The fall is a great time of year to enjoy squash and pumpkin.  With a chill in the air, I came across this curry recipe.  I have made it several times over the years but for some reason, I had forgotten about it.  I made this Paleo friendly recipe over the weekend and my memories were true.  This is a great tasting curry.  It has a mild flavour and it’s great on a cool fall evening.

The dish requires musaman curry paste.  You can purchase it at most Asian stores or you can make it yourself.  I have included the recipe.  The paste is easy to make.  I freeze the remaining paste and use it in stir fries or for sautéing vegetables.  The ingredients for the curry paste may seem daunting but if you want to get into Indian or Thai cooking, most of these spices are base ingredients that will be used again and again.  I keep my seeds in jars in the freezer and they are always fresh.

Thai Beef and Butternut Squash Curry

Ingredients

1 lb.                                          stewing beef, cut into one inch cubes
2 T                                           coconut oil
4 T                                           musaman curry paste
2                                              cloves of garlic, crushed
1                                              white onion, sliced
8                                              curry leaves
3 Cups                                      unsweetened coconut milk
3 Cups                                      butternut squash, roughly diced
2 T                                           chopped cashews
1T                                            honey
2 T                                           tamarind puree
2 T                                           fish sauce

Method

Preheat a large frying pan or work until very hot.  Add the coconut oil and then the cubed beef.  Cook the beef until browned.  This should take 5- 8 minutes. 

Once the meat is brown, remove the meat from the pan and add the curry paste, garlic, and onion and curry leaves and stir.  Return the meat to the pan and cook for another couple of minutes over medium heat.

Add the coconut milk and bring the liquid to a simmer.  Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add the butternut squash and simmer for another 30 minutes or until the meat and squash are tender and the sauce has thickened.

Stir in the cashews, tamarind puree, and honey and fish sauce.  Simmer for two more minutes. 

Pour into bowls and garnish with additional chopped cashews and curry leaves.

Musaman Curry Paste

Ingredients

1 t                            coriander seeds
1 t                            cumin seeds
8                              cloves
½ t                           fennel seeds
4                              cardamom seeds
6                              Asian shallots, finely chopped
3                              cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 t                            lemongrass, chopped (white part only)
1 t                            galangal, finely chopped. Galangal is Thai ginger.
4                              dry red chillies
1 t                            ground nutmeg
1 t                            white pepper

Method

Add the coriander, cumin, cloves, fennel and cardamom seeds to a frying pan and cook over low heat for two minutes or until fragrant.

Combine the cooked spices with the remaining curry paste ingredients in a food processor and process until you have a smooth paste.  If the paste is too thick, add a bit of water.

I know that when I got into Thai and Indian cooking, I had a bit of a spice learning curve.  I found that I was able to get bags of spice seeds or pods from Indian spice stores.  Grinding your own spices is very easy.  Most recipes start with cooking the seeds prior to grinding.  I suggest investing in a small mortar and pestle for spice grinding.  It only takes a minute or two to grind your own spices, and its well worth the effort. 

Enjoy the recipe!