Kaddu With Greens and Shrimp

By Zainab Shah

Published March 28, 2024

Kaddu With Greens and Shrimp
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Rating
5(548)
Comments
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The base for this stew is a simply spiced, South Asian–style preparation of kaddu, or squash, seasoned with ginger, garlic, cumin, chile powder and garam masala. In this recipe, the addition of coconut milk, kale and shrimp leads to a complex, flavorful and hefty meal. The sweetness of the coconut milk provides a counterbalance to the heavily spiced squash, while greens add a touch of bitterness. To save on prep time, you can use 6 cups of store-bought precut squash instead of peeling and chopping your own. For a vegetarian version of this dish, you can simply skip the shrimp.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1pound peeled, deveined shrimp
  • Salt
  • ¼cup ghee or neutral oil
  • 1teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1tablespoon ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
  • 1tablespoon garlic paste or freshly grated garlic
  • 1medium red onion, finely chopped
  • ¼teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1teaspoon Kashmiri or other mild red chile powder
  • 3plum tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1medium butternut squash or small pumpkin (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
  • 1(13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
  • 1medium bunch lacinato kale (about ½ pound), or other greens such as spinach, thick stems discarded, roughly chopped (about 5 cups)
  • 1teaspoon garam masala (optional)
  • Lemon wedges and rice, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

515 calories; 35 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 30 grams protein; 1225 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Season shrimp with salt and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Heat ghee in a large pot on high for 30 seconds. Add cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in ginger and garlic. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in turmeric powder and red chile, then add tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to break down, 5 to 7 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in squash, reduce heat to medium, then cover and cook until squash is almost tender, about 12 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Turn the heat up to high and stir in coconut milk and kale. Cook, uncovered, until the kale has wilted, about 10 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Lower heat to medium and stir in the seasoned shrimp. Cover and cook until the shrimp is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt, top with garam masala and serve with lemon wedges and rice if you like.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
548 user ratings
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Comments

Ashley

Really delicious, quick and easy. I used a can of tomatoes instead of fresh because that’s what I had and it was great (probably a bit more liquid than the original, but I liked that). I opted for extra garam masala at the end. This would be great with chickpeas instead of shrimp as well.

Mardale Bee

Tofu or paneer at the end instead of shrimp, perhaps, for a veg version? And then, lime instead of lemon.

Gale S

This was delicious! I added the garam masala at the end of cooking to bring out a stronger curry flavor. I would add more liquid after the cream. This dish needed a lot of salt.

James

Great! We doubled the spices, and don't usually like butternit squash (too sweet) but this was a great balance.

Jackie

I made as written and it was delicious: sweet, a cousin of korma in flavor profile, with a nice kick from the Kashmiri chile powder. It took maybe an additional 5 minutes than recommended for the squash to become tender, but it was nbd. I was anticipating a sweeter curry so I didn’t find it lacking in flavor.

Kathleen

I really enjoyed this. I followed the frame work of the recipe but used what I had on hand which was sweet potatoes, baby bok choy , canned tomatoes and tofu. It was delicious. To me that's the sign of a good recipe - when it can be adapted to meet the needs of the pantry and still be delicious!

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