Vegan peanut curry with sweet potato

Vegan peanut curry with sweet potato

vegan peanut curry two bowls

Yesterday was a truly miserable day around these parts. Both me and Tina sat at home all day long watching it rain and wishing it had stopped. Me, because I stupidly procrastinated my running when I woke up – I am not a morning person, you see – I ignored the fact that the weather forecast made it clear that unless I get my ass in gear first thing, there is no chance for running in anything other than torrential rain with an occasional ‘hail massage’ thrown in!!

Despite my renewed love of running, I’m too soft for running in the torrential rain, so I stayed in. I am not proud of myself, but it was just too much self-flagellation for my taste. Instead, I did some chores, replied to a few emails, did some recipe planning and cooked this vibrant vegan peanut curry with sweet potato for dinner. It’s easy to make, filling, comforting and full of flavour.

If you don’t have red Thai paste to hand, use a different ready-made curry paste with compatible flavours of lemongrass, ginger, chilli and garlic. In fact, I ran out of red Thai curry paste once, yet I found a Malay rendang curry paste in my cupboard and used it instead, and it also worked a treat.

As it’s only about a month ’til Xmas, I will be switching gears and you’ll see more traditional Xmas dishes on here for the next four weeks, so I thought it would be fun to smuggle in one more South East Asian-inspired dish before Xmas fever grips us all 😛 . This simple peanut and sweet potato curry was a big hit in our house and I hope it will become one of your favourite midweek meals also.

vegan peanut curry ready

vegan peanut curry bowl

vegan peanut curry close

serves
4-6
PREP
15 min
COOKING
45 min
serves
4-6
PREPARATION
15 min
COOKING
45 min
INGREDIENTS
  • 2 tbsp / 30 ml oil (I used rice bran)
  • 2 medium shallots, diced finely
  • 2 garlic cloves, diced finely
  • thumb-size piece of ginger, diced finely
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tbsp vegan Thai red curry paste or rendang curry paste, depending on your heat tolerance
  • 200 ml / 7 oz canned (½ a can) tomatoes (I used peeled plum tomatoes) or 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled
  • 2 tbsp peanut butter
  • 200 ml / 7 oz coconut milk (½ can)
  • heaped ½ tsp salt, more to taste
  • juice of half a lime
  • 1-2 tsp sugar (I used coconut sugar) (optional)
  • 1 large sweet potato (approx. 400 g), cubed
  • 100 g / 3.5 oz kale or spinach leaves
  • 200 g / 1 cup cooked chickpeas
  • fresh coriander, to serve
  • chopped roasted peanuts, to serve
METHOD
  1. Heat up the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot.
  2. Add the diced shallots and fry them on a low heat until almost translucent (for about 5-7 minutes), stirring from time to time.
  3. Add the diced garlic and ginger. Keep on frying gently for another 5 minutes or so, stirring regularly.
  4. Mix the turmeric and the red curry paste into the aromatics and keep on frying them off gently for about 3 minutes until you see the oils separating.
  5. Stir in ½ can of tomatoes. If using whole plum tomatoes like I do, squash them with a fork once in the pan.
  6. Next, add in about 480 ml / 2 cups of water (or stock of you have any handy).
  7. Allow the sauce to come to a gentle simmer and simmer on a low heat until the tomatoes fall apart and the sauce becomes more uniform, without large tomato chunks in it.
  8. Mix in the peanut butter and coconut milk.
  9. Season with salt, lime juice and a touch of sugar (optionally) remembering that the sweet potato will add further sweetness.
  10. Put the cubed sweet potato into the sauce and cover the pot. Allow it to simmer gently in the sauce for about 13 minutes.
  11. Add the chopped up kale and simmer for about 2-3 more minutes, until tender. Finally add in the drained chickpeas for a minute, just to warm them up.
  12. Serve on top of rice garnished with fresh coriander and chopped roasted peanuts.

NOTES
If you can, allow the curry flavours to develop overnight as it always tastes better the day after it has been made. If you are making this dish a day in advance, I recommend not cooking the vegetables until just before serving.

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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
294
15%
sugars
9 g
9%
fats
17 g
24%
saturates
8 g
42%
proteins
8 g
15%
carbs
32 g
12%
*per serving
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5.0
23 reviews, 47 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Leno:
This was a great curry! I made it for my co-op and everyone loved it. I doubled the amount of chickpeas and garlic but kept the other proportions equal. Thank you.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Leno. I am so happy to hear that it went down so well with everyone and thank you for coming back to leave this lovely review – I so appreciate it 🥰. Ania
Rachel:
what would you use as an alternative to chickpeas as I am not keen.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Rachel,
    How about black eyed peas (the legume, not the band ;) ) or black beans or even lentils. Any legumes will work in theory but it depends what you like. x Ania
Wendy:
Tha great recipe, very tasty and easy to do. It was a winner in our ouse and we aren't vegans
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you Wendy, I am really happy to hear that this curry has gone down so well with you and your family. Ania
Maya:
I made some substitutions to make it WFPB and accommodate what I already had in the house and it came out amazing! Will be my go-to fall peanut curry :) Definitely something I would make for non-vegans too.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Maya, I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed and plan to make it again. x Ania
Andra:
I totally won weeknight dinner with this beautiful curry, packed with flavor and nutrients! Thanks Ania… must be the 20th recipe I made from your blog and another keeper! Looking forward to the holiday recipes! ❤️
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Andra! I am delighted to hear that you have been enjoying so much of my recipes including this one. As always, I really appreciate you taking the time to review - really helps me out, thank you. x Ania
ginette:
Ce curry est absolument délicieux. À refaire et je doublerai la recette. Rien à redire, c'est une recette parfaitement balancé.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Merci, Ginette! I am delighted you enjoyed it so much and thank you for taking the time to review - I really appreciate it. x Ania
Karen:
This is my go to curry! My daughter and I eat plant based but husband and other daughter love it too. Shared it with lots of people. If there is any over I heat it up with vegan stock the next day - makes a fabulous soup
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks for your kind words, Karen! I'm delighted to hear that it's such a hit with you and your family! Ania
Haley:
Ania, another hit! I'm honestly just gonna make all your recipes and be one content human! I made it late tonight (like midnight) and knew instantly that yes, tomorrow when the flavors have had time to hang out with one another, this will be even better!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thank you Haley! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed it! And thank you for taking the time to review - I really appreciate it! Ania
Elizabeth:
So simple and yummy!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Elizabeth! I'm delighted that you enjoyed it and thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review - I really appreciate it. x Ania
Ella:
Beautifully comforting and wholesome recipe! The creamy consistency and punchy spices dance joyfully across the tongue. Such a wonderful dish to celebrate the end of my exams with- I will certainly be cooking it again in the future! Thank you very much!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you so much for your beautifully worded review, Ella. I'm delighted to hear that this dish has brought you comfort and thanks again for taking the time to write up a review. x Ania
Stephanie:
Firstly, thank you for your blog, i enjoy your recipes. But, could you please, for my sanity, keep to the same measurements? Preferably grams. I am having to look up the weight of 1 cup chick peas, what about 1 sweet potato.? Sweet potatos have a huge size range. Thanks x
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Stephanie,
    I'm happy to hear that you enjoy my recipes. I really try my hardest to provide accurate measurements in both grams and ounces/cups (to cater to my US readers) and I've been known to make a recipe for the 8th time just to double and triple check my measurements but I'm only human and occasionally things slip through the net. As this is a curry, not a cake, precision really doesn't matter that much when it comes to these two ingredients, which is probably why I didn't think of it, but I will update the recipe now to give you a better idea. Hope this helps! Ania
Carys:
My absolute go-to recipe for an easy one-pot dinner. Perfect for entertaining too as limited effort but amazing tasting result! People always love it
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you so much for your kind words, Carys! I'm so delighted to hear that this recipe has been such a winner in your books. Ania
Jane:
This is my favourite quick and easy curry - all the family love it too! Thank you 😊
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear, Jane! Thank you. Ania
Loved it! This is the best curry I've ever made myself :). My 1.5 year old toddler also rates it highly. We added some cumin, but we didn't have any curry paste, coriander, garlic or spinach. It was still delightful.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear, RJ. Thanks for letting me know that you both enjoyed it! x Ania
Janice:
Loved this dish.! As we have half a tin of tomatoes and half a tin of coconut milk left we are thinking of making another batch tomorrow. Can we freeze it?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear and yes, absolutely! Ania
Megan:
Obsessed. So simple and yummy. Wholesome, healthy. Thanks so much for this lovely recipe!
    Ania
    Ania:
    aw, thanks so much Megan! I am delighted to hear that it has been such a hit with you. x Ania
Natascha:
Yummy! This is really good! I added some broccoli to have more vitamins in it. Next time I will also add plain tofu , read this in one comment, good idea. Thanks for the easy and delicious recipe!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear, Natascha - thank you for letting me know. All the additions sound great too. x Ania
Jane McHenry:
Super delicious, the only change I made was to add canned lentils instead of chickpeas, will definitely be making this again, thank you
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear that you enjoyed it, Jane! x Ania
Monique:
This is delicious! I used more peanut butter and added broccoli, zucchini and red pepper to the sweet potatoes. Served over cauliflower rice seasoned with lime.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you Monique, I am really pleased to hear that! Ania
Lola:
DO I add the sweet potato already cooked, or is it supposed to cook completely in the curry?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Sweet potato cooks in the curry (please see point 10 in my Method secion). Hope that helps! Ania
Conrad:
I don't cook much but I made this last night and it was fantastic. Highly recommended and thank you!
    Ania
    Ania:
    That's great to hear, Conrad! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Ania
MaryB:
This is so delicious. Thanks for such a great recipe. I will definitely be making this regularly.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear, Mary! Thank you. x Ania
Ruth:
Thank you!! This is the most delicious curry I have ever had!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Ruth! I'm delighted to hear that! Ania
Aimee:
Wow this was easy to make and so yummy!
I just used 1 heaped tablespoon of red curry paste instead of 2 tablespoons. Totally delicious!
    Ania
    Ania:
    That's great to hear, Aimee! x Ania
Bridget:
Absolutely fabulous. I made it for a girls curry night and everyone wanted the recipe. I used cashew nuts as I didn’t have peanuts. Will try it again with peanuts though. Thank you, your site is brilliant and so inspiring.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks so much, Bridget, I am so chuffed to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe – much appreciated! x Ania
Sam:
This is a fantastic recipe! I served it to a non-vegan foodie who must have said 10 times how well the flavours worked together - he had seconds and then thirds to prove it! I used a tin of black eye beans as a change from chickpeas - the firm texture and nutty flavour worked great. Many thanks Ania. I've tried several of your recipes now and very much enjoyed them all :)
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm so chuffed to hear that, Sam! Many thanks for taking the time to leave feedback, much appreciated! x Ania
Helen:
I made this for tea and it was a hit - even with my fussy toddler.
I didn’t have any curry paste so I just added some ground coriander, ground cumin, more lime juice, more turmeric and a bit of soy sauce to make up for it.
Delicious - thank you!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Helen! That's lovely to hear! Ania
Raschelle:
Made this tonight and it was very delicious. My favourite sweet potato curry to date. Definitely a keeper. Thanks!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks, Raschelle! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed it so much! x Ania
Natascha:
Dear Ania,
this is sooooo good, yummy, delicious and great! I made it today and it was quite easy and quick to make, no rare ingredients needed. With more routine dinner will be ready in half an hour. We just added some plain tofu because we love asian food with tofu! And I will definitely have this dish regularly! 🙂
Thanks for this awesome recipe!
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm delighted to hear that, Natascha! Thank you for taking the time to review the recipe! x Ania
Jude:
I have made this curry several times and it is delicious. I add a lot more than the suggested amount of curry paste, I love it super hot. I am going to make it this afternoon for my sister and her hubby. Something to look forward to this evening, after an afternoon of listening to a band and dancing like there’s no one watching. 😂 Thank you for the recipe. 🙏💛
    Ania
    Ania:
    That's great to hear, Jude! Thank you :) Ania
Ina:
I made it tonight - so delicious! I ended up doing it in my Instant Pot pressure cooker because I like to use it whenever possible :) Just did the saute in there and then once I added the potatoes I did it for 5 minutes high-pressure. I don't eat rice or grains, so I just had it as-is kind of like a soup and the taste was very good. Can't wait to try the leftovers tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe!
    Ania
    Ania:
    My pleasure, Ina! I'm super chuffed that it was a hit with you! Thanks for taking the time to leave this lovely feedback and rate the recipe - it helps my blog grow. x Ania
Aga:
Soooo delicious!!! One of the best currys I have ever had :) Thank you!
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm so chuffed to hear that, thanks so much for your kind words! Ania
Hi
Made this curry tonight and it was very tasty enjoyed by all the family. However I did add some prawns cause I’m not vegan. Thanks for the recipe.
    Ania
    Ania:
    My pleasure, I am glad you enjoyed the flavours. Ania
Sally-Anne:
We have just eaten this wonderful dish, very tasty.
I added some sugar snap peas as wanted to use them up. Didn’t have time to cook the rice (I forgot!) so I cooked some buckwheat noodles and they seemed to work well. Will definitely cook again. Thank you
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear that you enjoyed it and thank you for taking the time to leave me such a lovely feedback! Ania
Louise Dunne:
Could you use Massaman paste here instead for a much milder curry?
Thanks!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Sure, I don't see why not! Ania
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