Okay, so curry is one of my favorite things to make. I love it. I love it's taste, texture, color, abundance and it's non-dairy glory. I have reviewed/tried several recipes for curry. I have decided that none of them really suit my fancy. So I concocted my own recipe. The best way to cook this is in a dutch oven on the stove top. If you don't have a dutch oven, you can just use a large heavy saucepan. It will definitely need to be large because you will be making a lot of curry!
Curry is easier to make if you start by prepping everything before you start cooking. Once you start cooking, it moves pretty fast.
1 cup chopped Onion
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 medium-large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 can chickpeas, drained
2.5 cups mixed frozen vegetables (I use stir-fry veggies)
2 cups tomatoes chopped WITH the juice (fresh or canned)
**Having your ingredients prepped before you start cooking makes it WAY less stressful! I also prep my spices. You can look ahead in the recipe and get all the spices ready in a bowl for when they go in!**
In this large saucepan or dutch oven, begin by heating about 1.5 Tbs of vegetable oil over medium heat. Once the oil is ready, begin sauteing the onion.
**The way you know your oil is ready is to get a little bit of water and splashing it on the oil. If you hear it make a crackling sound, it's ready!**
After sauteing the onions for about 5-7 minutes or until translucent, add 1 Tbs chopped Garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Now it's time to add the spices:
2 Tbs Curry Powder
1 Tbs Tumeric
1.5 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1.5 tsp Basil (1 Tbs if fresh)
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
Salt and Pepper
You are going to saute the onions, garlic and spices for about 1-1.5 minutes or until fragrant. This means that you will actually be able to smell the combination of spices as you stir the mixture. Stir frequently because it will burn easily if you aren't careful. Next, you are going to add the carrots and potatoes. You want to stir this well for about a minute. Make sure they are well covered with the spices. Next you will add the chickpeas and the tomatoes with their juice. This will generate liquid in your pan and stirring will get easier. Finally you will add your remaining veggies and:
1 can Coconut Milk
2 Tbs Peanut Butter
2 small Bay Leaves
1 tsp Lemon Grass (optional but it makes a difference if you have it!)
1 tsp Grated Orange Peel
I told you this moves fast! Once you start cooking, you will only be doing about 12 active minutes of cooking! Now it's time to let this simmer. You won't need to simmer it too long, only about 30 minutes or until you reach your desired consistency. You want to make sure the potatoes are done (tender when poked with a fork).
You will want to serve this with rice. Any rice will work. I like to cook mine with either vegetable or chicken broth to give it more flavor!
Garnish this with basil, a dash of cinnamon, and some orange peel. Peanut butter is also a good garnish!
**This recipe is vegan! Unless you cook your rice with chicken broth, of course. Feel free to add chicken or shrimp to this delicious recipe!**
I really hope you try this! Let me know how it turns out!
