Ever since I enjoyed an amazing butternut curry in South Africa, I have been a fan of that squash and it made me very happy when they started showing up on our veggie shelves here in Germany. In the university cafeteria they once served this vegetarian apricot curry I never forgot, and so I ended up creating a fusion butternut apricot curry from the two that I absolutely love.
It’s healthy, quick, easy to make and ready in less than 30 minutes. Perfect cozy fall food. It is also gluten free when you use gluten free soy sauce and Ketjap Manis.
Butternut squash has to be peeled before preparing it. That’s quickly and easily done with a good veggie peeler. This short youTube video shows very well how to cut a butternut squash.
This recipe serves 2-3, and you will need about half a medium butternut squash.
You can cook this easy veg curry with any other edible pumpkin or with sweet potatoes. Other vegetables can of course be added as well.
Other ingredients for the butternut apricot curry
My curry base is made of curry powder, veggie broth and coconut milk, and I like to add some peanut butter for a rich peanut note.
My butternut apricot curry is not an authentic indonesian recipe, it’s fusion cuisine as usual. But I borrowed some tasty ingredients from the indonesian kitchen:
- the sweet dark soy sauce Ketjap Manis and the spicy chili paste Sambal Oelek add great flavour to the curry. My recipe is not very spicy, but if you like spicy food, add more Sambal Oelek to taste at the end. You can buy these things in many supermarkets and in East Asian grocery stores.
- Kroepoek goes very well with my curry. Usually kroepoek is made with prawns, but meanwhile there are vegan products on the market. In Germany vegan kroepoek is available in some organic or vegan shops and called Java Chips, and if you’re in the Netherlands, you can get cassava kroepoek in most supermarkets.
What goes well with the butternut apricot curry?
I like to top it with fresh red cabbage for the crunch and the colour, cilantro, some salty roasted peanuts and fried shallots.
I usually serve the butternut apricot curry with basmati rice, but it’s also great with a pan-fried bread. My homemade wraps work very well for that. I like to make a wrap out of the leftovers the next day anyway, so I always have wraps in the freezer.
BUTTERNUT APRICOT CURRY
Ingredients
- 180 g basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 120 ml of water
- 1 tablespoon veggie broth
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Ketjap Manis*
- 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek*
- 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
- 2 cups butternut squash cubed
- 1 tablespoon peas frozen
- cilantro
- red cabbage
- fried shallots
- peanuts
- optional: kroepoek, vegan*
Instructions
- First, gather all your ingredients and prepare them in the right amounts. That makes it so much easier and more fun and you're less likely to forget anything.
- Wash and cook rice according to instructions.
- Sauté ginger and garlic in a little plant oil in a medium pot that has a lid. Then add water, veggie broth, coconut milk, curry powder, peanut butter, soy sauce, ketjap manis, sambal oelek, apricots and pumpkin.
- Stir well, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes at medium temperature with the lid slightly off.
- Chop up cilantro and red cabbage.
- When the 10 minutes are over, add peas to the curry. Maybe a little water if necessary. Give it another good stir, and it’s ready.
- Arrange rice and curry on deep plates and garnish with red cabbage, cilantro, fried shallots and peanuts.
Video
Notes
Do you love cozy pumpkin and ravioli dishes? Then you might also want to try my
