Easy Indian Curry
I love a good curry! Easy to make and tastes even better the next day. There is a fabulous range of curry pastes that are available in the supermarket to save you the bother of making your own, and while it is sometimes nice to make it ‘from scratch’, these bought curry pastes can offer an authentic flavour for those who are time poor or have trouble sourcing good fresh curry spices and flavours.
This veggie curry is a staple in my house, its great because you can really put anything you have on hand into it which makes it a good dish to make when you haven’t been food shopping in a while! I usually make it Vegetarian however you can add your favourite meats for a more hearty meal.
This recipe is enough for 4 very generous servings with leftovers. The flavours will develop overnight so its great to have the next day alternatively it can be frozen in airtight containers for around a fortnight defrost in the fridge overnight before heating and serving.
INGREDIENTS
1 Brown Onion chopped into wedges
2 Medium Carrots cut into rounds
3 Stalks of Celery cut in large pieces
1 1/2 cups cubed pumpkin
1/4 Head of Cauliflower cut into small florets
1/2 cup Green Lentils
This is a rough guide of vegetables that I usually use, if you dont have something on hand its fine to omit it or use something else. Its great with green beans, potato cubes, corn and other veggies too so experiment on what suits your tastebuds.
1 Tablespoon of Oil
1 Tin of Light Coconut cream
3 cups of hot water
Curry paste of your choice ( I like to use Patak’s Korma Curry Paste its nice and mild so suitable for children too)
METHOD
In a large saucepan heat the oil, add onion and curry paste. Saute this until the spices are activated a rich aroma is produced. Some may stick to the base if this happens add a few tablespoons of water to the pan. When the onions are soft and coated in the curry paste add the veggies and raw lentils and stir until they too are coated.
Pour in the hot water and mix well. If you are not using lentils you will not need to add so much water. Turn down the heat, cover and allow to simmer for around 30 minutes until the vegetables and lentils are cooked and the sauce has thickened slightly.
Add the coconut cream until the taste of the sauce is desirable and the texture is creamy. Bring the heat back up for another 15 minutes and allow the sauce to thicken further.
I like to serve my curry with lots of side dishes including; basmati rice, pappadums, yoghurt and cucumber sauce, chutney, naan bread and banana slices rolled in coconut with sultanas.
VARIATIONS
This recipe can be made with almost any variety of vegetables you have on hand. If you love your meat you can also add cubes of beef, chicken, lamb or even a mild tasting white fish.
Every curry paste will have a different flavour, so experiment to find the flavours and heat intensity that you like.