Seven Vegetable Curry

This is a brilliantly tasty recipe for curry. The combination of stir-fried vegetables and lovely coconut milk give this dish a rich and satisfying flavour. Serve it with plain boiled basmati rice or naan breads to scoop up the sauce.

Ingredients

220g green beans
2 large carrots
2 medium courgettes
1 medium aubergine
1 large red pepper
200g sweet potatoes
150g spinach
1½ x 5ml spoons ground cumin
1 x 5ml spoon ground turmeric
1 x 5ml spoon garam masala
2 x green chillies (OR 1 x 5ml spoon chilli powder)
2 x 15ml spoons vegetable oil
2 x 15ml spoons Balti curry paste
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g can reduced-fat coconut milk
1 large onion
1 lemon

Equipment

Colander
Chopping board
Sharp knife
Plate
Peeler
Measuring spoons
Wok or deep sided frying pan
Wooden spoon
Can opener
Small saucepan or frying pan

Instructions

1. Trim the green beans and cut them in half.
2. Top and tail the carrots and courgettes. Peel and slice the carrots into strips about 4cm in length.
3. Cut the courgettes into 4cm lengths, and then halve them lengthways so they are about the same shape as the carrots.
4. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 2cm cubes. Do the same with the aubergine.
5. Cut the red pepper in half and remove the seeds and white pith. Slice it into 1cm strips
6. If using fresh green chillies, cut them lengthways and remove the seeds. Chop into very small pieces. Be careful when doing this because they are very hot. Remember to wash your hands afterwards.
7. You may find it helpful to put your prepared vegetables on the plate once you have chopped them.
8. Turn the hob onto high. Heat 1 x 15ml spoon of oil in the wok or frying pan. Add the sweet potato, aubergine and red pepper. Keep the heat under your wok high, and stir-fry the vegetables by moving them around the pan with the wooden spoon.
9. When they start to brown, add the green beans, carrots and courgettes. Again, keep the heat high and the veg moving! Stir fry them for about 5 minutes.
10. Add the cumin, garam masala, turmeric and green chilli. Turn the vegetables around in the pan so that they become coated with the spices.
11. After 1 minute, add the curry paste and the can of chopped tomatoes. Carefully stir the tomatoes into the vegetables. When they start to bubble, turn the heat down and let the curry cook gently for 10 minutes.
12. Stir in the coconut milk and pile the spinach leaves on top. They will cook down and become part of the sauce.
13. Cook for another 15 minutes or until all the vegetables are soft. Stir frequently to stop any of the sauce sticking to the bottom of the pan.
14. While the curry is cooking, you can prepare the onion garnish. Peel and finely slice the onion. Heat 1 x 15ml spoon of oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and cook them until they are golden brown.
15. When you serve the curry, sprinkle a few of the fried onions on top, and give everyone a quarter of lemon to squeeze over their curry before they tuck in.

Skills used include:
Measuring, peeling, chopping, boiling/simmering and frying.

Top Tips

• Take great care when touching the green chillies, because they are very hot. Make sure you wash your hands when you’ve finished preparing them.
• This curry is good with some chopped fresh coriander sprinkled on before serving.

Something to try next time

• The beauty of this curry is that you can use any vegetables that you like. Swap the sweet potato with new potatoes, use broccoli or cauliflower instead of the green beans or add frozen peas or sweetcorn.

Prepare now, eat later

• Chill any leftover curry and use within 24 hours. Reheat until piping hot, adding a little water if the sauce is very thick.