Tag: Curry

Yellow Split Pea and Cauliflower Curry

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This recipe was born from a sad cauliflower and a wilted bunch of coriander left over at the end of the week which needed to be used up. It got a resounding “I rate this” from my partner as we ate leftovers the next day. Absolutely none of the cauliflower is wasted, I simply adore cauliflower leaves and for anyone who has not tried them, this is the perfect dish to utilise them.

This is a fantastic way to use up any other vegetables too. Mix and match with other cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussel sprouts or even kale, or use other vegetables such as courgette, aubergine or green beans.

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 200g yellow split peas
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 large or 2 small onions, sliced
  • 2″ piece of ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 red chilli, sliced (or to taste)
  • 60g skin-on almonds, roughly chopped
  • 1 cauliflower head, cut into florets and leaves
  • 400ml coconut milk
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 200g fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 20g coriander, roughly chopped

To serve

  • Cooked rice

Method

  • Boil the split peas in plenty of water for 25 minutes, till cooked through but still firm.
  • Separately, in a large pan add the mustard seeds, ground coriander and oil over a medium heat.
  • When the mustard seeds start popping add the onion, ginger, chilli and almonds. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the cauliflower, coconut milk, turmeric, tomatoes and half of the coriander.
  • Drain the cooked yellow split peas, reserving 50ml of cooking liquid, and to the cauliflower mix. Cook together for 5 minutes.
  • Serve with rice and the remaining coriander.

Per serving: 387kcal/ 17.3g fat/ 2.2g saturated fat/ 22.9g carbohydrates/ 16.7g fibre/ 16.8g protein

Green Bean Curry

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I’m a firm believer that curries taste best when cooked long and slow, and often taste best the next day once the flavours have had time to mingle. However, there is always an exception to the rule, and this is it.

For those who are growing their own beans, you may be over-run with a large glut and not sure how to use them all up. Otherwise it’s time to buy some British seasonal beans while they’re in stock and make this delicious summer curry. Alternatively, you can buy frozen broad beans to make the dish all year round.

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly diced
  • 1cm piece of ginger, finely diced
  • 15g butter
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Large pinch of curry leaves
  • 900g mixed green beans e.g. podded broad beans, runner beans, green beans, dwarf beans, all chopped into roughly equal sizes.
  • 300ml coconut milk

To serve

  • Brown basmati rice
  • Toasted coconut flakes
  • Fresh coriander

Method

  • Gently fry the onions in the vegetable oil till soft and translucent, but without colouring.
  • Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes before adding the butter and spices.
  • Add the beans and stir to coat in the spices. Add the coconut milk and cook for 5 minutes. If the curry looks a little dry, add some water.
  • Serve over steamed rice and top with toasted coconut flakes and fresh coriander leaves.

Per serving: 195kcal/ 12.7g fat/ 2.4g saturated fat/ 12.3g carbohydrates/ 6.5g fibre/ 5.5g protein

Yellow Split Pea Curry

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Yellow split peas are such a versatile bean. So simple to cook and they make a really mean curry as would any lentil.

Yellow split peas are also extremely high in fibre, containing around 16g fibre per 100g cooked peas. In comparison, red lentils provide 6g fibre, and green lentils 8.7g when cooked.

Yellow split peas also retain a firmer texture when cooked, even for a long period of time. This means that they won’t fall apart, so you always get a rewarding chunky texture to your dish.

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 large onions, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 20g ginger, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 2 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
  • 200g yellow split peas
  • 200g fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1 large aubergine, roughly chopped
  • 1 courgette, roughly chopped
  • 300ml coconut milk
  • 30g coriander, chopped

To Serve

  • Lemon wedges
  • Cooked rice
  • Kefir naan

Method

  • Soften the onion in the oil till translucent but not brown.
  • Crush the garlic and ginger in a pestle and mortar and add to the onions. Cook for 2 minutes before adding in the tomato puree, dried spices, split peas, tomatoes, aubergine and courgette. Add 600ml water and simmer for 40 minutes till the peas are cooked through.
  • Add the coconut milk 5 minutes before serving.
  • Sprinkle in the coriander and serve with a wedge of lemon.

Per serving 334kcal/ 16.1g fat/ 1.6g saturated fat/ 25.4g carbohydrates/ 19.4g fibre/ 14.0g protein

Vegan Chickpea Curry

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This is my store cupboard staples easy curry. I always have the tinned goods in my cupboard as backup should I find myself without anything fresh to cook with. And the best part is it taste better a day or two old, so there’s no reason why you can’t make it on a Sunday, as I have, ready for a quick and nutritious no-fuss mid-week meal.

It’s also perfect for those doing Veganuary as it is naturally vegan, and as a bonus contains over 9g of plant based protein.

Eating the rainbow

This dish is versatile in the number of plant foods, containing an array of 7 different herbs and spices to complement 8 different plant ingredients. Add the rice and you’re well on your way to your 30 different plant foods for the week. In addition, it is an excellent source of fibre, containing half the recommended daily fibre intake of 30g just in this dish alone.

Cook the curry till thick

The trick to this dish is to cook it as slow and long as possible. If you don’t have much time to hand, it is still delicious if made within the hour, but if you have time, keep cooking on the lowest setting of your hob and top up with water when required. You could even get the curry ready, leave it overnight in the fridge and then quickly reheat it with the coconut milk and spinach the next day for a fast dinner.

The only other recommendation I can make would be to count in the cardamon pods and cloves. I hate nothing more than biting down on a whole clove mid way through my meal. Clove has a numbing effect, and is often used to help relieve tooth ache, not something I want to experience while eating my dinner. So, like a surgeon, I count them in, and then count them back out before serving, hopefully finding them all.

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 thumb sized piece of ginger
  • 5-6 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp onion seeds
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp cardamon seeds
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp chilli powder, or to taste
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • ~15 curry leaves
  • 35g tomato puree
  • 2 tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 400g tinned tomatoes
  • 30g fresh coriander, chopped
  • 200ml coconut milk
  • 300g baby spinach leaves
Use a pestle and mortar to crush the ginger and garlic

Method

  • Add the onions and rapeseed oil to a large pan and cook gently till the onions soften and become translucent.
  • Meanwhile, make a garlic and ginger paste in a pestle and mortar, bashing till as smooth as possible.
  • Add the garlic ginger paste, all the dried herbs and spices, tomato puree and chickpeas to the pan and cook together for 1 minute before adding the tinned tomatoes. Fill the empty tin with water and add the the pan.
  • Add the chopped coriander and allow to gently simmer away for an hour, or longer if you have the time. If the liquid reduces too much add some extra water.
  • 10 minutes before serving, add the coconut milk and spinach before returning to the heat to allow the spinach to wilt. Season to taste.
  • Remove the cardamon pods and whole cloves, and serve with rice or naan.

Per serving 258kcal/ 13.6g fat/ 1.3g saturated fat/ 21.8g carbohydrates/ 15.9g fibre/ 9.3g protein