Salmon and Butternut Squash Curry with Turmeric and Curry Leaves

Serves: 4 - Time:

Salmon and Butternut Squash Curry with Turmeric and Curry Leaves
Salmon and Butternut Squash Curry with Turmeric and Curry Leaves Salmon and Butternut Squash Curry with Turmeric and Curry Leaves

Turmeric is generally used as a background flavour in most dishes but a mild obsession with Foraging Fox Spiced Turmeric mayonnaise got me thinking about making the spice the hero. Having said that, the golden spice should still be used with restraint as too much can be almost unpleasant. If you don’t know amchoor I urge you to buy a pot (Waitrose stock it –or you will find it in any Asian supermarket). Amchoor is ground dried unripe green mangoes and, as you might expect, gives food a deliciously subtle fruity sourness. If you can’t find amchoor you could use 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice instead. You could also substitute raw peeled prawns for the salmon, cooking them for about the same amount of time as the fish-until coral pink.

Ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash, about 900g, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1cm cubes
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 20 fresh curry leaves
  • 3 banana shallots, peeled and finely chopped
  • 35g fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • ½ teaspoon amchoor powder
  • ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
  • 400ml tin coconut milk
  • 150ml fish stock
  • 500g skinned salmon fillet, cut into 2cm cubes
  • To serve fresh coriander and crispy fried onions (optional) 
Salmon and Butternut Squash Curry with Turmeric and Curry Leaves

Method

  1. Heat the oven to fan 180°c, mark 6. Line a large roasting tin with baking parchment and pour in two tablespoons of the oil. Add the cubes of butternut and toss well to coat with the oil, Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes until golden and soft, turning the pieces over halfway through cooking.
  2. Meanwhile prepare the curry, heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole and fry the curry leaves for one minute. Add the shallots, ginger and garlic and continue to cook over a low heat for ten  minutes, stirring often to stop the vegetables catching.
  3. Add the chilli, turmeric, paprika, amchoor and chilli powder and cook for one minute. Pour in the coconut milk and fish stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in the roasted butternut squash and salmon and cook for about 5 minutes until the fish is opaque and just cooked through. Season with salt and ground black pepper.  Garnish with fresh coriander and crispy fried onions.
Salmon and Butternut Squash Curry with Turmeric and Curry Leaves