Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry
Serves 6-8
Creamy, sweet and spicy, this is a lovely curry that is cheap to make and is really satisfying. As well as tasting great, it is rich in iron from the spinach and vitamin C from the sweet potato. Using coconut oil and coconut milk rather than ghee and cream or yogurt keeps this vegan-friendly and is not bad from a diet point of view either as the quantities of these between the portions are small.
As long as your baby likes spices, this is great for them too; just siphon theirs off before seasoning at the end, and you could blend it before serving. You could add a little cooling full fat yogurt stirred into their curry if needed.
- Ingredients:
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 4 green cardamom, seeds only (pod removed)
- 1 dsp coconut oil
- 2 onions, halved and sliced
- 2 inch piece of ginger, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1 heaped tsp garam masala
- 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes
- 300ml veg stock
- Large pinch of dried curry leaves
- 250g spinach, washed
- 165ml coconut milk
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Step 1: Toast the coriander, fennel and cardamom spices and then blend in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.
Step 2: Add the coconut oil to a large pan on a medium heat. Add the onions and cook gently for 10-15 minutes until softened, but not browned.
Step 3: Add the ginger and garlic and cook for a further two minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 4: Add the freshly ground spices and cook for another five minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 5: Add the chilli powder and garam masala and stir, cooking for a couple of minutes.
Step 6: Add the cubed sweet potato along with the stock and curry leaves . Cover with a lid and cook for ten minutes on a gentle simmer.
Step 7: Add the coconut milk, replace the lid and simmer until the sweet potato is softened (about another ten minutes).
Step 8: Add your spinach, stir, and replace the lid for two minutes.
Step 9: Season to taste and serve.
I served this with nutty brown basmati rice and some spiced homegrown green beans. I simply blanched the beans until tender in boiling water and then lightly fried them for a couple of minutes in a little coconut oil, a teaspoon of brown mustard seeds and a teaspoon of ground cumin, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end.
