Roasted Squash with Rice and Lime Pickle
Though I enjoy the quiet of winter, in Canada there are not many local seasonal vegetables to be had. However, I try to eat with the seasons nonetheless, and winter squash is one of those vegetables that is seasonal in both autumn and winter months. And there are multiple varieties to keep things interesting. Since I hadn't made a squash dish for a while, and was looking for a vegetable dish to complement the other dishes I had on the menu, I decided to make this dish which features not only squash but also rice. The inspiration for this recipe came from Merra Sodha's Fresh India, which includes over 100 unique, straightforward and interesting recipes based on traditional Indian recipes.
The lime pickle in this recipe is what makes this dish especially unique. I have always enjoyed Indian pickles on the side, just on their own, so this recipe was especially intriguing to me. Salty, sour and very hot, they are not for faint palates. But if you enjoy them, then you will love this squash and rice dish. Because there is only a relatively small amount, the lime pickle is not overpowering, and you can always add more or less as you please. I have yet to make my own Indian pickles at home, so on those rare occasions when I order food from an Indian restaurant, I usually order some to have on hand, and you can buy good quality jarred versions at Indian and Asian grocery stores, and even larger supermarkets. But if you don't wish to include the lime pickle, then add some fresh lime juice at the end of the cooking time instead, and the dish will still have plenty of flavor and heat. For extra heat in addition to the lime pickle, I added a combination of ground spices and seeds. As with any of my recipes, they are a template to inspire, so adjust the ingredients to suit your fancy.
And while winter squashes — like the butternut squash I used in this recipe — are one of the most daunting of vegetables to try to peel, there's actually no need. The skins of many winter squashes including acorn and delicata are both tender and edible when cooked — not peeling the squash means both that your dinner will be so much easier to prepare and that you won't be wasting any of the vegetable's nutrition to the compost or garbage.
On the menu with:
Paneer Rajma
Lemon Chia Seed Cornmeal Bread
Roasted Squash with Rice and Lime Pickle |
Recipe by Lisa Turner Cuisine: Indian Published on February 3, 2020 Warm, nourishing and filling roasted squash and rice seasoned with spices, seeds and Indian lime pickle Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking time: 55 to 60 minutes Print this recipe Ingredients:
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Other squash recipes to enjoy from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Indian-Style Roasted Squash Curry
South Indian Squash Poriyal
Creamy Peanut Butter Chickpea & Squash Curry
Roasted Butternut Squash and Herbed Cannellini and Artichokes with Fennel and Parsley Salad
Audio accompaniment: Henning Fuchs – The Unknown – Album: A New Beginning