Squash Curry: Protein Rich and Creamy
Curries are some of the best comfort foods for autumn and winter. This protein rich squash curry recipe needs little more than rice or flatbreads alongside it, perhaps a spoonful of chutney. The sauce is made with cashew nuts and tofu. It’s creamy, flavoursome and totally plant-based.
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Squash curry is one of my favourite veg curries. It has special resonance as it was one of the first meals CT ever made for me. This is not his recipe though, it’s very much mine. All made possible by last week’s extra large veg box.
Dive Right In
- Why You’ll Want To Make This Squash Curry
- Riverford Veg Boxes
- What Did I Get In My Riverford Organic Fruit & Veg Box?
- Ingredients, Additions And Substitutions
- How To Make Protein-Rich Squash Curry
- Other Squash Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- Pin It
- The Recipe
Why You’ll Want To Make This Squash Curry?
My Crown Prince squash curry is both nourishing and full of flavour. By keeping the ingredients pared back, the sweet, nutty character of the squash really stands out, while a creamy cashew-tofu sauce adds plenty of plant-based protein without weighing anything down. All excellent reasons to give it a try.
- All in one curry – with a one pan, straightforward method. Just fry the onions and spices, then the squash, add tomatoes and finish with the homemade protein sauce. Just serve with rice or flatbreads.
- Freezer-friendly and great for batch cooking – the flavours deepen after a day or when reheated.
- Highlights squash flavour – the recipe is intentionally simple so the naturally sweet, nutty depth of Crown Prince squash can shine.
- Naturally creamy, without dairy – the cashew–tofu blend creates a creamy sauce without the need for cream or coconut milk.
- Nutritious and wholesome – full of fibre, plant protein and plenty of vitamins and minerals. Organic ingredients are optional, but recommended.
- Perfect for autumn and winter – warming, aromatic and deeply satisfying.
- Protein-rich without feeling heavy – the blended cashew, tofu, ginger and chilli sauce adds satisfying plant protein while keeping the curry creamy but light.
- Works with any good squash or pumpkin – Crown Prince is ideal, but you can use any variety you have to hand.
Riverford Veg Boxes
Riverford and I go back a long way. I’ve been a customer for many years now and my mother was one of the first ever to subscribe to their veg box in the early 1990s, when they started delivering further afield than in their local neighbourhood.
I’m a fan for many reasons. It’s convenient, easy to alter or pause your order, the quality of the veg is good and customer services are excellent. On the odd occasion I’ve received something that I can’t use, I’ve been given an immediate refund – no quibbles.
But it’s far more than just this. Riverford farms are all organic and they’re organic because it’s the right way to go rather than just chasing the money. Organic farming is good for the health of the soil and planet as much as human health.
Riverford are also careful about the packing materials they use and try to keep them to a minimum. Boxes are collected and reused and any plastic is home compostable. And if you can’t compost it at home, Riverford will pick it up when they next deliver.
In order to protect its values and ensure its independence, Riverford’s founder, Guy Singh-Watson, turned the business over to his employees in 2018. It’s now a one hundred percent employee-owned business and is also certified B Corp.
Go Riverford!
What Did I Get In My Riverford Organic Fruit & Veg Box?
If you look at the Riverford website, you’ll find there’s a good range of boxes you can choose from. Receive them weekly or fortnightly and pause them whenever you like. We get a small veg box with no potatoes (affiliate link) delivered every fortnight. I always look forward to it.
This week, courtesy of Riverford, I received a large fruit and veg box (affiliate link). I chose this one because it was the only box containing a Crown Prince squash. But it made a nice change to get some fruit as well as veg.
In addition to the Crown Prince squash, this is what else I found in the box:
- 1 large Batavia lettuce
- 1 large head celery
- 2 very large leeks
- 4 carrots, two of which were huge
- 1 large bag purple sprouting broccoli
- 1 bag sweet red and orange peppers – mini ones
- 1 bag red skinned potatoes
- 5 large apples
- 6 pears
- 16 firm and juicy clementines
Now, lets get cooking.
