Steamed Rice with Red Curry Coconut Squash

Steamed Rice with Red Curry Coconut Squash, spicy, flavorful and hearty. Our contribution to this month’s feature for the amazing group #CDNFoodCreatives “Healthy Weeknight Dinners”. 

Steamed Rice with Red Curry Coconut Squash, featuring a host of flavors that will tantalize your taste buds, and visually and aromatically have you wanting to dive right in.

It seems this year has been a great year for squash. At the farmer’s markets and organic marketplaces, all types of squash are gracing the stands. As you are well aware of by now Nicoletta and I love farmers market and try to hit various ones throughout our city. One of our favorites is The Old Strathcona Market located in a historical area known as Strathcona. Housed in an old bus barn, with lots of windows and doors to bring in the sunshine making it truly a natural organic experience. It offers many sounds, sights, and of course passionately created unique products and wonderful produce. While at Riverbend Gardens we were ogling the squashes and asking questions about texture and taste. We were sold on the idea of creating something with a Hubbard squash. A bit horrific at first glance, but rest assured the people at Riverbend Gardens sold us on the taste.

I had thoughts right away to create something Asian with this squash, in particular, a Thai dish. One of my favorite Thai dishes is red curry coconut. I love the slight heat and the sweetness of the coconut, add in basil and there you have it. So no surprise that I decide to make a wonderful steamed rice blessed with that richness of the red curry coconut squash.

It has been a stressful time trying to balance life with family illnesses, a full time job, family life etc, as far as the blog it is a passion and I gracefully get up to write and try to create a great post. To tell you the truth Nicoletta works diligently and ever so hard every day on our blog and she does such a wonderful job don’t you think? I think food is such a great way to sooth sorrows, but of course moderation always the law in that department, as we all know if moderation is not respected the weight comes in hard. Well, I am not going to drown you in my sorrows, instead, we are going to go on adventure and have some fun to create this wonderful Steamed Rice with Red Curry Coconut Squash! After all, we don’t want to put sorrow energy into this dish just pure sunshine and Nicoletta and I always manage to make some in the kitchen while cooking together.

Steamed Rice with Red Curry Coconut Squash, truly an ethnic experience!

I like to be really organized in the kitchen, have all the ingredients ready. It makes it more enjoyable for me, no different than Nicoletta when she bakes. No stress, and time to put some real good energy into the mix. Especially with dishes like this. All the prep was done by my lovely wife, and a little of me in the mix especially the squash. It has such a hard shell but the flesh inside when cooked is luxurious and a great compliment to the Thai spice array. Onions, squash potatoes, spices, utensils are all ready to go and I am excited to get this going!

I love the way onions smell when they’re sauteing, that sweet pungent aroma always makes anyone come into the kitchen to see what’s cooking. In goes the squash, potatoes, peppers and the colors are coming to life. The smell is amazing but wait, here comes the red curry paste and the heat begins to rise. This is the time to add in the stock and everything begins to mingle. I used a flavored sea salt, roasted garlic, to bring out the flavors, then in goes bay leaves and another level is hit. I use bay leaf a lot, especially in sauces and soups. It has that bite and floral aroma that just enhances dishes so well. Of course, a little crushed black pepper is needed to seal the deal. The final stage and in goes coconut milk to soothe that spice and to liven the sauce beautifully and on a low simmer it goes. While that cooks the rice is next on the list. There is something about steamed rice that nutty aroma, silk texture, slight crunch and the way it just compliments so many flavors. I say it is the blank canvas for any recipe to be created and one that will be the canvas and foundation of this Steamed Rice with Red Curry Coconut Squash. Rice to me is simple or maybe the way I make it. One portion of rice to 2 parts water, a little sesame oil for seasoning, some sugar and salt, a little time from boil to simmer then steam, and a successful steamed rice is complete and ready for the wonderful  reddish golden hue that is coming from the saute pan. With rice in serving dish and a generous portion of the red curry coconut squash mixture on top, a nice placement of fresh basil and we are ready to dine!

Bell tolls and everyone to the table.

