Red Curry Quinoa with Squash and Black Beans Recipe

Photo by Matt Johannsson/Reflector Inc.

When you make vegetable and grain dishes in a slow cooker, you often end up with a dry crust around the outside, or you have to add so much liquid the flavor gets lost. The sous vide mimics a slow cooker in that it lets flavor infuse into the dishes you make, but you don’t have to add a lot of liquid and the food stays moist. This vegetarian dish is hearty, colorful and fragrant with mild curry spices and coconut.

Sous vide time: 1 hour
Makes 4 servings

Equipment:

Preheat water bath to 185 degrees F (85 degrees C)
Large resealable freezer bag

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tbsp tikka curry paste
Salt
4 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (1-inch/2.5 cm cubes)
1 cup coconut milk (see tip below)
1 cup ready-to-use vegetable broth
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup rinsed drained canned black beans
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, for about 8 minutes or until soft and starting to turn golden. Add garlic, curry paste and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until garlic is softened. Stir in squash until coated with spices. Remove from heat and pour in coconut milk and broth, stirring to scrape up any brown bits stuck to pan.
Transfer squash mixture to freezer bag and add quinoa and beans, stirring to combine. Remove excess air and seal bag.
Cook in preheated water bath, covered, for 1 hour. The squash should be tender; if it isn’t, return bag to water bath and cook, checking for doneness every 15 minutes. Remove bag from water bath.
Open bag, stir in lime juice and season to taste with salt. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with cilantro.

Tips:

When using canned or Tetra Pak coconut milk, shake well before opening. If there is still thick cream visible, whisk well before measuring. Extra coconut milk can be refrigerated in an airtight container (or in the Tetra Pak) for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Variation:

If you prefer a spicy curry, use a medium or hot yellow curry paste or a Thai red curry paste. Or stick with the tikka curry paste and add 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cayenne pepper or 1 minced serrano chile pepper.

Also from Sous Vide Basics:

Argentinian Flank Steak with Chimichurri

With sous vide cooking, you’ll be able to achieve restaurant-quality results with little effort and none of cooking’s usual guesswork. There are so many uses for the sous vide, well beyond steak (although steak and sous vide are a match made in culinary heaven), and it’s not just for experienced cooks. Jay and Jennifer provide all of the how-tos and whys, and in no time at all, you’ll be creating perfectly cooked sous vide meals that just might have your family and friends calling you Chef. You can cook sous vide at home for everyday meals, in your RV, on a boat or at a cottage — anywhere there is water and electricity — and you’ll definitely want to use it to simplify your meal prep and dazzle your guests when entertaining.