by Sophie Godwin from ‘Sundays: A Cookbook’ (Murdoch Books)
Photography: Caitlin Isola
I love a vegan curry, especially one that is heavy on spice, giving you little pops of flavour as you’re eating. To bring things up a notch, I’ve roasted the veg and added a crispy garlic-and-coriander-naan crouton situation. Banging.
Serves 4
Takes 1 hour
V can be VG/DF
Ingredients
500g (1lb 2oz) new potatoes
1 large cauliflower
6 tablespoons rapeseed or other neutral oil
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 onion
large thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
1 green or red chilli
7 garlic cloves
handful of coriander (cilantro)
4 tablespoons whole spices (I like a mix of cumin, coriander, mustard and fennel seeds)
2 x 400g (14oz) tins coconut milk
100g (3½oz) baby spinach leaves
2 naans (check the ingredients if you’re vegan)
juice of 1 lime
cooked rice, to serve
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7.
2. Leaving their skins on, slice the potatoes into 1cm (½ inch) rounds, then chop the cauliflower (stalk and all) into medium-sized pieces. Toss the potato and cauliflower
on a large baking tray with 4 tablespoons of the oil and 2 tablespoons of the curry powder. Season, then spread into a single layer so they roast evenly. Roast for 25–30 minutes, tossing halfway.
3. Meanwhile, roughly chop the onion, ginger, chilli and 3 of the garlic cloves. Put into a blender or small food processor. Add the coriander stalks (keep the leaves
for later), along with the remaining curry powder and 5.tablespoons water. Blitz to form a curry paste.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over a medium–high heat. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes until the water has evaporated.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of the whole spices, cook for 1 minute more, then pour in the coconut milk. Quarter-fill one of the tins with water and pour into the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and leave the sauce to bubble away until the veg has finished roasting.
6. Add the roasted veg to the curry sauce and set aside the tray (don’t wash it!). Stir carefully. Dump in the spinach, then leave over a low heat to wilt.
7. For the naan croutons, finely grate the remaining 4 garlic cloves into a bowl and stir in the remaining oil. Tear the naan into crouton-sized pieces, then place on the reserved tray in a single layer. Drizzle with the garlic oil and season.
Roast for 5 minutes, then add the remaining whole spices, toss to coat and roast for another 2–3 minutes until the croutons are evenly golden and crisp.
8. Stir the lime juice into the curry and season to taste.
9. Top with the coriander leaves and garlic naan croutons.
Serve with rice at the table. An epic win.
