Main Course Recipe Savoury

Banana, Butternut and Coconut Curry

I know what you are thinking- banana in a curry?!? Yes! I am serious. Honestly please try it before you judge. This butternut and banana coconut curry is an amazingly sweet and perfectly spiced curry that you will fall in love. Just give it a try.

Can you really put banana in a coconut curry?

If I had said “Plantain Curry” instead of “Banana Curry” then you might have not battered an eyelid (if you’ve had plantain before) so why is banana any different? Plantain is similar to banana and it is a member of the banana family. Albeit, plantain does have a lower content of sugar and has a much starchier texture. So why use banana? The honest answer is, that I was going on vacation and didn’t want to leave a very green banana in my home whilst I was away. The bananas were very green, and this isn’t my favourite way to eat them.

Other things to do with bananas?

If they were more ripe then I may have whipped up some banana pancakes instead as this is a great idea to use your mushy bananas instead of more banana bread.

So what to do with a very green banana? I was thinking about plantain curry so I thought why not try to recreate the same thing but with bananas instead….. so that’s exactly what I did.

Cooking with banana?

One of the biggest problems of cooking with bananas is the texture. Cooking the banana can make it mushy, which is great for baking bread or muffins or frying pancakes. However, I didn’t just want to mush the banana into the coconut curry sauce, as I thought the sweetness of the banana would overpower the other flavours. Banana has a very distinct flavour. Because of this, I decided to fry the banana and mix in at the end.

Frying the banana

When frying the banana, if you want it to be crispy then you NEED to coat it in flour beforehand. If you don’t coat the banana, then it could become mushy and may lose its shape. I used plain flour, but corn flour would work just as well. If you wanted, you could mix some spice into the flour before coating the banana as well to add some extra flavour. I also recommend making sure the oil is very hot before putting the banana in the pan. This will also help it crisp up quickly.

banana for coconut curry
The banana will crisp up if coated in flour before frying in hot oil, make sure it is brown on all sides before removing from heat.

Coconut and Spices

This coconut curry is very sweet due to the addition of the butternut squash, coconut milk and fried banana. It also includes a a few different spices to compliment these sweet flavours. In this recipe, I have included turmeric (which is one of my all time favourite spices) and curry powder.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a beautifully bright yellow / orange colour and helps to give this curry a bit of vibrancy whilst also making it a little richer in flavour. Don’t be afraid of putting lots of turmeric in. It is not a ‘hot’ spice and will only add to the flavour and not the spiciness. Please do also be aware that turmeric can stain quite easily so try to be careful not to make too much of a mess!

Curry Powder

The curry powder is the spice that packs the punch, so make sure to pick one that works for you. I used a medium curry powder and quite a lot of it! If you want a milder curry then pick a mild curry powder. Alternatively if you want a hot curry, pick a hot curry powder and feel free to add some fresh chillies as well!

simmering coconut milk for coconut curry

Before we even put the spices in, we have the base of the coconut curry made from garlic and ginger. These are two of the main flavours used in a lot of my recipes. In addition, we’ve also got ground coriander which also adds another layer of flavour and we are using fresh coriander as well! Whilst this may sounds like a lot of coriander, it’s not. The ground coriander actually adds a different flavour than the fresh coriander so we are getting the best of both. Please note that coriander is also known as ‘cilantro’ but here in the UK we call it coriander.

After we’ve added the spices, we’re adding even more flavour with soy sauce, honey and some lime juice. This adds a savoury, sweet and acidic flavours to help make this a more well rounded dish. For a vegan alternative, you could swap out the honey for something else sweet such as maple syrup.

This all sounds good but is curry healthy?

In general, curries can contain a lot of calories. Usually in the form of cooking oil or added sugar so please be aware that they are not always healthy. The coconut milk will add a large chunk of the calories as this is mainly fat (including unsaturated and saturated fat). That being said, the fats are known to be medium chain fatty acids which means they are used up more quickly than some of the other longer chain saturated fats. This can actually make the fats less likely to be stored and more likely to be used as energy.

