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Bengali Chicken, Butternut Squash and Cauliflower with Coconut Mustard--this is serious gateway food! Everyone loves this meal!

Chicken and Cauliflower in Coconut and Mustard Sauce

Adapted from The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles, Rinku Bhattacharya
Course Entree
Cuisine Indian
Keyword cauliflower, chicken, coconut, mustard
Author TheSpicedLife

Ingredients

  • 4-5 T mustard oil
  • 1 1/2 t dark mustard seeds
  • 1 scant t caraway seeds
  • 10 curry leaves
  • 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
  • salt to taste
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 T minced ginger or ginger paste
  • 2 cups cubed butternut squash, optional
  • 1 head of cauliflower, broken into bite sized florets
  • 5 chicken thighs skinless and boneless, cut into bite sized pieces (chicken breast is fine too)
  • 1 t sugar, to taste
  • 4 + green chile peppers, slit lengthwise, to heat tolerance (I left out)
  • 1/3 cup Greek yogurt, I had to sub sour cream
  • 2 T dijon mustard
  • 1 19- oz can coconut milk
  • 1-2 t garam masala, to taste
  • 1 T fresh lime juice, to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and caraway seeds. Partially cover the pot to allow the mustard seeds to pop. When the popping slows, add the curry leaves--stand back they will splatter! When the splattering slows, add the shallots with a sprinkle of salt. Cook for 3 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic and ginger and stir. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add the chicken with a pinch of salt and stir in. Then let cook for 1 minute without stirring. Then toss in the butternut squash (if using) and cauliflower. Cook for 1 minute. Add the sugar with a pinch of salt (and the green chile peppers if using) and toss, cooking for 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add the yogurt and mix in completely. Cook until the excess liquid from the yogurt is absorbed. Stir in the Dijon mustard and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer. Cover partially and simmer gently for 15 minutes until the chicken and veggies are cooked through.
  4. Stir in 1 teaspoon of garam masala and 1 tablespoon of lime juice. Taste for additional salt, garam masala or lime juice. Serve with basmati rice.