Butternut Squash Pickle

Butternut squash is easy to cook, making it an appealing part of a healthy diet. It provides an abundance of vitamins and other nutrients including carotene antioxidants, minerals, Omega-3 fatty acids and dietary fibre, making it great for all round protection against degenerative diseases, heart disease and digestive problems. It's great for those who need to reduce or maintain their weight as it is low in fat and the dietary fibre helps prevent lipid absorption in the digestive tract. All in all, quite a little miracle vegetable.

One thing with this squash is that it must be peeled. Many cooks leave the skin on for roasting or steaming, however it has been my experience that this is not a good idea. The hard outer skin, although it holds a lot of excellent nutrients, also has a mucous content, which imparts a bitterness to the rest of the pulp if the skin is left on during cooking.

Ingredients:
60ml vegetable oil
400g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
2ml black onion seeds (nigella or kalonji)
2ml ground turmeric
2ml ground fenugreek
60ml chopped fresh coriander
60ml chopped fresh mint leaves
30ml mango chutney
juice of 1 lime

Method:
Heat a frying pan until hot, add the oil and butternut squash and stir-fr for 3-4 minutes, or until the squash is softened and golden brown.

Stir in the chopped chilli, onion seeds, turmeric and fenugreek. Reduce the heat slightly and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, or until the squash is tender.

Stir in the chopped coriander, mint, chutney and lime juice. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve warm as an accompaniment to your choice of curry or store in a sterilised screw-top container and use as a cold pickle.