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A seasonal vegetable curry

publication date: Nov 10, 2007
 | 
author/source: Fiona Beckett
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This is a totally flexible recipe you can adapt depending on what’s available. You just need to make sure all the veg are cooked properly - some take longer than others*.

Serves 4-6
Vegetarian, Vegan
Time: About 30 minutes
Cost: About 50-75p a head

About 1 kg mixed veg which could include: 1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped, 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced, 1/2 a medium cauliflower, cut into florets, 1 small to medium sized aubergine, cut into cubes, 1/3 to a 1/2 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut into chunks, a handful of green beans, a courgette, trimmed and cut into rounds
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2-3 tbsp curry paste, depending how strong the paste is and how strong you want the curry
1/2 - 1 x 400g tin of tomatoes, roughly chopped
up to 600ml (about 2 1/2 mugfuls) vegetable stock made with a vegetable stock cube or 1 tbsp vegetable bouillon powder
1 x 400g can chickpeas (leave out if you’re serving a dal alongside)
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander - optional but good
Salt and lemon juice to taste
Soy or plain yoghurt to serve

Put any of the harder root veg (see below) in a saucepan and cover with boiling water. Bring to the boil and cook for about 8-10 minutes (adding the cauliflower and beans, if using, half way through). Meanwhile heat the oil in a wok and stir fry the aubergine and squash for 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped onion and courgette turn down the heat a bit and keep frying until the vegetables are soft (about another 5 minutes.) Stir in the curry paste and tomatoes then add the boiled veg and their cooking water and enough extra stock to cover all the vegetables. Bring to the boil, cover the wok and simmer until the vegetables are tender (about another 10-15 minutes). Add the chickpeas and coriander, if using, and heat through. Check the seasoning, adding salt and lemon juice to taste. Serve with rice, naan or pitta bread and a dollop of plain or soy yoghurt (or an onion raita)

TOP TIPS:

* Root veg like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, swede, turnip and parsnip take a fair time to cook and should be boiled, steamed or microwaved for 5-10 minutes (depending on size) before adding them to a curry. The smaller you cut them, the less time they’ll take, obviously.

* Veg which are better fried are aubergines, squash, tomato and courgettes - anything with a high water content

*Frozen peas can be chucked in during the last 2-3 minutes of the cooking time along with the fresh coriander, if using



 

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