Squash Curry Ingredients
For a main meal curry, the ingredients in this recipe are relatively few. What’s more the ones I used were all organic. I rarely manage that.
Cashew Nuts
Cashew nuts are there to add protein and a creamy texture to the sauce. You’ll need to soak them prior to using.
Squash
Crown Prince is one of the best tasting squashes out there and I wanted one for my curry. It has a blue-grey skin and dense orange flesh that tastes both sweet and nutty.
It’s a little tricky to peel as the skin is very hard, but it’s well worth the extra effort.
You can, of course, swap it for a butternut or any other good tasting squash or pumpkin.
Spices
Fresh ginger, garlic and chilli go into the tofu-cashew sauce. This makes prep super easy as the sauce is blended. You don’t even need to peel the ginger. You may want to take the seeds and membranes out of the chilli though, if you don’t like things too hot.
Use whatever type of chilli you prefer, mild, medium or hot.
I’ve used four lots of seeds right at the beginning so they start to build flavour early. However, you can use curry powder instead if that’s all you have.
Other than these spices you’ll only need turmeric, garam masala and black pepper.
Tofu
I use tofu to provide protein and to make a thick creamy sauce. Firm tofu is what you need though, not silken tofu.
Tomatoes
Tinned tomatoes are the ones to go for here. I’ve used ready chopped ones, but you can use whole ones and chop them yourself if you prefer. The key is to use good quality ones with lots of flavour.
How To Make Protein-Rich Squash Curry
This recipe is very straightforward and apart from pre-soaking the cashews and peeling the squash, it’s fairly quick and easy to make. You’ll need a blender to make the protein sauce and a large pan for the curry.
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for cooking temperatures and quantities of ingredients used.
Step 1. Blend Protein Curry Sauce
Start by soaking the cashew nuts. Place in a bowl and cover with water. Set a plate over the top of the bowl to avoid evaporation and leave to soak for as long as you can. Six to eight hours or overnight is ideal, but anything over two hours is okay. If you forget or don’t have time, soak them in hot water for half an hour.
Drain and rinse the cashews, then tip into a blender along with the tofu.
Remove the seeds and membranes from your chilli if you don’t like it overly hot, otherwise add straight to the blender.
Scrub the ginger, but there’s no need to peel it. Add to the blender along with the garlic, salt and water, then blend until smooth. Set aside so that it’s ready when needed.
Step 2. Prepare Squash
I find the easiest way to prepare and peel a Crown Prince squash is by cutting it into wedges, then peeling with a sharp knife. A peeler won’t work as you need to take off any green parts of the outer flesh along with the rind. These parts are tough and not particularly tasty.
Being careful not to cut yourself, halve the squash with a large and strong sharp knife. It can be hard going. Cut each half into three or four wedges, then peel each one. If using a butternut squash, it’s easy to peel with a vegetable peeler and also easy to cut.
Using a metal spoon, scoop out the seeds and any attached membranes from each wedge. They should come out fairly easily.
Cut each peeled and deseeded wedge into bite-sized chunks.
Step 3. Make Squash Curry
Crush the cardamom pods just enough so that they split and the seeds show through. I use a pestle and mortar for this.
Peel the onions, then halve and finely dice each one.
Heat a large shallow lidded pan over a medium-high heat. I use a cast iron casserole. Pour in the oil, then add the spice seeds.
Let them sizzle for thirty seconds, then add the onions. Stir and let them cook for three minutes or until transparent.
Add the salt and garlic, stir again, then add the squash chunks. Fry for ten minutes, giving an occasional stir, so that they cook as evenly as possible.
Add the tinned tomatoes along with any juice. Rinse the tin out with the water and add that too. Place the lid on the pan, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for ten minutes, by which time the squash should be just about tender. Slide a knife into a chunk. It should go in easily, but the flesh should still be firm. Overcook and it will go mushy.
Whilst the tomatoes are cooking roughly chop the coriander, separating the stems from the leaves.
Add the protein sauce along with the remaining spices and coriander stems. Stir, place the lid back on and let it simmer for a further five minutes.
Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, then taste test. If you think it needs more salt, pepper or lemon juice, go for it.
