After posting a photo of a curry I made a few weeks ago on Instagram, some of you have asked whether I’m going to post the recipe on the blog. I actually didn’t plan to, and also, well, it would be kind of too simple now to do the same thing again, right? So here’s a slightly different curry, which you could, however, obviously amend to your desires, say, swap the veggies or use chicken or prawns instead of tofu.
Personally, I think butternut squash is the best thing that could go into the curry. I’ve added red lentils and mushrooms, too, and alongside coconut milk, chopped tomatoes and plenty of spices this pretty much is the perfect bowl of comfort food – entirely plant-based!
What other recipes would you like to find on my blog? I’d love for you to get in touch – via Instagram, Snapchat (@iamlealou) or a comment below. I’m cooking, taking photos and creating recipes full-time now, so would love to hear what you wanted to see more of! Don’t forget to check my Instagram stories, I share all my kitchen adventures with you there.
But now: curry time! Enjoy it, best after a walk in the beautiful nature out there at this time of the year.
Love,
Lea Lou
Vegan butternut squash curry with red lentils and maple-glazed tofu
For two large servings.
150 grams wholegrain basmati rice
1 small butternut squash
1 garlic clove
1/2 white onion
1 piece fresh ginger (2 cm thick)
1 small red chilli
1 teaspoon coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
1 pinch turmeric
1 pinch cumin
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
90 grams red lentils
250 millilitres vegetable stock
200 grams chopped tomatoes (1 small can)
200 mililitres full-fat coconut milk
4 mushrooms, brushed and sliced
Sea salt and black pepper, freshly ground
1 large pak choi (or 2 handfuls spinach or kale)
For the tofu:
300 grams firm tofu
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon tamari sauce (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon sesame or peanut oil
Method:
In a small saucepan, bring to a boil 350 milliliters lightly salted water. Rinse and drain the rice, add to the boiling water and cook for 25 minutes until done and the liquid is absorbed. Add more water during cooking if necessary, and stir the rice occasionally.
Peel and core the butternut suqash, chop the flesh into bite-sized cubes.
Peel and finely chop the garlic clove, onion and ginger. Wash and core the chilli, thinly slice it.
In a large saucepan, heat coconut oil love medium heat. Add turmeric and cumin, sauté for a minute, stirring, add garlic, onion, ginger and chilli and sauté for another minute.
Now add butternut squash and lentils to the saucepan, stir, then pour over the vegetable stock and allow the curry to simmer until the butternut squash and lentils are cooked, roughly 15 – 20 minutes. Add more vegetable stock if necessary, and stir the vegetables occasionally.
Once the stock is nearly absorbed, add the chopped tomatoes, coconut milk and the sliced mushrooms, bring to a boil again and simmer for another 5 minutes until creamy and thick. Season the curry with salt and pepper to taste.
Roughly chop the pak choi, fold it into the curry, and remove curry from the heat.
For the tofu, slice the block into slices or triangle-shaped pieces. Place tofu between two layers of kitchen paper and thoroughly press out any excess moisture.
Whisk together the maple syrup, rice vinegar and tamari sauce. Toss the tofu slices in the marinade.
Heat the sesame oil in a medium-sized pan, add tofu slices and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring and turning occasionally.
To serve, divide the rice over two bowls and add a few ladles of curry to each bowl, and serve each bowl with a few slices of the fried tofu.
