Burmese Squash Curry over Rice

In a large pot (one you’d make pasta in) combine 1 ¼ cups of water, turmeric, bay leaf, minced garlic, diced onion, red chili flakes, ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, and bay leaf to the water. Bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, peel and dice the yams into 1” cubes. When they’re ready, add them to the broth mixture and cover the pot.

While the broth begins cooking, combine the rice, remaining 1 ¼ cup water, and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt in a small pot with a fitted lid. Bring this to a boil, then stir once. Turn heat to low and cover. Time the pot for 17 minutes and don’t lift the lid which will let the steam escape. When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and stir the rice. Cover it and let it sit off the heat until it’s time to serve.

Dice the eggplant into 1” pieces and the squash into pieces that are about twice as large. Add both to the broth and yams. Stir to coat and cover again. Cook for about 10 minutes until they’re mostly soft.

Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes into wedges - about 6 per tomato. You can use a paring knife to remove just the core first if you like, but most of the time you won’t need it if you slice your wedges through the center of the core. Place them in a small bowl for now.

Chop basil leaves, even the stems.

Add the coconut milk and stir to combine. Add the tomatoes and cook for a final 3-5 minutes or until all of the veggies are soft and the sauce has thickened a bit.

Serve a big scoop of white rice in a bowl and make a bed to catch the curry. Spoon the veggies and sauce into the rice and garnish generously with basil. Try not to serve anyone the bay leaf.