Step 4. Serve and Store Squash Curry
Scatter the coriander leaves over the top and and serve with rice or flatbreads and a spoonful of chutney, if liked.
Any leftover curry keeps in the fridge for a couple of days. And the flavour just improves. Store in a sealed container and reheat in a pan over a medium low heat until hot and bubbling. You may need to add a splash of water to stop it from sticking.
You can also freeze the cooked curry in a freezer-proof container for a month. Thaw in the container with the lid on and heat as above.
Other Squash Recipes You Might Like
- Healthy pumpkin scones – vegan
- Mac n cheese: a healthier pumpkin version
- Savoury bread pudding – vegan
- Squash & butter bean stew
- Squash pizza with walnuts & goat’s cheese
- Stuffed squash
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this protein-rich squash, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or tips for adding protein to vegetarian curries?
Please rate the recipe too. And do tag me @choclette8 on Instagram with your images, I love to see your take on my recipes.
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If you’d like more curry recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Protein-Rich Squash Curry. PIN IT.
Squash Curry: Protein Rich and Creamy
Equipment
Ingredients
Protein Sauce
- 90 g cashew nuts soaked for a few hours
- 280 g firm tofu roughly chopped
- 1 red chilli mild, medium or hot
- 5 cm knob root ginger (2 inch) roughly chopped
- 2 clove garlic peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp sea or rock salt
- 250 ml water
Curry
- 1 Crown Prince squash or similar (flesh weighing roughly 800g to 1 kilo)
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil or other neutral tasting oil
- 1½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1½ tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 4 cardamom pods bashed to split open
- 2 onions peeled and diced
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 1 tsp sea or rock salt
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes good quality ones will give a better flavour
- 100 ml water
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1½ tsp garam masala
- good grinding black pepper
- ½ lemon juiced
- 1 bunch coriander leaves (cilantro) small
Instructions
Protein Sauce
- Drain and rinse the cashews. They’re best soaked for at least six hours, but anything over two hours is okay. If you forget or don’t have time, soak in hot water for half an hour.90 g cashew nuts
- Place in a blender along with the tofu.280 g firm tofu
- Remove the seeds and membranes from your chilli if you don’t like it overly hot, otherwise add straight to the blender.1 red chilli
- Add in the remaining sauce ingredients and blend until smooth. Set aside until needed.5 cm knob root ginger, 2 clove garlic, 1 tsp sea or rock salt, 250 ml water
Curry
- Prepare the squash by cutting it in half with a large and strong sharp knife. Cut each half into three or four wedges, then peel each one with a knife rather than a peeler. Take off any tough green flesh along with the peel.1 Crown Prince squash
- Using a metal spoon, scoop out the seeds and any attached membranes. They should come out fairly easily.
- Cut each wedge into bite-sized chunks of roughly 2 cm (just under an inch) square.
- Heat a large shallow lidded pan over a medium-high heat. Pour in the oil, then add the spice seeds.2 tbsp sunflower oil, 1½ tsp cumin seeds, 1½ tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp fenugreek seeds, 4 cardamom pods
- Let them sizzle for thirty seconds, then add the onions. Stir and let them cook for three minutes or until transparent.2 onions
- Add the salt and garlic, stir again, then add the squash chunks. Fry for ten minutes, giving an occasional stir, so that they cook as evenly as possible.1 clove garlic, 1 tsp sea or rock salt
- Add the tinned tomatoes. Rinse the tin out with the water and add that too. Place the lid on the pan, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for ten minutes, by which time the squash should be tender enough for a knife to slip in easily. You want firm flesh though, not soft or mushy.400 g tinned chopped tomatoes, 100 ml water
- Whilst the tomatoes are cooking roughly chop the coriander, separating the stems from the leaves.1 bunch coriander leaves (cilantro)
- Add the protein sauce along with the remaining spices and coriander stems. Stir, place the lid back on and let it simmer for a further five minutes.1 tsp ground turmeric, 1½ tsp garam masala, good grinding black pepper
- Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, then taste test. If you think it needs more salt, pepper, or lemon juice add it to taste.½ lemon
- Scatter the coriander leaves over the top and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
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