Hi All, Happy new year! One of my "resolutions" this year is to learn how to experiment with veggies that I do not normally eat. My mom came to visit and left me a butternut squash she had purchased at our local farmer's market. It looked rather lonely, and I did not know what to do with it, so decided to try to cook it indian style. I don't have an exact recipe either, but I will outline my method. One of the best things about indian cooking is that spices can be always adjusted to taste, so there is no right or wrong. Here are my results:) Enjoy!
Ingredients: One large butternut squash peeled and chopped into cubes (remove seeds)
2 cloves garlic minced
1-2 tsp clarified butter or "ghee"
Garam Masala
Mango Powder (amchoor)
Coriander Powder (dhaniya)
Cumin Powder (jeera)
Salt
Method: Obtain a handy stainless steel steamer like the one pictured above. You will not be disappointed! This steams the toughest of veggies in a jiffy! Fill a saucepan with water half way, place the collapsible steamer in saucepan. Make sure liquid does not rise above level of steamer. Place chopped squash pieces in steamer, cover and steam at medium high heat for about 15 minutes. Pieces should be tender but not mushy.
After squash is cooked, spread pieces out on a dinner plate. Lightly sprinkle each of the spices listed above in the ingredients such that it coats the squash, but is not powdery or chunky. A good rule of thumb is roughly 1-2 tsp of each spice distributed evenly across all pieces.
In a nonstick pan, heat clarified butter. Once heated, add the minced garlic, and sautee for a few minutes. Add spice-coated squash pieces and sautee for 5 minutes. Don't allow the squash to become too mushy. Serve as a side dish with any indian meal.
