Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry
Course: Main Servings: 4
Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 40 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy/Moderate
VEGAN
GLUTEN FREE
Author: Jennifer Sargison
A rustic looking curry is the best!
Curry has become a favourite in all households, from a mild korma to a spicy vindaloo, you’ll find a curry to suit all tastes.
This basic curry paste is great for any curry that you enjoy to eat, you can add any veggies or meat substitutes that you like and you can also make it more or less spicy by simply adding more or less curry paste. You will need just a few dried spices and I would really recommend you using these as they a good foundation to ensure the curry has lots of flavour. The key to using spices is to fry them in oil before adding anything else, this brings out the flavour of the spices. The oil must be very hot and the spices need to sizzle for the aromas to be released. Once you’ve bought the spices they’ll last for a long time in the cupboards so it’s really worth the investment. You can purchase spices from supermarkets and my top tip is to look in the worlds food section as herbs and spices are often cheaper in this section.
For this recipe I have chosen to add sweet potato and chickpeas as they go so well together. The sweet potato absorbs the curry sauce and the chickpeas add protein and texture.
Ingredients
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp cardamom seeds
1 bay leaf
olive oil (for frying)
2 tbsp ready made curry paste (add more or less to taste)
2 large cups of water
1 large sweet potato
1 red pepper
2 tins of chickpeas
2 tins of passata
Optional handful of roasted seeds to garnish
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 C
Chop the sweet potato and red pepper into small bite sized pieces. Place them on a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for around 20-30 minutes or until golden and crispy around the edges. The timing will vary depending on how big you’ve diced the veggies, so keep an eye on them.
Whilst the veggies are cooking heat some oil in a wok or deep frying pan, add the cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, cardamom, mustard seeds and fry until they are all sizzling. The aroma will be incredible.
Add the curry paste, water and the bay leaf and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and passata, mix well and leave on a low heat to simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Add more water if the sauce reduces too much.
Once the roasted veggies are cooked add them to the curry sauce, mix and its all ready to go.
Serve with your favourite sides…rice, naan and poppadoms. Why not try making your own flat-breads, they are so simple, fluffy and perfect to mop up a curry sauce. My flat bread recipe is healthier than a naan bread and you’ll find the recipe here.
This curry will keep for a few days in the fridge and it also freezes really well too.
If you do make this then I hope you love it
Any thoughts or comments?
Leave a message and I will get back to you
Big love, Jen x