Indian black-eyed peas and butternut squash curry combines creamy squash, tender beans, fresh zucchini, and warming spices for a comforting one-pot dish. This recipe, ready in under 30 minutes, works beautifully for both Instant Pot and stovetop cooking, making it perfect for busy days when you want maximum flavor with minimal effort.
This delightful curry is such a versatile dish! It pairs beautifully with everyday meals, whether you enjoy it with fluffy steamed basmati rice, warm Indian roti, or hearty cooked millets.
My Go-To Trick for a Flavorful Butternut Squash Curry
The key to making this curry taste like it's been simmering for hours is to use cooked beans from the freezer and adjust the vegetable sizes for the cooking method. I cut vegetables into small pieces for the stovetop to speed up cooking and into larger chunks for the Instant Pot to maintain their texture while soaking up spices.
When I have roasted butternut squash left from another meal, I stir them in, and the dish is ready in minutes with richer, deeper flavors. If you enjoy cooking this way, explore my Indian Vegetarian Curry Recipes collection, and there's a curry for every mood and season.
Happy Cooking!
-Sravanthi
Detailed Steps
Step 1: Heat oil in the Instant Pot on sauté mode or in a stovetop pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves; let them splutter.
Step 2: Stir in chopped onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté until onions turn translucent.
Step 3: Add the tomatoes and cook until they are soft and mushy.
Step 4: Mix in red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and salt. Cook for a minute.
Step 5: Add cubed butternut squash.
Step 6: Let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
Step 7: Now add zucchini and cooked black-eyed peas.
Step 8: Pour in coconut milk or water, stir well.
Step 9: Instant Pot - Cancel sauté mode, close the lid, and cook on manual high pressure for 3 minutes. Quick release after cooking. Stovetop - Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
Step 10: Stir in almond butter or peanut butter, add garam masala, and mix well. If needed, add more water.
Let the curry rest for 5 minutes before serving. While the curry is resting, quickly prepare stovetop basmati rice and enjoy it hot with this creamy zucchini and squash curry.
I'd love to hear how this Indian black-eyed peas butternut squash curry turns out for you! Leave a comment and star rating below if you try it. If you enjoy this, you might also like my Lobia Masala or explore more ideas from my Black Eyed Peas Recipes collection.
Recipe
Indian Black Eyed Peas & Butternut Squash Curry with Zucchini
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Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash small, peeled and cubed
- 1 zucchini cubed
- 1 cup black-eyed peas cooked or canned
- 1 cup tomatoes chopped
- ½ cup onion chopped
- ½ cup water or coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 10 curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon almond butter or peanut butter, optional
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in the Instant Pot on sauté mode or in a stovetop pan over medium heat.1 tablespoon oil
- Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds; let them splutter.10 curry leaves, ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- Stir in curry leaves, onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté until onions are translucent.½ cup onion, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger
- Add tomatoes and cook until they turn soft.1 cup tomatoes
- Mix in red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, and salt. Cook for 1 minute.½ teaspoon red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add butternut squash, zucchini, and black-eyed peas. Stir well.1 zucchini, 1 butternut squash, 1 cup black-eyed peas
- Pour in coconut milk or water and mix.½ cup water
- Instant Pot: Cancel the sauté function, close the lid, and cook on manual high pressure for 3 minutes. Quick release pressure.
- Stovetop: Cover and cook over medium heat for 12-15 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
- Stir in almond butter or peanut butter, sprinkle garam masala, and mix.1 tablespoon almond butter, ½ teaspoon garam masala
- Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve this with fluffy Indian basmati rice or fresh Indian bread, such as chapati, naan, or paratha.
Notes
- Use pre-cooked or canned black-eyed peas to cut down cooking time.
- Chop the butternut squash into even pieces for uniform cooking.
- If you have leftover roasted butternut squash, you can use it in this curry. Reduce the cooking time accordingly.
- Adjust the spice level by reducing or increasing the amount of red chili powder.
- For meal prep, cook and freeze portions for up to 3 months and enjoy quick weekday meals.
- Other vegetables, such as carrots, green peas, corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, also pair well with this curry.
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