This recipe is a perfect one for summer – it uses yellow summer squash which is always in abundance and ends up tasting very light. It takes very little time to cook, and there’s not really very much prep. The hardest part is getting the spices together, but overall there’s not that much chopping or cooking. It was meant to be sort of a one-off recipe, but as soon as we tasted how well it turned out, I started writing it down to keep from forgetting it.
Ingredients
1 tsp whole fennel
4 cloves
1 tsp whole coriander
4 green cardamom pods, lightly smashed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you want it spicy)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
1 heaping tsp black mustard seeds
2 medium yellow squash cut into thin circles or half circles
1 can coconut milk
1/3 c. chicken broth (i.e. one muffin tin cube’s worth, optional)
1 chicken breast cut into thin pieces
Preparation
Toast the fennel, cloves and coriander in a high sided skillet on medium heat until fragrant. Pour into a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind. Combine with the cardamom pods, tumeric, cayenne and pepper, set aside.
Sautee onion in the same pan with a Tbsp of oil on medium high, cook until the edges are start to brown. Add garlic, ginger, cumin and mustard seeds. Cook until everything is getting browner. Add the other spices. Stir for 30 seconds, then add squash, stir for 30 seconds or so and add coconut milk (and optionally chicken broth). Stir until everything is mixed, then add chicken and simmer until just cooked (should not take long).
Serve over rice.