Red-Cooked Butternut Squash
A simple vegetarian recipe with butternut squash as the star. A mix of sweet and savoury is created with peanut oil, cinnamon sticks, five spice and soy sauce.
Introduction
This is a simple but delicious dish that can be served as an accompaniment or as a main vegetarian dish alongside vegetables ‘Red-cooked’ is a term used in Chinese cuisine to describe a sauce that uses light and dark soy, sugar and spices (such as star anise) to create a deep reddish-brown braising liquid to flavour meat, fish or eggs. This is a quick red-cooked dish using butternut squash; the result is a sweet and savoury spiced dish.
Ingredients
| 1 | medium butternut squash, halved lengthways and peeled |
| 1 tbsp | peanut oil |
| 2.5cm (1in) | piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated |
| 3 | star anise |
| 2 | cinnamon sticks, about 7.5cm (3in) each |
| 4 tbsp | light soy sauce |
| 2 tbsp | dark soy sauce |
| 250ml (9fl oz) | hot water |
| A pinch | of Chinese five-spice powder |
| 1 heaped tbsp | brown sugar |
| For the garnish: | |
| A small handful | of fresh coriander |
Essential kit
You will need a wok.
Method
Scoop out and discard the seeds from the squash and cut the flesh into bite-sized(2.5cm/1in) pieces.
Heat a wok over medium-high heat, then add the peanut oil. Add the ginger, star anise and cinnamon and stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the squash and stir-fry for 1 minute. Season with both soy sauces and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the hot water and stir to combine. Cover the wok and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender – about 10 minutes. Add more water if necessary to keep the squash from sticking to the sides of the wok. Season with the five-spice and brown sugar and toss well. Remove from the heat and stir to combine. Garnish with the coriander, then serve.
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