I discovered Delicata Squash a few years ago and have been in culinary love with it ever since. Delicata squash is bright yellow in color, oblong in shape and has green & sometimes even, orange stripes running through it vertically. It’s very easy to clean, cut, cook & best of all, it requires no peeling! It’s also sweet, buttery & absolutely delicious. If you have never tried delicata squash, you must! However, it is seasonal & usually available only during the fall & winter months. Delicata squash is an excellent source of Vitamins A, B and C. It is also a good source of dietary fiber & beta-carotene.

I usually tend to roast Delicata squash with a few warm spices & a handful of nuts (like cashews, almonds, pecans, walnuts or pine nuts). Although it is absolutely delicious when roasted, this time decided to try a new recipe & it was an instant hit: Curried Rice with Delicata Squash & Shrimp. It was quick & easy enough to make on a weeknight with a little planning ☺.

I use my own homemade curry powder for this recipe, but do feel free to use whatever you happen to have on hand. You can also add your favorite vegetables, meats, fish, and seafood or just keep it vegetarian by adding some canned chickpeas. Really, anything goes!


CURRIED RICE WITH DELICATA SQUASH & SHRIMP

Ingredients:

1½ cups Basmati rice (or any variety of long grained rice)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1” piece of ginger, peeled & freshly grated
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2-3 small green Thai chilies, finely minced (to taste)
2 bay leaves
½-1 tbsp curry powder, to taste
½ tsp red chili powder, to taste
pinch of smoked Spanish paprika
salt & pepper, to taste
1 Delicata squash, cubed into even pieces (inner seeds/fiber removed)
½ lb large shrimp, peeled & deveined with the tail on
½ cup green peas, (frozen is fine, thaw before use)
2 tbsp oil (vegetable, canola or olive)
juice of ½ lime
¼ cup toasted unsalted cashew pieces (you can use almonds, pecans, pine nuts…)
freshly chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

METHOD:

Soak the rice in enough water to cover for at least 30 minutes, drain & rinse until the water runs clear. Drain well & set aside until needed.

In a large deep pot on medium high heat, add the oil. When hot, add the onions & sauté until just translucent. Next, add the ginger, garlic, green chilies & the bay leaves. Stir until fragrant & then add in the spices (curry powder, red chili powder, paprika, salt & pepper). Let cook for just a minute or so & add in the Delicata squash pieces. Mix well to combine, cover & let the squash cook for about 8-10 minutes before adding the rice. Stir well to coat the rice grains with all the spices. Next, add in shrimp & green peas along with 3 cups of water & bring to a gentle boil. Now reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook for 25-30 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Lastly, finish the dish by adding in the lime juice & garnishing with the cashew pieces & cilantro leaves. Serve hot & enjoy!


VARIATIONS:

Feel free to add your favorite vegetables, chicken, fish, seafood, chickpeas, paneer cubes or even tofu – just note that cooking times will vary accordingly.

Instead of cilantro leaves, feel free to add scallions (green onion or spring onion), mint leaves, basil leaves or chives.

Instead of adding curry powder, feel free to make this recipe using your favorite variety of curry powder or even Thai curry pastes such as green, red, yellow, Panang or Massaman curry pastes.



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