Butternut Veggie Penang Curry

This is a new recipe i tried putting together because there was a family in our church who welcomed a new baby, and i wanted to bring them a meal. i had asked the dad what they were craving or what sounded good, and he mentioned they had already gotten a LOT of Mexican food so they were kind of burnt out with that. the weather had been so warm as of late, so we also ruled out a hot and heavy soup. i asked if he wanted Indian or some foreign dish and his face lit up and said "we would love some of your home cooked Indian food!" yay. that's one area of cooking that's right up my ally.  

i wanted to make a vegetable curry of some kind, but i usually make one consisting of snap peas garbanzo beans, and maybe spinach. i call that one channa masala. i love that dish and it has made many a mouth do a happy dance, but i wanted to branch out, try something new, but still use vegetables and simmer them in a full bodied rich curry. also, i think i made that family the aforementioned dish before. can't have that..

so penang curry was born. i had been to my favorite asian store to restock my curry pastes, sesame oils, frozen parathas and what ever else i feel like picking up, and stacked next to one of my favorite pastes, masaman, was a similar size can, red and cheerful and it said panang curry paste. i dropped a few cans in my basket and moved on. i am so glad i tried it out! this curry dish that emerged ended up being another top favorite in my own tiny option of my various curry dishes! i had made such a huge amount, that i had some left for my own family after neatly packing it away for delivery and my husband said he loved it so much, he wanted me to write it down so we wouldn't forget the recipe! [that's what i am doing right now.] my youngest daughter even enjoyed it as well, and it does have a bit of a heat kick to it so that was pretty impressive to me that she loved it too. 

it is always a bit nerve wracking when you drop off a meal, especially a new one that you haven't even tested anywhere except on people outside your own family, plus you never even know if they like it or not unless they go out of their way to tell you, and i try not to expect that, just hope that they don't barf and the frazzled mom gets a moment away from being a 24 hour milking cow and can manage a few spoonfuls of food that she did not have to cook herself. 

the next day the mom had sent me a meme of a man in the middle of dining,  his facial expressions seeming to say over and over again [i mean that's what a gif is isn't it] the caption saying "i had no idea that food could be this delicious"...phew. i think i can take that as a good sign, right? 

let's get onto the recipe shall we? my  pangang curry is a mixture of thai and indian flavors melded into one beautiful dish. i sauté the vegetables [this time, butternut squash, tiny baby tri colored potatoes, carrots, purple cabbage, and of course spinach- i love that green peeking around] in a dry curry mixture, and then toss it in the thai flavors using the paste, coconut milk, and freshly squeezed lime. the result was a creamy curry dish, a perfect balance of sweet and salty, nutty and bright, the vegetables finish cooking in the wet curry and it is delicious! i make sure to serve it with plenty of basmati rice, flaky parathas, and lots of fresh coriander! love it! 

sigh. moving onto the recipe for real, this time..

you'll need:

1 pound of cut up butternut squash, peeled and chopped into small bite sized chunks
1 cup of baby tri colored mini potatoes [yellow, purple, red] 
1/2 cup chopped baby carrots
1/2 cup chopped purple cabbage
2 cups of roughly chopped spinach
2 tablespoons ghee
1/2 purple onion, diced and chopped 
1-2 tablespoons of minced garlic 
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tsp garam masala 
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
1    tsp ginger 
1/2 tsp ground mustard powder 
1 small can of panang curry paste 
2 cans of coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

in a large pan, heat up ghee. when hot, toss in garlic and onion. fry and move around till fragrant, onion gets soft and sharp smell of garlic chills out, taking care not to burn. 

toss in cumin, garam masala, chili, cinnamon, ginger, and mustard powder and fry spices in the onion mixture. if things get too dry, plop in some more ghee..

throw in butternut squash, carrots, baby potatoes, cabbage,  coating everything and stirring around the pan. 

in another large pot, [i used a dutch oven pot], heat up the panang curry paste and fry at the bottom of pot. when the fragrance starts to sing, pour over the two cans of coconut milk. stir, stir, until it becomes a rich soft red color.

keep your eye on the pan. you want to cook and coat everything just long enough so the vegetables only begin to soften. you want to transfer the contents into the coconut mixture and let them finish cooking in that pot of goodness. 

continue to stir on medium heat and you can toss in the spinach and some of the cilantro. 
i put the lid on and let it simmer for a good 15 min on med-low heat. that really gives the curry a chance to soak into the vegetables and sink the flavors everywhere. taste test. does it need more garam masala? more salt? 

at the end of simmering, stir and test the veggies to see if they are firm or as soft as you like. i like mine with a hint of firmness to them, i don't want them completely to mush up, but either way, it only adds to the depth of flavor. you really can't lose with this. 

turn off heat. add remaining cilantro and squeezed lime. 

in a serving bowl, scoop a generous heaping of basmati rice, and top a ladle full of panang curry on top. serve with hot parathas. 

over and out. 

i hope you enjoy!!!