I don’t know about you but I love an ingredient challenge. Like Chopped, but without the stress! At my house, ingredient challenges present themselves in the form of an ingredient that’s about to go bad and no time to go grocery shopping, so I gotta use this thing, plus whatever I already have at home. I’ve made many great meals this way, and this dish is one of them!
Creamy kabocha squash combines with spicy red curry, and it’s all bound together with ground turkey (or ground chicken or pork). Spooned over hot jasmine rice and it’s a fantastic meal that’s simple but loaded with flavour. It’s halfway between a curry and a stir fry, and kind of has the best of both worlds. In the video tutorial (in the recipe card) I talk more about the context that gave rise to this dish and also ways you can modify it with what you have!
Saucy Red Curry with Ground Turkey and Kabocha Squash
Half way between a curry and stir fry,this flavourful dish will work with any kind of ground meat,and feel free to try other vegetables!
IngredientsÂ
Â
- ½cupcoconut milk
- 2-3tablespoonred curry paste,see note 1
- 1teaspoonfermented shrimp paste,optional (see note 2)
- 1 ½Tablespoonspalm sugar,finely chopped,or sub brown sugar
- ½lbground turkey,or sub ground chicken or ground pork
- 12ozkabocha squash,cut in ¼-inch thick pieces (see note 3)
- ¼cupwater,approximately
- Fish sauce,to taste
- 4makrut lime leaves,finely julienned (see note 4)
- Jasmine rice,for serving
Check Out Ingredients and Kitchen Tools I Use
Notes
- Use 2 tablespoon of red curry paste to start if you don't eat very spicy.
- Adding shrimp paste boosts the umami of the dish, but it is optional. I add it even if the curry paste already contains shrimp paste.
- To cut kabocha squash, first trim off any woody blemishes on the skin but there's no need to peel it. Cut it in half,scoop out the seeds,then place the half face down and cut out wedges about 1-inch wide. Slice each wedge into ¼-inch thick pieces.Â
- Instead of makrut lime leaves you can also use Thai basil. Leave the basil whole and stir it in at the end.
FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL
All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post,so make sure you watch the video to ensure success. If you enjoy them,consider subscribing to the YouTube Channel to not miss an episode. Thank you!
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
InstructionsÂ
In a wok,add the coconut milk and bring to a full boil over high heat. Add the curry paste and the shrimp paste,if using,and stir to mix with the coconut milk. Reduce the heat to medium and continue stirring until the mixture is thick,and coconut oil may start to separate from the paste. If the oil doesn’t separate but the mixture is thick,you can move on.
½ cup coconut milk,2-3 tablespoon red curry paste,1 teaspoon fermented shrimp paste
Add the palm sugar and stir to mix,then add the ground turkey and mix well with the curry paste and break up any lumps.
1 ½ Tablespoons palm sugar,½ lb ground turkey
Once the turkey is well mixed,add the kabocha squash pieces and stir to mix. Add just enough of the water so it looks like a very thick stew,but the squash should not be submerged completely.
12 oz kabocha squash,¼ cup water
Cover and let the squash steam for 5-7 minutes,stirring twice in between,until the squash can be pierced through easily with a fork.
Once the squash is cooked,turn off the heat and taste and add more fish sauce as needed. The amount you need will depend on the brand of curry paste you use,how much you used,and whether you added shrimp paste,so it is critical that you taste before adding any more fish sauce. You may need as little as 1 teaspoon or as much as 1 tablespoon.
Fish sauce
Stir in half of the julienned makrut lime leaves,plate,and top with the remaining lime leaves. Serve with jasmine rice and enjoy!
4 makrut lime leaves,Jasmine rice
Nutrition
Calories:236kcalCarbohydrates:17gProtein:21gFat:11gSaturated Fat:8gPolyunsaturated Fat:1gMonounsaturated Fat:1gTrans Fat:0.01gCholesterol:61mgSodium:121mgPotassium:704mgFiber:2gSugar:7gVitamin A:3167IUVitamin C:15mgCalcium:62mgIron:3mg