Sweet, Hot and Sour Squash

Newsday

1 tablespoon tamarind paste

¼ cup hot water

1 small piece fresh ginger, about ½ by ½ inch, peeled

2 medium garlic cloves (about one-fifth ounce total), peeled

1 small onion (about 2 ounces), peeled

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ teaspoon dried hot pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

1 pound butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes

½ cup water

I cheated to cut out some of the work. (Special props to the tamarind cooking concentrate I found at the local Karen market. No need to soak in water - you just dump it in.)

My 3YO kept whining because he thought I had cut up cheese and wasn't giving him any.

Soak the tamarind paste in the hot water for 30 minutes. Mash the paste well with a fork and strain. Reserve the liquid and discard the solids.

Chop fine the ginger and garlic or drop the ginger and garlic through the feed tube of a food processor with the metal blade in place and the motor running. Process until finely chopped, about 10 seconds, stopping once to scrape down the bowl. Set aside.

Slice the onion thin or stand the onion in the food tube and process with the thin slicing disk.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the ginger-garlic mixture, hot pepper flakes, turmeric, salt and sugar; cook, stirring for 30 seconds.

Oh yes. This is a good start.

Add squash cubes and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the ½ cup water, cover pan, reduce heat and cook until the squash is soft but still firm, about 5 minutes.

Add the tamarind liquid and cook, stirring, over moderate heat until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Serve warm with rice.

And also, in our case, some nice sweet chili chicken from Kessler's.

My Rating: 4/5 "I enjoyed using butternut squash in a way that isn't your standard American autumnal flavor profile. My partner said he didn't pick up much flavor - just 'hot' - but I thought the heat paired well with the sweetness of the squash. This was a neat side dish."