The taste is amazing. The spice of the red curry smoky, fragrant, the basil coming through in the sauce and the nutty sweetness of the coconut milk just making the flavors sing in your mouth. The bay leaf leaving its peppery herbal mark on the sauce as well. The peppers add such a beautiful array of color and the potatoes and squash a velvety smooth soft incline into heaven. Now the steamed rice slight crunch, nutty and every grain absorbing the red curry coconut. Varying textures, levels of spice takes you on a journey to Thailand, exotic, majestic and somewhat mysterious this dish Steamed Rice with Red Curry Coconut Squash transports you on a magical ethnic flavorful ride!

I dedicate this recipe to my beautiful wife, whom I have always found to be exotic, and transporting.

Song of the day: “Fresh Eyes” by Andy Grammer.

Steamed Rice with Red Curry Coconut Squash

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

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Ingredients

Squash and sauce:

• 1 large green Hubbard squash, washed peeled and diced
• 1 medium purple onion chopped into slivers
• 1 small red pepper slivered
• 1 orange pepper slivered
• 1 green pepper slivered
• 4 small red potatoes washed and diced with peel on
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tbsp ginger slivered
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp grated lemon grass
• 2 tsp red curry paste
• 1 tsp basil paste
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 3/4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp roasted garlic sea salt
• 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• pinch of sugar

Rice:

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pinch of white granulated sugar

Garnish:

• 6 fresh basil leaves

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Instructions

Red Curry Coconut Squash:

1. In a large saute pan drizzle in sesame oil and canola oil.
2. Toss in onions and pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper.
3. Add a few drops of vegetable stock and let steam for a minute till onions are soft.
4. Toss in diced squash, diced potatoes, slivered red, orange, green peppers and saute for about 5 minutes on med to high heat.
5. Season with the rest of the roasted garlic sea salt and cracked black pepper.
6. Blend in red curry paste.
7. Pour in vegetable stock, and throw in basil paste and stir.
8. Finally pour in coconut milk and stir well.
9. Turn heat to a low simmer and cook for about 20 minutes till squash and potatoes are fork tender.

Rice:

1. While squash and red curry sauce is cooking.
2. In a medium sauce pan combine basmati rice, water, sesame oil, salt and sugar.
3. Bring to a boil stirring constantly to prevent rice from sticking to bottom of pan.
4. Turn heat to a low simmer and cook rice for about 15 minutes covered while still stirring frequently.
5. Turn off heat, cover and let steam for about 5 minutes.

Garnish:

1. Place a a nice scoop of rice onto a plate.
2. With a large spoon get some of the red curry squash mixture and place on top.
3. Place a couple of fresh basil leaves on top.
4. Ready to serve.
5. Enjoy!

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Notes

Be careful cutting squash, this type of squash is very hard. First pierce the knife into the squash and work it down till squash is in halves. Then from there cut into wedges with squash flesh side down and eventually peeled and diced.

Disclosure: All links in our post are NOT affiliate links. They are only about products or places we normally purchase and like.  

Check out the rest of the amazing#CDNFoodCreatives recipe ideas on “Healthy Weeknight Dinners” and thanks to Melanie at The Refreshanista to put this together:

• Roasted Tomato Pasta Dinner by A Pretty Life Blog
• Apple and Acorn Squash Soup by I Say Nomato
• Mexican Ground Beef Zucchini Skillet by 365 Days of Easy Recipes
• One Pot Chicken, Barley and Veg by My Kitchen Love
• Parmesan Polenta with Poached Egg and Spinach by Un Assaggio of Food, Wine & Marriage
• Chicken and Chickpea Stew by Imagelicious
• Lentil Tacos by Cocoa Bean,The Vegetable
• Lighter Mac n Cheese by Fuchsia Freezer
• One Pan Baked Salmon and Roasted Veggies by She Bakes Here
• Steamed Rice with Red Curry Coconut Squash by Sugar Love Spices
• Citrus + Soy Shrimp Lettuce Cups by Killing Thyme
• Tofu Fajitas with Guacamole Crema by The Refreshanista

Disclosure: All links in our post are NOT affiliate links. They are only about products, places, or blogs we normally purchase or like.