Chickpea and Butternut Squash Coconut Curry over Soba Noodles

I buy soba noodles made with nothing but sweet potato and buckwheat and I can't get enough of them. In the colder months, I absolutely love warm soba served with curried vegetables---the recipe below is my current favorite. Sunflower sprouts are a delightful recent discovery. They are perfect on top of these creamy noodles.  I'm researching how to grown them in my apartment, but in the meantime, I can get them at the Union Square Greenmarket!


Ingredients 

2 cups cooked, drained chickpeas
2 cups peeled, seeded butternut squash, cut into 1 inch dice
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp. olive oil 
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
1-2 fresh hot green chilies, minced 
4 tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin 
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
2 tsp. garam masala (if you have it handy)
1/4 lb sunflower sprouts
8 oz. soba noodles, cooked according to package

Method 

Tips: 1) Boil 1 inch slices of squash for 5 minutes to make it easier to peel. 2) use a microplane to grate garlic, ginger and chili.  

Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry

Put olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add garlic, ginger, chilies and cilantro. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add cumin, turmeric and garam masala. Stir for a few seconds then add squash, chickpeas and coconut milk. Season with salt. Turn heat to low, cover pan and cook until squash is tender, approximately 10-15 minutes.

Assemble 

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine soba noodles and approximately half of curry. Cook stirring frequently until noodles are warm. Portion into bowls and scoop a generous helping of curry on top off each portion. Top soba noodles and curry with a handful of sunflower sprouts.