This is a rich Thai curry made with both coconut milk and peanut butter. The butternut is peeled and cubed, which is more work than roasting it first, but allows the squash to absorb the flavors and release them back with every bite. You can add your favorite protein to this recipe as well. If you have Panang curry paste in your kitchen already, you can use that and omit the peanut butter.
Thinly slice onions or leeks to make 1 C.
Open 1 Can of Thai coconut milk (not low fat) and scoop the thick cream off the top. Add it to a wok along with 1 T. Thai red Curry paste and the onions or leeks. Saute together until the coconut cream is bubbling and the onions/leeks are soft.
Add the rest of the coconut milk. Rinse out the can with 1/4 C. of water and add that as well. Now, open a second can of coconut milk — the second one can be low-fat — and add to the wok. Bring everything to a simmer, then drizzle in 1 heaping Tablespoon of creamy peanut butter. Stir well for a couple of minutes to combine. Add 2 T. fish sauce or soy sauce. Taste the broth and add more curry paste or peanut butter to your taste.
Use a vegetable peeler to carefully peel the skin off 1 butternut squash. Cut the squash into 1/2″ thick rounds, then cut the rounds into bite-sized cubes to make 4 C. Add to the curry. Simmer until the squash is tender but not mushy. This likely will take half an hour.
Once the squash is cooked, you can add leafy greens like spinach, Chard, Kale, or Cabbage and cook another few minutes.
Just before serving, add fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice to taste along with more fish sauce, soy sauce or salt to taste.