As early spring warms into longer, sunnier days, I find my dinners are a mix of winter’s root vegetables and early-bird greens and onions and herbs. This curry dish couldn’t be better suited for this in-between time — pair potatoes, sweet potatoes and/or carrots with kale or spinach or chard. Maybe you have some cilantro emerging from pots on your kitchen table or your first garden peas making an appearance on still-weak tendrils. Whatever you’re finding in the garden or farmers market or grocery store, it’ll be pulled together nicely with this flavorful broth of cumin and turmeric and and cayenne.
Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
- 3 tsp. curry powder
- 1/4-1/2 tsp. ground cayenne
- 3 cups winter vegetables (sweet potatoes, white potatoes, carrots), peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 cups (or 1 can) cooked chickpeas
- 1 cup aquafaba (the liquid leftover from cooking chickpeas; can be saved from a can of chickpeas or from cooking dried chickpeas). Use 1 cup of broth if you’d rather.
- 1 can coconut milk
- 3 cups green peas, kale, spinach, or chard, or a mixture of them. Greens should be washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces.
- 2 cups cooked jasmine or basmati rice
- fresh cilantro, parsley or chives (optional)
- plain whole milk or Greek-style yogurt (optional)
- unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in large soup pot or cast iron Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Add onion, ginger and green pepper and sauté until soft, about five minutes. Add garlic and sauté another minute more.
- Stir in spices and winter vegetables. Cook until just tender; don’t overcook at this stage.
- Add chickpeas, aquafaba or broth, and coconut milk. Stir well. Heat to a simmer. Simmer until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes.
- Add peas and greens. Continue simmering until everything is warm and cooked through.
- Serve by first scooping rice onto plate or into bowl. Ladle curry and vegetables on top. Then add herbs, yogurt and coconut flakes, if desired.