Vegetable Curry With Coconut Milk

I hope you are having wonderful holidays so far and that you're looking forward to a pleasant New Years Eve!

Unfortunately, I was sick over Christmas and haven't been able to think of anything more flavorful than mint tea and dry toast for a while. But I'm feeling better now (apart from being up in the middle of the night with blog insomnia!) so I'm posting one of my favorite go-to recipes. This is a good every day recipe because it's comforting and creamy (but without any dairy), and you can put in whatever veggies you like, but it's also a recipe you can serve to company, a bit exotic but not toooo scary for conservative eaters. On top of all that it's vegetarian, vegan even, if you use something non-dairy instead of the ghee or butter.

Vegetable Curry with Coconut Milk

(for 4 people)

1 carrot

2 potatoes

a handful of green beans

a handful of cauliflower

1 tomato

1 onion

1 piece of ginger (2cm)

1 small piece of hot pepper (more or less depending on the strength of the pepper)

1 stick of cinnamon

4 cloves

25cl (1 cup) of coconut milk

2 tablespoons ghee (or butter)

a pinch of pepper

Peel and wash the carrot. Cut it into pieces (3-4cm long) and then into sticks. Peel, wash and cut the potatoes into chunks. Snap the ends off the green beans, wash, and cut in half. Detach and wash the cauliflower and boil a few minutes in salted water until almost cooked. Wash and cut the tomato into 4 pieces. Peel and cut the onion into slices putting aside the first layer for later. Peel, wash and chop the ginger.

In a pot, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee on medium heat and add the onion for 2 minutes. Add the hot pepper, cinnamon, clove, ginger, and stir for another 2 min.

These pictures are a version I made with turnips instead of cauliflower.

Add the vegetables (except cauliflower), 20cl of coconut milk (a little more than ¾ cup), and 10cl of water (a little less than ½ cup). Salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and let simmer for around 15min on medium heat until the potatoes are cooked. Add the cauliflower and the rest of the coconut milk. Test the seasoning, adjust if necessary and cook for another minute.

In a small frying pan, heat the rest of the ghee. Cut into slices and brown the layer of onion that was put aside. Add the onion to the pot, and/or use for garnish.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! May 2009 be fun and flavorful!