I love a super easy, gluten free vegan curry. The bonus with this very easy, one pot Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry is there is no added oil or fat. I love this served with Plain Rice but it’s also great served with Asian Slaw with Cumin Aioli.
We grew lots of butternut squash this year, by accident really. We planted some seeds that had sprouted in our compost bin and really didn’t think they would do so well. In just a few weeks we had too many plants and so planted as many as we could in our small London garden. We had squash everywhere (and lots of compliments from passers-by!). Only one got stolen (I hope whoever stole it enjoyed it!) so we had quite a few to get through.
I do have to confess though, my favourite part of the butternut squash is the roasted seeds. Butternut squash can sometimes a bit too sweet for me but in this curry the sweetness is balanced by the spice, heat and spinach.
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Allergy Information – Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry
Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry is gluten-free vegan and oil free as well as… celery free, coconut free, garlic free, lupin free, mustard free, nightshade free*, onion free, peanut free, sesame free, soya free.
*For nightshade free, leave out the chillies.
Top Tips – Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry
The smaller you dice the squash, the quicker it cooks. I like my squash to cook down so it’s really soft. If you like more texture, cook if for a little less and if you like it softer, cook it for a little longer.
Similarly, if you like a very saucy curry you might want to add a little more stock.
Set aside the the butternut squash seeds and roast them for a delicious, healthy snack. (I roast in the oven on 180 C with a little oil, salt and pepper for around 30 mins.)
Recipe – Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry
Difficulty easy
Serves 4-6
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 35 minutes
Ingredients – Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry
20 g fresh ginger (thumb-sized piece)
1 large red chilli*
1 green chilli*
1 tsp ground turmeric
0.5 tsp ground black pepper
0.25 teaspoon asafoetida
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
6 cardamom pods
6 tbsp ground almonds
1 kg (1 medium) butternut squash
1 can chickpeas
750 ml vegetable stock
2 large handfuls fresh spinach
Small bunch fresh coriander to serve
Method – Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry
1. Grate or finely dice the ginger (peel any rough bits of skin first). Slice the red and green chilli. Add all the ground spices, cardamom pods, ginger, chilli and ground almonds to a large pan and add the vegetable stock. Stir well and bring to a simmer
2. Whilst the spicy stock is coming to a simmer, trim and peel the butternut squash and cut to a rough 2 cm dice (don’t forget to keep the seeds to one side). Drain the chickpeas
3. Place the squash and drained chickpeas in the simmering stock and cook for around 30 mins
4. When the squash is soft and the sauce reduced, add the spinach and stir well. Roughly chop the coriander and add half to the pan, stir well and turn off the heat
5. Serve sprinkled with the remaining coriander and sliced chillies. Stir in a spoon of vegan yoghurt too if you like. I love this with rice, poppadum, and a selection of delicious chutneys.
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