Easy Vegetable Curry
I really enjoy the challenge of a scant pantry. For me, these times are a great opportunity to get creative. However, I acknowledge that this is not an opinion shared by some. For a less confident cook, the idea of recipe substitutions and omissions may drive fear into their hearts or (at the very least) lead to uninspired and not very tasty meals… face it, there are just not enough meals in the day to eat not tasty food, when, with a little bit of knowledge and creativity, you can.
When you are an enthusiastic, but not very confident, cook you tend to follow recipes to the letter (and yes, there are times when precision is necessary, but not always). Sadly, one of the common consequences of this is food waste… half bunches of wilted herbs, out of date spices, and exotic grains that you never use again because you just don’t know what else you can do with them.
Enter: Anything Goes Curry.
This recipe was originally based on a Charmaine Solomon vegetable curry (if I recall correctly), but, like most of my recipes, it has evolved to a point where, with the exception of a few core spices, anything goes. This recipe will accommodate most types of protein, and almost any vegetable that you have in your fridge (even the left overs from the previous night’s roast dinner), the key is to add them at the right time!
Heat a large based saucepan (or stove top safe casserole dish) over medium heat. Add oil, then onions. Cook until softened.
Push the onions to one side of the pan, and add the spices to the vacant area, stirring to toast, being careful not to burn the spices
Add the garlic, ginger and coriander stems and roots if using, and mix altogether with the onions and spices. Cook, stirring for 3 minutes.
Add stock and coconut cream.
Add your vegetables; Here are some approximate times
- Hard vegetables: includes potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and carrots. Add them first, they will take 30 - 40 minutes once simmering.
- Softer vegetables: Here I include things like zucchini, and capsicum. I give these about 20 minutes simmering.
- Vegetables that suck if the life is cooked out of them; broccoli, and cauliflower. I give these about 10 minutes of simmering.
- Vegetables that only need a touch of heat: green beans, snow or sugar snap peas, and leafy greens (spinach, kale, Asian greens, shredded cabbage.) I pretty much pop them in then turn of the heat. You may need a couple of minutes if this is the bulk of your choice of vegetables (otherwise it will take the heat out of the curry). You want leaves wilted, but still green, and beans or peas green and with a slight crunch (as though they are merely "blanched").
At the last minute, add you legumes to heat through,
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chili to taste.
Serve with rice or naan (or quinoa, but **Why not cauliflower rice?**), yogurt, chutney and coriander leaves.
Variation
If you are not a legume lover, then this sauce would work well with firm white fish (4 - 6 fillets or the equivalent, cubed) gently poached in it. I would omit the vegetables, and instead serve with crunchy shredded green cabbage, halved cherry tomatoes, a generous squeeze of lime and a coconut sambal.
Nutrition FactsServing Size Per Bowl
Servings 6
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 1
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 2g4%
- Saturated Fat 2g10%
- Trans Fat 1g
- Cholesterol 1mg1%
- Sodium 2mg1%
- Potassium 5mg1%
- Total Carbohydrate 2g1%
- Dietary Fiber 45g180%
- Sugars 6g
- Protein 4g8%
- Vitamin A 5%
- Vitamin C 45%
- Calcium 66%
- Iron 3%
- Vitamin D 7%
- Vitamin E 2%
- Vitamin K 5%
- Thiamin 3%
- Riboflavin 6%
- Niacin 7%
- Vitamin B6 3%
- Folate 4%
- Vitamin B12 3%
- Biotin 2%
- Phosphorus 2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat a large based saucepan (or stove top safe casserole dish) over medium heat. Add oil, then onions. Cook until softened.
Push the onions to one side of the pan, and add the spices to the vacant area, stirring to toast, being careful not to burn the spices
Add the garlic, ginger and coriander stems and roots if using, and mix altogether with the onions and spices. Cook, stirring for 3 minutes.
Add stock and coconut cream.
Add your vegetables; Here are some approximate times
- Hard vegetables: includes potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and carrots. Add them first, they will take 30 - 40 minutes once simmering.
- Softer vegetables: Here I include things like zucchini, and capsicum. I give these about 20 minutes simmering.
- Vegetables that suck if the life is cooked out of them; broccoli, and cauliflower. I give these about 10 minutes of simmering.
- Vegetables that only need a touch of heat: green beans, snow or sugar snap peas, and leafy greens (spinach, kale, Asian greens, shredded cabbage.) I pretty much pop them in then turn of the heat. You may need a couple of minutes if this is the bulk of your choice of vegetables (otherwise it will take the heat out of the curry). You want leaves wilted, but still green, and beans or peas green and with a slight crunch (as though they are merely "blanched").
At the last minute, add you legumes to heat through,
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chili to taste.
Serve with rice or naan (or quinoa, but **Why not cauliflower rice?**), yogurt, chutney and coriander leaves.
