This is the first things I made for my husband, shortly after we met. I started making it when I cooked my way through Kurma’s Great Vegetarian Dishes. It’s not unusual to add yoghurt to drier Indian dishes but yoghurt with roasted squash tends to bring Ottolenghi to mind. I usually make this using just squash, but you can add potatoes too. You could add some green beans as well as, or instead of the potatoes.
Half a large butternut squash
2 medium potatoes
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 small cinnamon stick
splash of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
plain yoghurt
- Peel and cube the butternut squash. Toss in a tablespoon of oil on a baking tray and roast at 200C for about 30 minutes. (Check them after 20 minutes and poke them with a knife to see if they are soft. It’s nice if they are really soft and bit caramelized in places.) Meanwhile, peel and cube the potatoes before steaming until they are soft, but not falling apart.
- Once the veg is cooked, make your chaunk. Heat a tablespoon of oil over a medium heat. Add the fenugreek seeds – once they darken a bit, add the nigella seeds followed by the coriander, cumin and turmeric and stir until they become fragrant. Gently bash the cardamom pods to open them slightly and add them, the cinnamon stick and the garam masala. Take the pot off the heat and add the veg, a few tablespoons of yoghurt, a dash of lemon juice and the salt, making sure to stir to mix everything through.
Cake By Deva 