This is a lovely recipe for the autumn & winter squash, and the combining of qualities & textures of toasty coconut & melting curry, balanced spicing, heat & cool. It is quick to prepare & long to cook, deliciously perfect for a busy day at home with the pot on a bubble, scenting the space & the anticipation & those digestive enzymes a-stirring.
The ginger, chilli and garlic add some gently pungency to the mellow, beautifully sweet flavour (the sweet taste is not always ideal for Kapha who do better with bitter, pungent and astringent tastes), but if you feel that you’ve a Kapha imbalance, by all means (and particularly if craved) adjust the spicing for a wee bit more heat.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsps of coconut oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed & chopped
- 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
- 3 tbsps of desiccated coconut
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
- 2 tsp nigella / kalonji seeds
- 1 ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp fenugreek leaf / methi
- Sea / rock salt
- 1 large leek, roughly chopped
- 1 medium sized seasonal squash, roughly cubed
- 1 large tomato / equivalent in smaller toms, roughly chopped
- 680g or 2 cans or cartons of soaked chickpeas, rinsed well
METHOD
2. Add your coconut oil, along with your cumin, fenugreek & nigella seeds & stir until they begin to scent & pop
3. Add your leek & continue to stir as it softens
4. Add your diced squash, along with the garlic & ginger & stir with the leek & spices for 3 mindful minutes
5. Add your chickpeas along with your tomato & ground spices, the coriander, turmeric & chilli powder, & combine well, stir for a further minute
6. Season well with salt & cover with water
7. Bring to a low boil, reduce to a low heat & allow to simmer for an hour & a half, adding a little more water where necessary & stirring occasionally – until the chickpeas are butter soft & yielding & the squash melts into the gravy
8. Press any pieces of squash against the side of the pan with a spoon to combine with the whole
9. Add your methi / fenugreek leaf by teasing between your thumb & forefinger to release the flavour
10. Simmer for a further 10 minutes
11. Serve with fresh basmati rice, chapatis or as part of a various, dancing, sharing thali. (Served here topped with roasted beetroot crisps)