This is an easy butternut squash and vegetable curry which tastes even better the next day. Adding whatever vegetables you have to hand helps you exceed your 5-a-day.

Butternut squash and vegetable curry

From raw to richly spiced — butternut squash and vegetable curry in the pan.

Serves 4.

4 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
3 red onions, thinly sliced
Several garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Knob fresh ginger, grated
1 green chilli, halved, deseeded and thinly sliced
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garam masala
A little turmeric (for colour)
2 cardamon pods, crushed
One butternut squash, peeled, cubed
4 ripe tomatoes, halved or quartered depending one size
Several florets of cauliflower
Handful sweetcorn
One carrot chopped
100g red lentils, rinsed
About 750ml hot vegetable stock
Big handful fresh coriander,chopped
Sea salt
Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Fresh lemon

Heat the oil and/or ghee in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat.

Add the onions and sauté with a pinch of salt until softened and turning golden, stirring often for about 15 minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger and green chilli, stirring, for another 5 minutes or so.
Add the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, cardamom pods and garam masala, stir for a minute.
Throw in the cubes of squash and other vegetables (add frozen or tinned sweetcorn at the end) and lentils, and stir making sure everything gets a good coating.
Pour in the stock and simmer uncovered until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes or so – stir gently from time to time.
Squeeze over some lemon juice.
Season to taste.
Finish with a sprinkle of fresh coriander.

Note: Toast the whole coriander and cumin seeds plus the cardamom pods, then grind when cool.

If you fancy squash in a heartier, stuffed form rather than a curry, my Baked Stuffed Butternut Squash is worth a try.

This butternut squash and vegetable curry recipe is part of my Curry Recipes — The Flexible Chef's Complete Collection — a complete collection of curries, spice blends, chutneys, and curry-adjacent dishes from Casa Adora and beyond.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef