While it started to feel like spring only a few days ago over here, the cold is back on and so I am still in the comfort food mode. Today’s recipe is the simplest sweet potato curry that only requires some staple cupboard ingredients and a couple items of fresh produce.
This South Indian-inspired sweet potato curry is easy and quick to make and tastes delicious, especially the day after it was made. I like to serve it on some plain steamed rice, topped with fresh coriander and some toasted cashew nuts for some extra texture. If you want to make it more nutritious use brown rice or accompany the dish with some flaky naan bread for a more indulgent meal.
I am only just over a week away from my driving test and as UK is in a driving test shortage (there are no tests available for months and months), I am starting to feel a lot of pressure if I am honest. This is when a recipe like this sweet potato curry is fantastic. I can make a double portion of it an about an hour and instead of worrying about what to cook for dinner, I can spend all my time practicing driving with my super patient (and long suffering may I add) husband, cramming ‘show me tell me‘ questions and looking at driving test routes online. Hope you’ll enjoy this curry as much as we have been.
Start off frying whole spices in little oil. Once mustard seeds start popping and cumin seeds become fragrant, add finely diced onion. Carry on frying it gently until translucent and softened, before adding in ginger and garlic. Once ginger and garlic are softened, add most of the ground spices to the aromatics for about 30-60 seconds. Be sure to keep the flame really low and season at every stage of the cooking process.
Next, add in canned tomatoes. Squash them down well with a wooden spoon or a potato masher to speed the process up.
Next add in some water and cook the tomatoes down on low-medium hear until fairly unform sauce forms. If the tomatoes are still chunky but the pan starts to look dry, add a splash more water and carry on simmering.
Next goes in coconut milk and cubed potatoes. Put the lid on and simmer the curry until potatoes are cooked through – about 15 minutes.
Add drained chickpeas to the pan, season with more salt, lime juice and a pinch of sugar if needed. Serve on plain rice, with chopped coriander and toasted cashews on top.
DRY SPICES
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp hot chili flakes
- 10 dried curry leaves
- 1½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- a good grind of black pepper
- 1 tsp garam masala, divided
CURRY
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil (I use mild olive oil)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- a thumb piece of ginger (2 tbsp very finely diced)
- approx. 1 tsp fine sea salt, adjust to taste
- 400 g / 14 oz can of peeled plum tomatoes
- 500 g / 17.5 oz sweet potatoes (2 medium)
- 400 g / 14 oz can full fat coconut milk
- 400 g / 14 oz can chickpeas (optional)
- handful of cashews (optional)
- juice of ½ lime
- handful of coriander/cilantro, chopped
- Get your spices ready. Place ground spices (apart from ½ tsp garam masala) into a small bowl..
- Heat up oil on a low-medium heat, in a heavy bottom pan. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and wait until they start popping, stirring from time to time.
- Add in cumin seeds, dry curry leaves and chilli flakes. Fry gently for a minute or so – until the cumin releases its fragrance.
- Add chopped onion, saute it gently, stirring from time to time until it gets soft and lightly caramelised in places. Season.
- Add garlic and ginger. Cook for about 2 minutes stirring frequently so that ginger does not stick to the pan.
- Reduce the heat to low and add all the ground spices (save ½ tsp garam masala for later). Coat everything in the pot in the spices. Stir frequently, cook for 30-60 seconds until all spices are fragrant.
- Add canned tomatoes squashing them down well with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Add a can worth of water and salt.
- Simmer, stirring from time to time, until the tomatoes fall apart and thicken into a slightly chunky sauce – add more water if the pan is looking to dry before.
- Meanwhile, cut peel sweet potatoes and cut into small (1 cm / 0.4 inch) cubes. Heat up a small pan on low heat and toast cashews until browned on both sides. Set aside to cool, then chop roughly.
- Add coconut milk to the pan, let the sauce come to a gentle simmer than add potato cubes. Cover, then simmer for about 15 minutes – or until potato cubes are cooked through.
- Take the lid off, add drained chickpeas to the pan, season with lime juice and sprinkle with garam masala.
- Serve on top of cooked rice or/and with a vegan naan, with chopped coriander leaves and toasted cashews on top.