Roasted Squash With Peanut Coconut Sauce

There is enormous pleasure and satisfaction trying out something completely different in a restaurant, loving it, and then coming home and reverse engineering it!

This is that kind of recipe. We were at GupShup, an Indian restaurant in New York. The chef had just added three vegetarian recipes and two happened to be Jain (no garlic, onions, or potatoes). One of them was roasted squash in a spicy sauce. We did not know what to expect but trusted the waiter. And it was yummy, spicy yummy!

I think the restaurant used acorn squash judging by the skin. I have a hard time slicing squash as my hands cannot handle it. Trader Joe’s has added sliced delicata squash to its fresh produce section—for now anyway. So I brought home a 20 oz package. Its skin is on. Other squashes should work well too.

The sauce had no tomatoes, and we know it had no onion or garlic. It was brown in color and fragrantly flavorful with fresh, bright spices. Searching the Internet, it seemed plausible that the chef had leaned into a Maharashtrian amti recipe used during Hindu fasting—a sauce made with peanuts and shredded coconut. I looked at a few recipes and came up with what might work best for us. A lot of unnecessary busyness was also eliminated, saving time and reducing the clean-up.

And it worked! It is like pottery—the inevitable flops make the good piece very worthwhile.

Having made it twice for us, it seemed ready for company. And when our cousins wanted the recipe, saying it was absolutely delicious, it was ready for a blog post. It is definitely worthy of a place at a Jain feast—something fresh and different.

I also happened to have all the spices in my pantry so it was easy to put together. It is a simple recipe: roast the squash, and while it is roasting, make the sauce. The two come together in about the same time. The squash and the sauce can also be made 3-4 days ahead but kept separate. Then just reheat the squash, thin out the sauce with some water as it will get much thicker as it sits, then pour the sauce over the squash when serving.

It is an earthy dish packed with protein from peanuts.

Pairing

• Serve with naan, paratha.
• Brown rice, quinoa, faro, millet.
• Mushroom and pine nut pulao, or any pulao. At some point, I will post a recipe of wild mushroom and pine nut brown rice pulao that I served with this dish.

Ingredients

For the squash:

• 20 oz package of sliced delicata squash from Trader Joe’s or any mix of squash (butternut, acorn, or delicata, sliced about half inch thick after removing seeds and strings, but with the skin on)
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red Thai curry paste (we like Maesri), optional. Freeze or refrigerate the rest for another use.
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk, optional (we like Chao Koh). You can use the rest for another dish such as the sweet potato/lentil/pumpkin soup or freeze for another use later.
• Pinch of kosher salt

For the amti sauce:

• 1 cup roasted peanuts (dry with no additives, or roasted with oil and salt)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unhulled sesame seeds (optional)
• 1/4 heaping teaspoon regular cumin seeds
• 1/4 heaping teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• 2 whole cloves
• 3 whole black peppercorns
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed pieces of flat cinnamon bark
• 1/4 desiccated/dry unsweetened grated coconut
• 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon minced green chili of your choice (finger chili, Serrano, jalapeño)
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice or to taste
• 2 teaspoons grated jaggery or 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Method

For the squash:

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Stir together the oil, red curry paste if using, coconut milk, and salt. The toss the squash in the mixture to coat it thoroughly.
3. Spread the squash in a single layer on the cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the squash over in the middle and turning the sheet around. Bake till the squash is easily pierced with a knife tip and there are little brown spots. Ovens vary so check to make sure the squash does not burn.
4. Remove from the oven and place in serving dish or cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

For the amti sauce:

1. While the squash is cooking, spread the peanuts and sesame seeds in a single layer on a microwave-proof plate. Toast for a minute on high power and transfer to a blender jar. A powerful blender is very helpful.
2. On the same plate, toast the spices for 30 seconds till they release their aroma. I toast for another 30 seconds as microwaves vary and we want the spices to be well toasted but not burnt. Then dump the spices in the blender jar.
3. Throw in the rest of the ingredients and pulse several times to crush the peanuts as finely as possible. Stir the mixture between pulsing.
4. Add 3 cups of water and blend till the mixture is completely smooth—time will vary depending on the blender.
5. Pour the mixture into a heavy bottomed pot and bring it to a boil, stirring frequently on medium to medium low heat to prevent sticking and burning at the bottom. Then simmer gently for another 7-10 minutes. The sauce will thicken. I like the consistency of heavy whipping cream and as it sits it will get much thicker (if you intend to use it later as it can be refrigerated for 4-5 days). Taste for seasoning, tartness, and sweetness and adjust as needed.

Pour the sauce over the hot, roasted squash as they both cook at around the same time (or you can reheat the squash). Serve hot.

Both the squash and the sauce can be prepared ahead of time (2-3 days before) and be heated before serving.

Serves 4-6 depending on what it is being served with.

The sauce, which is reminiscent of satay sauce, can be used with other vegetables, like eggplant, mushrooms, crispy tender zucchini, sweet potatoes, and peppers.