Thai Butternut Squash Curry
Butternut Squash Curry with tofu has a perfect balance of sweet and spicy. This is creamy and has amazing Thai flavors. Make use of all those fall-favorite Butternut Squash in this delicious curry.
Hearty Thai Butternut Squash Curry tastes amazing when served with noodles or even with a bowl of rice. Sweet chunks of butternut squash, Tofu, and red pepper in Thai curry base and thickened with coconut milk is worth obsessing over. This is a well-balanced nutritious curry that is loaded with veggies and good does of protein.
Finally, we are in the best part of the year. Fall/Winter is my favorite for all the good reasons. Winter means warm woolen wear, cozy long nights, and of course I have all the good excuses to have one of my favourite comfort food curry and rice.
I am not sure about existence of any such curry in Thai cusine but I have made sure you get all the authentic Thai flavours in this curry. Store brought curry paste makes this weeknight curry effortless but to make up for the bottled curry paste, I have used fresh aromatics to elevet the flavors. If you have tried my Thai Chicken Red curry, you would agree with me on this.
For Robust Thai Flavour In The Curry
- Good quality red curry paste, which I saute in oil for the flavors to pop up.
- Fresh aromatics such as onion and garlic. For more potent flavor you can also add lemongrass, kaffir lime and gangala. But keep the aromatics minimal, as too much of it will overpower the subtle flavor of butternut squash.
- Fish sauce and soy sauce– Trust me when I say Fish sauce makes Thai curry for what it is. If the funky smell of Fish sauce has put you off and you have never used, then you have no idea what you are missing. Fish sauce and a very generous amount of it rounds up the flavor. Unless you have any dietary restriction, please don’t skip it.
Ingredients
- Butternut Squash: Use sweet butternut squash in season for the best result. You can also substitute with Pumpkin.
- Tofu: To make it more nutritious and rich in protein. You can skip if you are not a fan of Tofu or add cooked chickpeas instead.
- Red bell pepper – Use any other veggies such as zucchini, green beans etc.
- Red Curry pastes: Any good brand of Thai red curry paste would work.
- Aromatics: Onion, and garlic to add more flavor to the curry.
- Fish Sauce and Soy Sauce: My take is that Thai curry isn’t the same without fish sauce. I prefer to add a dash of soy sauce for extra umami to the butternut squash Curry. For the vegan version, you will have to omit Fish sauce. For the Gluten-free version, use Gluten-free Soy Sauce.
- Coconut milk and Vegetable Stock: Coconut milk and vegetable stock give body to the sauce. Coconut milk makes the curry creamy in texture and balances flavor from all the other ingredients.
- Palm sugar: You can use coconut sugar or brown sugar instead.
- Fresh lime– A good squeeze of fresh line juice balances the sweet and salty sauce.
How to make
Prep:
The only part of the recipe I am not fond of is prepping the butternut squash. It takes time. I would say if you get pre-cut squash, go for it. Here is a tip for cutting butternut squash at home – go for your sharpest knife, it makes it easier and also safe.
Sauté Onions and Garlic:
Sauté onions and garlic in a hot pan until the onions turn soft and aromatic. Sauteing curry paste in oil helps release the flavor of the spices into oil. Then add the chopped butternut squash and toss to coat.
Make the Curry
To quicken the cooking, add warm stock and half of the coconut milk. Give everything a good stir, once it comes to a low boil, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes until the squash is fork tender. Squash should be tender, soft and yet hold its shape.
I love to have a little crunch in the pepper, so prefer adding it towards the end along with tofu. The reason of adding coconut milk in two parts is because adding coconut milk towards the end retains its subtle sweetness and flavor.
Final Seasoning And Garnish
Towards the end add sugar, soy sauce, and fish sauce and mix. Let everything simmer for another 2 minutes. Finish it off with a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice and chopped cilantro.
Tips for a delicious Curry
These small tips and tricks will set your curry apart from others.
- Use a high-quality red curry paste for best flavors. And don’t skip on sauteing the red curry paste in oil, it makes a huge difference.
- Chicken or vegetable stock over water, as water will thin down the flavors.
- Add coconut milk in 2 parts instead all at once and see the difference. 1/4th of coconut milk added towards the end leaves a subtle sweetness. For a rich curry, use full fat coconut milk.
- If you are using thin coconut milk, chances are that it might split and the sauce will look grainy, as many of the readers have faced with Slow cooker Coconut Chicken Curry Recipe. But if that is what you have on hand then mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to it and add to the pot.
- This Butternut squash curry has a subtle sweetness and flavor from the squash. So don’t go overboard with the red curry paste or aromatics.
Store
Stay well upto 4 days in the refrigerator. It might thicken a bit upon refrigeration. While reheating, add a splash of hot water or stock to thin it down.
Freezing-
Butternut squash curry can be frozen up to 3 months. Divid it to smaller serving sizes and freeze. However, upon thawing/reheating, you might notice that the coconut milk looks split.
Serve with
Serve this creamy butternut squash curry with plain rice or noodles.
Here are a few More Thai Recipes To Try
Other Fall Recipe Recipes
Thai Butternut Squash Curry
Ingredients
- 500 gms Butternut Squash (medium squash)
- 250 gms firm tofu Cut into Cubes
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 medium onion Chopped
- .5 tablespoon Garlic Cloves Minced
- 2 tablespoon Thai Red Curry Paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar / Palm Sugar
- 1.5 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1.5 cup coconut milk
- ½ cup chicken/vegetable stock
- 1 red bell pepper Chopped
- ¼ cup Fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Lime juice
- Salt and Pepper as per taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add sliced onion. Saute onions till it is softened.
- Add minced garlic. Cook for 30 seconds. Then add red curry paste and saute in low heat for a minute for the flavours to develop.
- Add cubed butternut squash. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add coconut milk and stock. Cover and bring everything to a boil. Then simmer for 10-12 minutes until squash cubes are cooked through, are soft yet holds shape.
- Add red bell pepper and tofu. Let it simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. Season with sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and salt(if required). Give everything a good mix and switch off the flame.
- Stir in lemon juice. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaf and crushed peanuts while serving.
- Serve on a bed of plain steamed rice or rice noodles.
Nutrition
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Your recipe doesn’t state when do you add the tofu ? No directions for the tofu ? Thanks could you fixe it please ….
Hi Brigitte, The instruction to add tofu along with bell pepper is there in the recipe card. I have also updated the post with more details.
This was delicious! I had to make some changes based on what I had: leftover chicken instead of tofu and 2 tsp yellow curry powder (in addition to 1 tbsp of red curry paste ran out). Very flavorful and quick. Ate with white rice, arugula (instead of cilantro) and toasted cashews. Will be making again.
Glad you liked it. Thank you for trying it.
A definite 5 stars from all my family. Delicious!
Yes, yes, yes please! Yum. This looks like a perfect cozy dish. I love butternut squash!