Chickpea Butternut Korma

A super simple vegetarian dish, powerfully delicious and nutritious. You could substitute other beans or tofu for the chickpeas, and other greens like spinach for the kale. Don't be put off by the complexity of the spice mix - you could just use your favorite curry powder.

Lots of Indian dishes are enriched with ground cashews. Using cashew (or other nut) butter is so much easier.

1 onion, diced

2 Tbsp ghee or butter

1 red Fresno chili (or jalapeño), diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 tsp Panchpuran Bengali 5-seed mix (see note)

Curry masala mix (see note):

1/2 tsp powdered turmeric

1/2 tsp powdered fenugreek

1/2 tsp powdered coriander

1/2 tsp powdered cardamom

1 tsp red mild Kashmiri chili powder

1 can coconut cream (I used Trader Joe’s)

2 Tbsp cashew (or almond) butter

1 can chickpeas, lightly drained

2 cups butternut squash, cubed about 1/2-inch

2 cups fresh kale, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

Sauté the onion in a medium pot in the ghee or butter until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chili pepper, garlic, ginger and panchpuran and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the curry masala and stir for about another minute.

Add the coconut cream and the cashew butter and stir to mix and heat. Add the chick peas, butternut squash and kale. Season with salt. Bring to a gentle boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook about 15 minutes, stirring often, to meld flavors.

Serve over rice, with limes if desired.

Serves 4.

Cook’s note: Panchpuran is a mix of 5 seeds often used in Indian cooking. You can find it at Indian grocers. If you do not have any, you could get by with cumin seeds, but you should probably cut the amount in half. Though it won’t be as deeply flavored, it will still be wonderful.

If you do not have all the powdered spices for the curry masala, you can substitute a tablespoon (or to taste) of your favorite curry powder.

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