Nadia Lim: Pumpkin and Carrot Butter Chicken

Here’s my (much healthier and delicious) take on the takeaway favourite. It’s got the same lovely creamy, mildly spiced, tomato flavour, but is packed with veges and has much less fat and sugar. Adding grated vegetables to curry is a great way to get everyone eating more vegetables, and the pumpkin and carrot add a subtle natural sweetness to this mild curry.

Serves 4
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
DF (use coconut cream + yoghurt) | GF

600–700g chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp each garam masala, ground cumin, smoked paprika
1 tsp each ground coriander and ground turmeric
¼–½ tsp ground chilli (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
zest of half a lemon
1 tsp salt
A good drizzle of cooking oil
1½–2 cups butternut pumpkin, grated
1 carrot, grated
400g can crushed tomatoes
2–3 Tbsp tomato paste
½–⅔ cup cream (or coconut cream)
Salt and pepper
3 Tbsp natural unsweetened yoghurt (dairy or coconut)

TO SERVE
¼ cup natural unsweetened yoghurt (dairy or coconut)
¼ cup coriander, chopped

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels then cut into 2–3cm cubes. Combine with onion, spices, garlic, ginger, lemon zest and salt.

2. Heat a good drizzle of oil in a large fry pan on medium heat. Add chicken, onion and spices, and cook for about 10–12 minutes or until starting to brown (the chicken doesn’t have to be cooked through yet). If at any time the chicken and spices are catching on the bottom of the pan and burning, add a few tablespoons of water and stir.

3. Stir in grated pumpkin, carrot, tomatoes, tomato paste and cream. Simmer for 5–10 minutes or until sauce is reduced slightly and chicken is cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Remove from heat and stir through yoghurt.

5. Garnish with more yoghurt and coriander. Serve with rice and Cucumber Mint Salad or Coconut Green Beans (both recipes in Let’s Eat) as a shared meal.

Energy 1464kj / 350kcal      Carbs 14.1g    Protein 35.9g    Fat 15.9g    Sat Fat 8.9g    Sugars 11.5g

Edited extract from Let’s Eat, written and published by Nadia Lim, RRP$49.99, nadialim.com