red chilies
10 curry leaves
2-4 shallots, or 1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 chili powder (Mirchi, cayenne, or milder, not American chili powder, that also has cumin)
1 - 2 cups water
Salt, to tastes
For the Coconut paste:
1 cup shredded UNSWEETENED coconut
2 green chilies
1 cup water
- In a blender, make a paste of the coconut, green chilies, and water. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop everywhere, add the chilies and curry leaves. Add the shallots or onion, and fry for 6-7 minutes, until softened.
- Add the turmeric and chili powder. Then the squash. Fry and coat the squash for a couple of minutes. Add water and salt. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Longer if using uncooked squash.
- Add the coconut paste and continue cooking, stirring through.
- Enjoy, over rice.
Grilled Sichuan Chicken
6 Chicken Thighs, skinned
1 tsp Sichuan Chili paste
2 tbs Hoisin
2 tbs Char Sui BBQ paste
drizzles Chinese cooking wine, Sesame oil, soy sauce
Sichuan spice blend of: 1/2 tsp each of white pepper, ground star anise, ground cloves, ground coriander, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground Sichuan peppers
Blend marinade and combine with chicken thighs. Let marinade for a few hours.
Heat oven to 350ºF. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place chicken on the baking sheet, with all of the marinade. Sprinkle optional roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, and/or chopped green onions. Roast for about an hour, until the chicken is fall off of the bone tender.
Enjoy!
