I grew up eating curry in England. I grew up cooking curry in England and I still crave it. In those early days I loved to eat cream-based sauces and the thick brown sauce that stuck to the most tender of meat.
And then I turned 50!
I crave the flavors as much now as I did then. I just don’t want sugar, simple carbs or dairy. So I improvise. As usual, Madhur Jaffrey is my guide, but I have adapted this recipe to remove the potatoes and the yogurt. A little plain, low-fat, yogurt is probably not a real problem, but I find that the addition of garlic and ginger to the coconut paste gives it plenty of flavor and none of the guilt. Eat hearty, because this is definitely good for you. Check out the ingredients section of this blog, as it is my intention, over time, to blog on the health giving benefits of both garlic and ginger. Use whatever vegetables that you have to hand. Just watch your steaming time when you have soft, easily over-cooked vegetables like broccoli and dense veggies like potatoes in the same pot.
Ingredients:
½ medium-sized eggplant, chopped
½ head of cauliflower
1 or 2 crowns of broccoli
1 cup desiccated unsweetened coconut, soaked in a little hot water for five minutes
4 green chillies, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
1-2 inches of garlic
1 tsp salt
3 medium-sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves
Method:
Place the eggplant, broccoli, green beans and any other vegetables that you have to hand, in a medium-sized steamer.
Steam until vegetables are almost done and then turn off the heat.
Put garlic, ginger and chilies into a food processor or blender together with the coconut and the soaking liquid.
Blend until you have a paste.
Place the paste in the bottom of your steamer or a large pot.
Add tomatoes and garam marsala.
Stir and simmer gently for five or ten minutes minutes – or until the paste has reduced.
Add your steamed vegetables to the pot, stir to coat and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes.
To serve, place the vegetable curry into a serving dish and garnish with the fresh coriander.
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