Butternut Squash Butter Masala

There are some vegetables that I do not use a lot in different dishes. Butternut squash is one such vegetable. Most often I make a side dish out of it called Kadagu Puli, but the soup that I made recently with it was a very successful dish too. I have tried this in a pasta dish which was a good one too, but I liked my today's experiment very much I should say.

Ingredients:
Butternut Squash - Chopped into 1/2" cubes about 5 cups
Red Onions - 3 medium or 2 large chopped fine
Crushed Tomatoes - 1 1/4 cup (You could use fresh tomato puree of about 4 - 5 small tomatoes)
Butter - 1 TBSP
Oil - 2 - 3 TBSP
Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Ginger - peeled and grated - 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 pods grated
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or to taste (Mine is extra hot)
Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - a big pinch
Cardamom - 4 pods crushed fine
Half and Half or milk - 1 1/2 cups - 2 cups (See Notes)
Salt - to taste
Cilantro - chopped 3 TBSP for garnishing

Method:
In a sauce pan, heat butter and oil. When hot, add cumin seeds, garlic, ginger. Do not let garlic burn. Add chopped onions. Stir. Sprinkle some salt, turmeric and mix. Let them cook. When onions are done, add butternut squash cubes, some water to cover the vegetables (not completely) and cover with a lid and let it cook. When butternut squash is cooked fork tender, add crushed tomatoes, all the spice powders. Mix well. Let them simmer for couple of minutes. Add half and half or plain milk, stir. Let them simmer for couple more minutes. Adjust the seasonings if required and garnish with cilantro leaves. Turn off the heat. Serve with rotis or rice.

Notes:
You can adjust the quantity of half and half or milk as per your need. I prefer a little thick consistency to serve with rotis and thin to serve with rice.

Enjoy!! Pin It