Butternut Squash & Lentil Coconut Curry / Curried Tilapia with Mango Salsa

Butternut Squash, a winter squash which is in abundance and often very inexpensive this time of year, is a staple for fall menus. It is an excellent source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, vitamin A and potassium.

The problem is that it’s often just served rather plainly as a pureed soup or mashed with pine nuts sprinkled over top. After awhile, one can only take so much of the same squashy flavor over and over again — which is why I set out to find something a little different!

These recipes went well together. They are adapted from ones found as allrecipes.com. I like the “ingredient search” for when I have random ingredients on hand and am curious what I can make from them.

Lentils, an ingredient in the recipe below, have many health benefits, too. The squash and lentils lend a delicately sweet, earthy flavor to this recipe while the curry, cayenne pepper and exotic coconut undertones made for a complex mouthwatering dish.

Butternut Squash & Lentil Coconut Curry

1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup dry lentils
1 cup butternut squash – peeled, seeded, and cubed
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 cups water
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
6 cups Cooked Basmati rice

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook the onion, ginger, garlic,until onion is tender.
2. Mix the lentils, squash into the pot. Stir in the water, coconut milk, and tomato paste. Season with curry powder, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes, or until lentils and squash are tender. Stir in fresh cilantro just before serving. Serve over Basmati rice.

The fish was good by itself, but was delicious served with this salsa. The cilantro perfectly balanced the sweetness of the mangoes, the spice of the cayenne, the pungency of the red onions and the bitterness of the lime:

Curried Tilapia with Mango Salsa

1 mango – peeled and diced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (2 tablespoons for rub; 2 tablespoons for salsa)
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon garlic pepper seasoning
4 fresh tilapia fillets

DIRECTIONS

1. For the mango salsa, combine the mango, red onion, cayenne pepper, cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice and salt in a glass bowl. Set aside.
2. For the tilapia rub, mix together 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoons lime juice, curry powder and garlic pepper in a small bowl. Rub this mixture onto both sides of the fish fillets.
3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the fish for about 3 minutes on each side or until it flakes easily with a fork.
4. Serve with the mango salsa.

I served the dinner with plain yogurt (to mix in with the curry to lessen the spice for the children) pre-packaged Naan. For dessert, Rasgulla(also pre-made – I just had to add the sweetened milk) sprinkled with chopped pistachios. Dessert would have been even tastier with Chai Tea – maybe next time!