Butternut squash curry with garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

I am a curry freak, but don’t always want a meat curry. This is such a fabulous vegetarian alternative that you will cook many times.

Serves 4
1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
2 tbsp Thai yellow curry paste     (I buy this brand on Amazon.com and it lasts for months in the fridge. Actually, I have a red, green and yellow curry from the same brand.)  You can also use 3 tbsp of the curry paste if you like really spicy. It’s worth playing around with it.

2 onions, finely chopped
3 large stalks lemongrass, bashed with the back of a knife
6 green cardamon pods
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 piece of butternut squash,peeled and cubed in 3/4″ inch pieces, weighing about 2lbs
8 fluid ounces vegetable or chicken stock
15 fl oz can coconut milk
15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 large limes
A large handful fresh mint
naan bread or steamed rice , to serve

Heat the oil in a saute pan, then gently fry the curry paste with the onions, lemongrass, cardamon pods and mustard seeds for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant.
Stir in the butternut squash and coat in the paste, then pour in the stock and coconut milk.
Bring everything to a simmer, add the chick peas, then cook for about 10 minutes or until the squash is tender.
The curry can now be cooled and frozen for up to 1 month.
Squeeze the juice of one lime into the curry, then cut the other lime into wedges to serve alongside.
Just before serving, tear the mint leaves up, then bring to the table with the lime wedges and rice or warmed naan breads.