Ingredients

• 4 dried hot red chillies (¾-1¼cm/2-3in)
• seeded and cut in pieces and soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
• drained
• 6 spring onions
• roughly chopped
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• outer leaves discarded
• chopped (lemon juice could be used instead)
• 1½ tbsp peanut oil
• extra if required
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp paprika
• 290ml/½ pint of canned unsweetened coconut milk
• well stirred
• 150ml/¼ pint hot vegetable stock or water
• 750g/1½lb butternut squash
• peeled
• seeded and cut into 5cm/2in chunks
• 2 green cardamom pods
• crushed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 red pepper
• seeded and julienned
• salt to taste
• 1½ tbsp soy sauce
• 1½ tsp light brown sugar
• 1½ tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves

Directions

• Grind the chillies
• spring onions
• garlic and lemongrass to a paste in a processor
• adding a little oil if necessary. Heat 1½ tbsp oil in a heavy saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the chilli paste and cook
• stirring until it is fragrant and no longer tastes raw.
• Add the coriander
• turmeric
• and paprika and stir for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk and simmer
• stirring for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the stock and bring to a simmer.
• Reduce the heat to low and add the butternut squash
• red pepper
• cardamom
• cinnamon stick and salt to taste. Simmer
• partially covered until the butternut squash is tender and the sauce is reduced
• about 20-25 minutes.
• Stir in the soy sauce
• sugar and lemon juice and simmer for another 2 minutes. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.
• This is quite a wet stew. It can be thickened with cornflour paste if required. Serve with plain rice.