Tim Shieff Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Chickpea Curry

Source video by Jamie Oliver on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

A whole butternut squash is cubed and tossed with walnut oil, cumin, coriander, crushed chillies, Madras curry powder, salt and pepper, then roasted hot to caramelise the edges and toast the spices. Meanwhile, a base of red onion, ginger, fresh chilli, garlic and coriander stalks softens in oil with another hit of curry powder, then meets diced tomatoes and chickpeas in the slow cooker for a low simmer. The roasted squash goes in for the last stretch so it keeps its shape, and the curry is served over turmeric rice scattered with the reserved coriander leaves.

Ingredients

• 1 wholebutternut squash, seeds removed, cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes (skin on)
• walnut oil, drizzled to coat
• 2 tspground cumin
• 2 tspground coriander
• 1 tspcrushed chillies
• 2 tspMadras curry powder
• fine salt
• freshly ground black pepper

• 1 onionred onion, sliced
• fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about a thumb's worth)
• 1 chillifresh chilli, seeds removed for milder, left in for spicier
• 2 clovesgarlic cloves, finely sliced
• fresh coriander stalks, finely chopped, leaves reserved for serving
• 2 tspMadras curry powder
• cooking oil, to soften the base
• 6 tomatoestomatoes, diced
• chickpeas, drained
• boiling water or vegetable stock, added if the base looks dry

• rice, cooked (add late)
• 0.5 tspground turmeric, stirred into the rice (add late)
• fresh coriander leaves, the reserved leaves from earlier (add late)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190C. Cube the butternut squash and toss in a roasting tray with the walnut oil, cumin, coriander, crushed chillies, Madras curry powder, salt and pepper until evenly coated.

   ~8 min

2. Roast for 40 minutes until tender and caught at the edges. Set aside.

   ~40 min

3. While the squash roasts, sweat the red onion, ginger, chilli, garlic and coriander stalks in a pan with oil on a medium-low heat until soft and caramelising.

   ~10 min

4. Stir in the second 2 tsp of Madras curry powder and let it bloom for a minute.

   ~1 min

5. Tip the softened base into the slow cooker. Add the diced tomatoes and drained chickpeas.

   ~2 min

6. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or on high for 2.5 to 3 hours, splashing in boiling water or stock if it looks dry.

   ~300 min

7. Stir the roasted butternut squash through and continue on low for 30 minutes so the squash warms through but holds its shape.

   ~30 min

8. Cook the rice with the half teaspoon of turmeric for the yellow colour. Serve the curry over the rice with the reserved coriander leaves on top.

   ~15 min

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