Butternut, Tamarind and Coconut Stew

By Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley

Updated Oct. 17, 2024

Butternut, Tamarind and Coconut Stew
Photograph by Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Paige Hicks.
Total Time
1 hour 40 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 20 minutes
Rating
4(89)
Comments
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As the seasons shift, each brings its own type of comfort food, and this hearty dish adapted from “Ottolenghi Comfort” (Ten Speed Press, 2024) is a perfect fit for autumn. The butternut squash lends a gentle sweetness, which is beautifully contrasted by the sharpness of tamarind and the creamy richness of coconut, creating a warm and comforting stew. The recipe calls for Thai or Vietnamese tamarind concentrate for its tangy-sweet flavor. While tamarind purée or paste can be used as substitutes (see Tip), you’ll want to avoid any tamarind concentrates that use both the pulp and seeds, which produce a much darker, more sour, molasses-like product. If you don’t have a sauté pan handy, a pot or casserole dish works just as well for this recipe. Serve with naan, flatbread or a side of simple steamed basmati rice for a truly satisfying meal. Like most stews, the flavors deepen with time, making it ideal for leftovers.

Featured in: The Perfect Stew for Fall Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • ⅓cup vegetable (or coconut) oil
  • 1teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 2large onions, finely diced (2⅔ cups)
  • 5grams fresh curry leaves (17 or so)
  • 6garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
  • 1green jalapeño, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
  • 1½teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1teaspoon chile powder
  • 1teaspoon paprika
  • 1large butternut squash (about 2½ pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into roughly 1½-inch chunks (5⅓ cups)
  • ½cup Thai or Vietnamese tamarind concentrate, mixed with 1 cup just-boiled water (see Tip)
  • Salt
  • ⅔cup coconut milk
  • 25grams jaggery, coarsely grated (or 2 tablespoons dark muscovado sugar)
  • Roughly chopped cilantro, to serve
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put the oil into a large (lidded) sauté pan and place on medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and, when the seeds begin to pop, add the onions and curry leaves. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes — the onions need this long to turn really golden brown — stirring from time to time and lowering the heat if they start to stick. Add the garlic, jalapeño, coriander, turmeric, chile powder and paprika, and stir for about 2 minutes, until fragrant.

  2. Step 2

    Add the butternut squash, tamarind water and 1 teaspoon salt. Give everything a gentle stir and cook for about 45 minutes, covered, on low heat, until the chunks of butternut are soft but have not broken down.

  3. Step 3

    Add the coconut milk and jaggery, stir gently to combine and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, uncovered, until some, but not all, of the butternut begins to break down.

  4. Step 4

    Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Tip
  • This recipe calls for Thai or Vietnamese tamarind concentrate, but you could also use tamarind purée or paste. (Some Indian tamarind concentrates are made using tamarind pulp and seeds, following a different process that results in a darker, more tangy, molasses-like product that cannot be used as a substitute.)

Ratings

4 out of 5
89 user ratings
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Comments

Steven H

I was drawn to this recipe because of many of the ingredients, but I was a little apprehensive because there were no reviews. I’m thrilled to be the first one to give this five stars. Processed the onions and the jalapeños in a food processor which might’ve meant it took longer for the onions to brown (30 mins) or maybe I didn’t have it hot enough or maybe it was because I triple the recipe), but you definitely need to wait until the onions. I opted to use coconut oil. The processed onions give the stew a whisper of a soup texture, which I loved. Use my own chili powder from Guatemala, which is spicier than regular chili powder so I used about a third less of what the recipe called for and the spice level ended up perfect. The only ingredient I couldn’t find was jaggery, so substituted it with piloncillo. Other than that, I followed the directions to a T and it’s a big big hit in my house!

Dan

Profoundly undelicious. Just a sour bath of tamarind with chunks of squash. A ton of time chopping and stewing resulting in a ziploc filled with next week’s trash. Literally make anything else.

SP

I usually add tamarind at the end of the cooking process, I find things get bitter if you add the tamarind paste in too early.

LNH

I love all the ingredients here separately, but this just didn't work for me. It was ok- nothing special.

Margot

I used an autumn frost squash, a slightly less sweet tasting butternut substitute, and a bit of sweet potato that was in the fridge -- fantastic! The coconut sugar I have as a brown sugar substitute was fine. I've never tasted jaggery or muscovado sugar (diabetic most of my life) so who knows, but the tamarind and sweet were nicely balanced. Crowd favourite.

Hilary

This recipe calls for far too much tamarind concentrate, it was overpowering (yes, I bought the correct kind). I balanced it out with a tbsp more of jaggery, 1tbsp creamy peanut butter and 1/2c. more coconut milk and a 1/2 c vegetable broth. If I made this again, I'd use a scant 1/4 c, but there are better recipes in my NYT recipe box using tamarind correctly. Don't think I'd make this again.

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Credits

"Ottolenghi Comfort" by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley (Ten Speed Press, 2024)

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