This recipe is a life saver in our home. I cook it often, when I have few of many vegetables left and don’t know what dish to make. And it usually solves the issue of having too little of one vegetable to make it as a main dish and not wanting to throw it away. I avoid as much throwing food away, I think it is a shame and we should do our best to use up everything we have.
The ingredients can be quite simple, but I do recommend having some staples in the pantry, like: rice, onions, garlic, ginger, potatoes, some sort of cabbage, cans of coconut milk, oil, dried or canned mushrooms, carrots and some spices, normal or exotic.
I made my on spice blend with what I have, but you can use a premade curry mix if you wish. If not, main ingredients would be fennel seeds or cumin seeds, cinnamon, turmeric (curcuma), maybe lemongrass, black pepper.
Vegetable Curry
Ingredients
- 3 medium potatoes
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 Nappa cabbage
- 150 g fresh okra
- 300 g kale
- 150 g mushrooms e.g shiitake
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 can water
- 1 tsp Gokhujang korean chili paste – optional
- salt to taste
- juice of half a lemon
Spices:
- 2 lime leaves
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp turmeric curcuma
- pinch of dried lemongrass optional
- pinch of Tom Yum optional
Instructions
- Cut potatoes in medium sized pieces.
- Chop onions and garlic.
- Cut Napa cabbage in big chunks, bite size.
- Chop roughly the mushrooms.
- Place pot on a medium high heat. Add oil, onions and garlic.
- When softened, add spices and tomato paste. Stir 30 seconds.
- Add the can of coconut milk and the same can filled with water.
- Add the chili paste and salt to taste.
- Add the potatoes, mushrooms, kale.
- Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a shimmer.
- After 15 min add the okra and the Napa cabbage.
- Cover and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Add the juice of half a lemon, taste to see if it needs more salt.
- Serve with a bowl of steaming rice or noodles.
