This recipe was born when I was tossing around ideas for different side dishes for when we grilled. It's wonderful with jerk-style meats and with seafood because the sweetness of the coconut milk works well with the spices.
This recipe is simply amazing! It was the perfect side to cool down jerk chicken. I did make a few alterations though. Half way through sauteing the squash, I threw in some coconut milk to sweeten it up even more and I also added more turmeric and thyme. Taste as you go!! I am adding this to my summer rotation for sure!
Tender and mellow flavors - yes the secret to the squash is to make sure to use 1/4-inch cubes; the butternut paired great with the black bean. Would add more turmeric and perhaps some curry powder to spice it up more, and wished there was a bit more coconut flavor. Paired perfectly with spice jerk-rub chicken.
I too used brown rice. It took about 10-15 minutes longer to cook down. The secret on the squash is to look at the size of the cut. At a 1/4 inch cube, this is basically diced. If you dice it that fine, it actually cooks in the time suggested. The only real differences I'd suggest are adding more thyme (perhaps doubling the amount of fresh), going with 3/4 tsp of turmeric, and adding a pinch or two more of salt. Otherwise this is a good (though not exactly mind blowing) side dish for barbecue.
I cooked brown rice and instead used the coconut milk to cook the butternut squash. I was concerned at first because the squash kept getting brown on the outside but didn't seem to cook that well on the inside. After adding the coconut milk and using the milk to cook the squash, the mixture helped the squash cook to perfection. I just made the squash / bean mixture first and then addded the brown rice after.