Lots of vegetables

Looking past the coconut oil, we have a lot of vegetables in this coconut curry including butternut squash, onions, pepper, mushrooms and spinach. The butternut squash itself is quite healthy, it contains a good number of antioxidants and fibre. This means it is good for digestion and can have anti-cancerous properties. Butternut squash is very similar to a sweet potato so if you don’t have butternut, sweet potato would be the best substitute to make. The butternut is a bit less starchy and lower in calorie than the sweet potato but it also contains less fibre so suit your curry to how you want it. There shouldn’t be too much of a cooking time difference. So whatever you are using, chop them into approximately 1cm sized cubes as this will allow them to cook all the way through and soak up plenty of flavour.

butternut with coconut curry
Cut the butternut squash into small 1cm cubes

Vegetables in general have a large amount of health benefits. They are very low calorie which is why I like to put loads of vegetables into my recipes. They help keep you fuller for longer, which can help you stop snacking. Spinach is one of the healthiest additions to this recipe as it is low calorie, very high in iron, vitamin k and magnesium to name just a few benefits. It is sometimes called a super food and for good reason!

Spices

The spices also have numerous health benefits, especially turmeric. One of the main components is called ‘curcumin’ which is known to have anti-inflammatory properties. This means is can aid the immune system and even protect against heart disease.

Overall the spices and vegetables give this dish a number of health benefits, however if you are trying to restrict calories then you will likely want to reduce the oil that your are using to cook in or to choose lower calorie options instead. Additionally, the fried flour coated banana adds a lot of sugar and fat so I would suggest missing out this aspect of the curry.

Banana and Butternut Coconut Curry

A beautiful coconut curry that pairs the sweetness of banana, butternut squash and coconut with rich spices and savoury sauces to create an amazing blend of flavour. One you will not forget easily. Pair with rice, noodles or flat bread.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g Shallots or 2 large onions
  • ½ Butternut Squash Diced into 1cm cubes
  • 1 Large Red Bell Pepper Cut into large chunks
  • 200 g Chestnut Mushrooms
  • 1 Cup Spinach
  • 15g Fresh Ginger peeled and grated
  • 3 Large Cloves Garlic Crushed
  • 1 large handful Fresh Chopped Coriander / Cilantro
  • 3 Spring Onions
  • 400 ml Coconut Milk
  • 3 tsp Turmeric
  • 3 tsp Ground Coriander
  • 4 tsp Curry Powder (I used medium but use hot or mild if want to adapt the spice level)
  • 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Honey
  • ½ Lime Juiced
  • 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
  • 1 tbsp Sesame Oil (Or more coconut oil if you don't have sesame oil)
  • 1 Large Banana The greener, the better
  • 1 tbsp Flour Plain or Cornflour

Instructions
 

  • Heat the coconut oil on medium-high heat until hot and then add the onions. Fry until starting to brown and then add the garlic, ginger and a pinch of salt and fry for a further minute.
  • Add in the diced butternut squash and fry until the edge start to brown. Add in the ground coriander and the bell pepper and mix well.
  • Add in the coconut milk, turmeric, curry powder and stir in the mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes. (Once you have added the coconut milk, add a dash of water into the tin, swirl and add to the pan).
  • Add in soy sauce, honey, lime juice and a pinch of salt and pepper.
  • In another pan, heat the sesame oil on high. Slice the banana into medium sized chunks and coat lightly in the flour, making sure to dust off any excess. Add to the sesame oil and fry until brown and crispy on the bottom. Flip and brown on all sides.
  • Add the spinach, spring onions, fresh coriander to the curry and stir through until the spinach has wilted.
  • Top the curry with the crispy banana and serve with rice, bread or noodles.
Keyword Banana, Butternut Squash, Coconut, Curry

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