This ‘Hero’ recipe works well with a variety of softer vegetables, including courgettes, peppers, squash, sweet potato, greens, cauliflower, aubergine, or a combo. It is perfect for reducing food waste and using up those extra veggies leftover in the fridge.
Chickpeas add texture and are filling, nutritious and budget friendly. You could try adding a handful of red lentils instead of, or as well as.
Build up to using lots of different spices – start with the basics listed below and work from there.
Method
- Finely dice the onion. Heat a glug of oil in a medium-large pan. Add the onion, with a pinch of salt, and cook over a low-medium heat until the onions are very soft and translucent. This will take a minimum of 10 minutes but keep checking, stirring often.
- Once the onions are soft, add the ginger and garlic and fry for a few minutes until softening.
- Whilst the onions are softening, boil the potatoes in salted water until *just* cooked. Take care not to overcook as they will fall apart completely in the curry.
- Add the spices and puree to the pan and fry for a minute or two, until smelling fragrant. Stir regularly to avoid burning the spices.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, stock, chopped veggies and the chickpeas.
- Give everything a good stir, and simmer until all the veg is tender. When the veg is nearly cooked, add the cooked chopped potato.
- If using very soft green veg such as spinach, kale, or broccoli, add these at the very end of cooking to preserve their colour and flavour.
- Finish with the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Serve with a sprinkle of fresh coriander and spoonful of yoghurt if you are using.
Ingredients
1 large onion
Veg oil
Salt
3 large cloves garlic- peeled and finely chopped
Thumb sized piece of ginger- peeled and finely chopped
2 medium potatoes cooked and chopped into 1-inch chunks
Veggies of choice
2 tbsp curry powder
OR
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp chilli powder (or more if you’re making a hot curry!)
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
500ml veg stock
1 tin of chickpeas, drained
Juice of a lemon
Salt and pepper
Optional, but tasty if you have them
Fresh coriander
Natural yoghurt
This curry goes perfectly with naan bread or rice.
