A recipe for peak cozy season

cashew curry with squash and chickpeas

It’s not yet winter, but the bare trees and plunging temperatures last week say otherwise. 

And so, I begin my winter rituals. I switch my sheets to flannel and add an extra blanket to my bed. I pull out my beloved navy-striped wool slippers, which look like they were enjoyed over the summer by one or two stray moths. (Annoying, but who can blame them?)

In the kitchen, with Thanksgiving already a few days past, I bring soups and stews into heavy rotation. On the weekend, I’m apt to braise some hunk of meat into silky submission. But during the week, I look for dishes that can provide the same kind of warmth in much less time. 

I recently wrote to you about my love of chickpeas — a stalwart of my pantry. 

At first, I chided myself, “I can’t share another chickpea recipe only a month after the last one.” But then I thought, “Why not? I eat them as much as I do chicken.” (Apparently, my favorite sources of protein start with chick.)

This fast chickpea curry relies on a “cheat” for much of its flavor: jarred yellow curry paste. This paste gets its golden color from turmeric and has sweet warming spices like cloves that I love with the squash in this recipe. The yellow paste is also milder than most other Thai curry pastes, which can be good when cooking for children. 

(You can read about the fascinating history behind Thai curries here.)

Instead of the usual coconut milk found in many recipes for Thai curries, I added cashew butter thinned out with water for richness. You’ll sometimes find blended cashews and cashew butter in Indian curries, and I liked the flavor of it here. (Plus, cashew butter gives the dish far less saturated fat than a can of coconut milk would, if that’s a concern). 

If cashew butter isn’t a staple in your house, I’d like to convince you otherwise. I love it in certain soups instead of cream and smeared on pear slices (as an elegant take on apples with peanut butter). You can also use it to make a rich ginger dressing for slaw, add it to mango smoothies, or swirl it into a morning porridge. 

I’m sorry (and also not sorry!) to say that the recipe calls for a few more ingredients than usual, but I’m hoping you have most of them in your pantry.

To create the classic balance of sweet, sour, and umami flavors in the curry, I add a little maple syrup, fresh lime juice, and fish sauce. 

Using pre-cut squash and canned chickpeas helps this recipe come together fast and makes it worthy of your winter weeknight dinner rotation. 

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Cashew Curry with Squash and Chickpeas

Serves 4 to 6

Time: 30 minutes

When developing this recipe, I used the yellow curry paste from Mekhala — a brand made in Thailand that my local health food store sells. If you can’t find it, you could use the more widely available red curry paste. 

Because the curry itself is so substantial, I found you didn’t need to add rice or naan to make it feel satisfying, but you certainly could. 

2 tablespoons neutral oil

1 ½ tablespoons yellow or red curry paste (or more if desired)

20 ounces chopped butternut squash (or a similar-sized container)

Salt

Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained

¼ cup cashew butter

1 lime

4 teaspoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons maple syrup

Chopped cilantro or mint, for serving

Cook the squash and chickpeas

In a deep skillet with a lid or medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat for 20 seconds. Add the curry paste and toast, stirring, until it starts to glaze the bottom of the pan, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the squash and ½ teaspoon salt and stir until it’s coated in the curry paste. 

Add 1 1/2 cups water to the pan, and increase the heat to high until the liquid comes to a simmer. When it simmers, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer the squash for 5 minutes. 

Add the chickpeas to the pan, stir once or twice, and cover. Cook until the squash is just tender, about 10 minutes longer. 

Meanwhile, make the cashew sauce.

Put the cashew butter into a small mixing bowl. Finely grate the lime zest over the cashew butter, then cut the lime in half and add juice from half. Whisk in the fish sauce, maple syrup, and ¼ cup water. 

Finish the curry

Uncover the curry and stir in the cashew sauce. Continue to simmer until the liquid thickens, about 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt and lime juice as desired. Divide among bowls, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve. 

The short version

• Toast the curry paste in the oil, then stir with the squash and ½ teaspoon salt. Add 1 ½ cups water and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the chickpeas. Cook until the squash is tender, about 10 minutes longer. 

• In a bowl, whisk together the cashew butter, lime zest, juice from half the lime, fish sauce, maple syrup, and ¼ cup water. Add to the curry, cook until slightly thickened. Season with more salt and lime and serve. 

Fun for kids

• Whisk together the cashew sauce. 

• Garnish the bowls with cilantro.

Swaps

• Instead of maple syrup, use 2 teaspoons brown or white sugar. 

• Instead of butternut squash, use sweet potatoes (you can peel or not. Cut them into ½ inch pieces). 

• Instead of curry paste, you could use 1 tablespoon mild yellow curry powder. 

• Instead of fish sauce, use soy sauce or coconut aminos (but reduce the maple). (The flavor won’t be the same but these ingredients will add some of the umami depth of flavor).

• Instead of chickpeas, use one package diced tofu.