In case you didn’t already know, I am in love with Indian curries, so in love that I think Paneer Butter Masala with naan is my favorite food in the entire world. I could eat it everyday forever. Paneer is a rich, Indian cheese that you cut into cubes and mix into delicious curries. It looks like tofu but the taste and texture are completely different.
Paneer is soft, crumbly, rich and melts in your mouth. It is seriously heavenly, and shockingly easy to make at home requiring only 2 ingredients (that’ll make it on the blog one day). If you’ve never tried paneer, do yourself a favor and head on over to an Indian restaurant and give it a shot. (If you’re in Kansas City, go to Kulture Kurry! SO. GOOD.)
Okay, I digress, moving on to this recipe. This is a tomato-based curry I developed using four of the spices used most commonly in Indian cooking, cumin, coriander, chili powder and turmeric, along with the classic aromatics, onions, garlic, and ginger. The result is an incredibly rich and flavorful sauce that could really be paired with anything. As it’s nearing the end of summer, I chose zucchini and yellow squash so we can take full advantage of all that beautiful summer squash at the markets.
While the squash and cauliflower roast away, we start the curry by sautéing the aromatics until the onions are caramelized. Next we add the spices and fry those for a couple minutes before adding the tomatoes and salt and then simmering the curry until it reduces to a thick stew-like consistency. Serve the curry with chickpeas and rice (or naan!). Since the recipe makes 6 servings, we had it for dinner and then packed up the rest for lunches for the next few days.
If you’ve never made a curry before, I promise it isn’t that hard. It’s similar to making a soup. I chose to roast the vegetables instead of cooking them in the sauce because roasting them really intensifies the flavor, making the curry that much more delicious. The edges of the squash get crispy and caramelized so they almost taste like candy. This meal is bursting with flavor, very filling, and super healthy.
This Indian curry is bursting with flavor! Summer squash and cauliflower are roasted to crispy, caramelized perfection and topped with a thick, savory, tomato-based curry sauce and served with brown rice and chickpeas, delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice
- 3 3/4 cups water
- 1 medium cauliflower, chopped into bite-size florets
- 3 lb zucchini and yellow squash, chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 tsp each cumin, coriander and chili powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cups of chickpeas (2 14.5-oz cans)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Add the brown rice and water to a rice cooker and cook on the brown rice setting.
- 2. Put the cauliflower on one baking sheet and the squash on another. Spread into an even layer, drizzle with oil, salt and pepper and toss until evenly coated. Add to the oven with the cauliflower on the bottom rack and the squash on the top rack. Cook for 45 minutes, remove the cauliflower, move the squash to the bottom rack, let cook for 15 more minutes, and remove from the oven.
- 3. While the vegetables roast, make the curry. Heat a large, deep skillet on medium-high heat and add a Tbsp of oil. When the oil is hot, add onions and cook until onions have browned, 8-10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes.
- 4. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a couple more minutes. Then add the spices and fry for one more minute. Then, add the tomatoes and salt, stir, bring to a boil, reduce to medium heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- 5. To serve, start with a bed of brown rice, then add a generous helping of roasted vegetables and a handful of chickpeas, and top with lots of curry sauce! YUM.
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