Winter is officially here to stay!
This cold season has really shown us dust and the colder it gets the more I crave hearty foods like butternut squash stew, broths and maybe a cheeky glass of wine. Butternut squash is key staple ingredient in my kitchen for my curries, soups, stews as well as baked goods. Inexpensive to make this butternut squash stew can be enjoyed with rice, chapati or on its own. Lucky for us in Nairobi it’s available all year round so come rain or shine you’ll be able to get some.
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut Squash
- 4 Carrots
- 1 Can Black Beans ( I used pre-boiled black butter beans)
- 1 White Onion
- 1 Tsp Ginger & Garlic Paste
- 1 Tsp Coriander powder
- 1/2 Tsp Cumin powder
- 1 Tsp Paprika
- 1/2 Tsp Chilli Powder
- Fresh Herbs – Rosemary & Dhania
- Salt and pepper to season
Method
- Prep and chop the carrots, butternut and onion. Heat oil in a large pan on a med/high heat then add in the carrots. Cook the carrots for 3-5mins or until lightly charred around the edges. The charring process releases the natural sugars from the vegetables which gives the stew a light smokey aroma adding to the depth in taste. Add the butternut squash and continue to cook for a further 1 min covered with a lid. Add in the white onion, paprika, cumin, and chilli powder and toss until everything is combined cook for another 2 mins covered before adding water.
- At this point your house should smell wonderful and if anyone’s around, they’re bound to get drawn in by the beautiful aroma. If you like a thicker stew add 1 tbsp of flour right after the spices and toss.
- Next add enough cold water to cover the vegetables and let it simmer for 5 mins. In the meantime chop some fresh dahnia but leave the rosemary on the stem. Finally add in the beans, herbs, salt and black pepper and simmer gently for a further 10 mins on low/med heat stirring occasionally.
- Serve the stew with some fresh fluffy rice, bread or chapatti. If you’re a chilli lightweight have some natural yoghurt on the side to cool things down. Though with this kind of weather I doubt you’ll want to cool things down.
Enjoy!
Tip: Use a non stick pan or heavy pot. Pick out the rosemary once the stew is ready.
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Remember if you do give this recipe a go be sure to leave me a comment & rating to tell me what you think. Don’t forget to tag me on my socials @dinewithjemutai using the #DinewithJemutai so I can see your creations and share it with the online community. Enjoy!
