Beef, squash and plantain curry
Fried plantain add a lovely hint of sweetness to this easy beef curry, which uses beef mice to keep the costs and cooking time low. Mike likes to serve it with turmeric rice (see the recipe tip), but plain basmati rice is also good.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 400g/14oz butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cut into 2cm/¾in chunks
- 1 brown onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 20g/¾oz chunk fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 400g/14oz lean beef mince
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½–1 tsp dried flaked chillies (optional)
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp sumac
- 400ml/14fl oz tin coconut milk
- 10g/â…“oz bunch fresh coriander, leaves roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish
- ½ lime, juice only
For the plantain
- 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 ripe plantain (or 2 large bananas)
To serve
Method
To make the curry, heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan or sauté pan and fry the squash and onion for 3–4 minutes, stirring regularly until beginning to soften and brown.
Add the garlic, ginger, beef mince and all the spices. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mince is coloured all over.
Add the coconut milk and 200ml/7fl oz water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the curry is thick and creamy. Stir in the chopped coriander and the lime juice.
While the curry is cooking, fry the plantain. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Peel and cut the plantain into 1cm/½ in diagonal slices. Fry the plantain for 1–2 minutes on each side or until golden-brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
Spoon the curry onto freshly cooked rice (see Recipe Tip) and top with the fried plantain and chopped coriander. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing.
Recipe Tips
To make turmeric rice, boil basmati rice with a little ground turmeric and a few cloves until tender.
