Buttercup, kumara and spinach curry with chicken breast

I think I've already told you about our soup day at work. Few weeks ago, one of my (male) colleague's partner made a fantastic pumpkin and spinach curry. So rich in flavours, very hot, so well balanced. Probably, the best curry I ever had. When I asked for the recipe, I got a: 'emh... emh emh...' She actually had no recipe, she was just cooking from heart, and honnestly we could feel it. That vegan curry was awsome!

I don't pretend to even compare with this curry but this awsome pumpkin and spinach hot curry inspired today's recipe: a butternut, kumara and spinach curry, which I served with chicken breast rubbed in the same curry spices for those meat-lover dinosaurs.

This curry is not as spicy as the one that inspired it because I need to look after my little dinoboys' buds. But the combination of spices works very well. And you may not believe me, but this is a very healthy dish!

Ingredients (~ 6 servings)

- 1 buttercup, medium size, cubed (2 cm pieces)
- 6 kumara, cubed (2 cm pieces)
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled (en chemise)
- 4 bunches of spinach
- 1 onion
- 4 tbsp plain yoghurt
- 2 tsp olive oil*
- a pinch of dry hot chilli (optional)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, whole
- 1 tsp cumin seed
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger ground
- 250 ml water
- salt
- 1 chicken breast (800 g), skin less, cut in two

Instructions (~ 1 hour)

1. I first roasted the butternut and the kumara with the garlic en chemise for 25 mins. Oven, fan bake, at 180C.

2. Heat the olive oil and stir in the onion until golden brown.

3. Crush all the spices together 

4. Rubb the chicken with no more than half of the spice mix. 

5. Add the other half to the onions. Stir and cook until the flavour break - takes approximately 4-5 mins.

6. Sear the breasts in one tea spoon of olive oil each side, then bake for 15-20 mins at 180C.* Rest 3-4 minutes before serving.

7. Add the butternut and the kumara. Stir and add the water. Cook for 25 mins.
8. Then add the spinach, rougthly chopped, season with salt and cook for 6-7 mins.
9. Take out of the oven and stir in the yoghurt. It's ready to serve!
Bon appétit!

Good to know...

* You can obviously use more oil, but that's another healthy rule I got from my recent WW diet. To keep fit, be parcimonious on the oil. Most time, large amounts of oil are not required. In my everyday cooking life, I use little oil, but now and then I may use more the empower the flavours.
* As I always say, cooking time may vary as a function of the size of the breast, how long you seared it in the frying pan and the temperature of the oven. But usually searing for 5-6 mins and baking for 15-20 mins is about the right timing.