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South Indian-Style Vegetable Curry

This easy one-pot meatless main gets its complex flavor from a combination of spices including coriander, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, and cinnamon. The spices marry in a rich, flavorful sauce that has a comforting, belly-warming appeal. 

Read Ellie Krieger's blog post to learn more about the healing power of spices and how this recipe came together.

Serves 6

2 Tbs. canola oil
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated (1 Tbs.)
1 Tbs. ground coriander
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 Tbs. tomato paste
2 cups lower-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup light coconut milk
One 3-inch cinnamon stick
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small cauliflower, broken into 1-1/2-inch florets (about 4 cups)
1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (about 1 cup)
One 15-1/2-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 oz. baby spinach (about 4 lightly packed cups)
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

In a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium (or medium low if necessary) and cook until the onion is richly browned, 5 to 7 minutes more. Add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, for 1 minute to blend the flavors. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne; stir for 30 seconds to toast the spices. Add the tomato paste and stir until well blended with the aromatics, about 1 minute.

Add the broth, coconut milk, cinnamon stick, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low or low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the cauliflower, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and carrots. Raise the heat to medium high and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.

Stir in the chickpeas, spinach, lime juice, and zest; cook until the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes more. Season to taste with salt. Serve garnished with the cilantro.

Serving Suggestions

This curry only needs a basic brown rice or white basmati rice to be a complete meal.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 300; Fat (g): 10; Fat Calories (kcal): 90; Saturated Fat (g): 2; Protein (g): 12; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 3.5; Carbohydrates (g): 45; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2.5; Sodium (mg): 680; Cholesterol (mg): 0; Fiber (g): 12;
photo: Scott Phillips
From Fine Cooking 107 , pp. 33
September 2, 2010


user reviews

Star Star Star Star Star This is my favorite vegetable curry recipe, having tried many. The spice level is just right for me (what is often called "medium" in Indian restaurants). I made it just as written, except for substituting zucchini for the tomatoes. I served it over black sticky rice for a really beautiful presentation. This is really a flavorful, delicious recipe!
Star Star Star Star Star Loved this. Delicious, warm and wonderful. I made a few minor adjustments due to what I had on hand or didn't have on hand. I will definitely make this again. I blogged about it on my blog, Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness with a link back to the recipe.
Star Star Star Star Star This is a great, warm winter dish. I used butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes. Very fragrant and filling. Not spicy-hot, but that is easily adjusted. Using whole cherry tomatoes instead of chopped adds great visual appeal, between the red tomatoes, the green spinach and the bright sauce.
Star Star Star Star Star My boyfriend said this was the best meal I've ever made for him and we've been a couple for five years. It was a lot of prep but not difficult to prepare. I will, definitely, have this on my winter meal rotation. Wonderful dish.
Star Star Star Star Star Outstanding recipe. It takes a bit of time to get all the ingredients prepped but well worth it. I got everything ready to go before I started cooking and that made cooking the dish much easier. Absolutely delicious recipe and very flexible--for example, I used an entire can of coconut milk, as did a previous reviewer. Also, you can play around with which vegetables you use and amounts. This one's a real winner!
Star Star Star Star Star A tasty curry though I feel it was missing a little something. Substitions/changes: Put in full (540mL) can of coconut milk and an equal can of broth; omitted tomato paste (didn't have any, probably would have added depth of flavour), and added about 2 cups of mushrooms. I'm going to try adding some brown sugar and perhaps even some fish sauce to add more complexity. I would make this again, though I'll play around with the seasonings a bit next time.
Star Star Star Star Star Very yummy. I didn't have sweet potatoes, so left them out. I'm sure they would have added some sweet balance to the curry, but it was good without. I had to substitute frozen spinach, which was fine. Loved the balanced curry favor. I added one pound of firm Tofu, cut into 1" squares to the curry with the chickpeas. That added a bit of protein and created a more complete meal. I think this is a great recipe to throw in what you have on hand.
Star Star Star Star Star If I could give it 10 stars I would! Unbelievably deep flavour, aromatic and warm. And all really good on a cold winters night or a hot summer's eve with a cold beer. A few things I did differently: added whole mustard seeds after tempering the onions - this created a 'pop' in the mouth element which was fabulous, as well as adding a whole jalapeno as well as extra ginger. I also added more coconut milk, only because I had a third of a can left and didn't want to waste it. I used only bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and tofu and none of the starch the recipe called for (didn't have it in my kitchen). I did add a little salt at the end too. Served on bulgur, with a squeeze of lime, a dollop of greek yoghurt and a sprinkling of cilantro - HEAVEN!!!
Star Star Star Star Star Great vegetarian recipe! Wonderful for a cold winter night. Easily doubled to feed a crowd of very happy friends! Very good as leftovers for several days.
Star Star Star Star Star My husband made this for dinner last night... LUCKY ME! It's 24 hours later and the whole house STILL smells DELICIOUS! We had more than enough for another nights dinner... can't wait!
Star Star Star Star Star Excellent, easy. My husband expected it to be hotter, but I did not having read the recipe...it was a mild but extremely flavorful spicy curry so if you want it hotter then be sure to increase the heat to your own taste. This made enough for two of us for at least 3 meals (we froze some to put away). We would not change anything, and we have a lot of experience with east asian cooking.... We will definitely make this again!
Star Star Star Star Star Definitely our new favourite veggie curry recipe! Next time we will likely up the spice a bit (was mild and we like a bit of heat) and maybe, maybe, add a tablespoon of brown sugar at the end to bring out the sweetness of the coconut milk.
Star Star Star Star Star Made this recipe months ago and I still thinking about it! Great flavors and textures. You don't miss the meat!
Star Star Star Star Star This is a solid recipe. I will make it again, but as someone who prefers a bolder taste, I plan to make the following adjustments: double the spices, double the spinach. Nothing wrong with this as is, but if you like a bolder flavor and aren't afraid of a little heat, you will be disappointed unless you add more spice. The spinach holds the flavor best out of any of the ingredients, so more spinach would help too.
Star Star Star Star Star I made this dish last night and it was absolutely delicious!! Hearty and flavorful-I will make this again.
Star Star Star Star Star Delicious and satisfying.
Star Star Star Star Star I've already made this twice! It's wonderfully flavorful and satisfying (I served it over brown basmati rice). Plain, nonfat yogurt makes a nice condiment. Now a family favorite. Yum and THANKS,
Star Star Star Star Star Although I'm not a vegetarian, I do love vegetables and this makes a wonderful side dish. The warmth from the spices was just right and the leftovers were delicious.
Star Star Star Star Star Easy to pull together once the veggies are prepped. Gave the kitchen a lovely fragrant aroma. I confess I added some shrimp sauteed with a little sweet curry powder-hubby isn't ready to go vegetarian yet. Served over a mix of brown basmati and black rice. Great leftovers the next day.
Star Star Star Star Star By tasting this, you'd never guess how healthy it is! This is a delicious fall recipe and a great one to play with spices and heat. The cilantro gives a great fresh finish.
Star Star Star Star Star Delicious vegetarian curry recipe. My 9 year old daughter usually doesn't like "spicy" food, but she loved this dish. A great recipe to double-up and freeze.
Star Star Star Star Star Chockful of wonderful flavors and vitamins! Very quick and easy to make - just takes some time to chop up the vegetables.
Star Star Star Star Star One look at this photo and I was salivating. I adapted the recipe to meet my sodium restriction - by eliminating the salt altogether, and switching to no-salt-added chickpeas - and you'd never guess the dish is salt free. Talk about FLAVOR! Wowza! Many thanks to the talented Ellie Krieger for sharing. Truly delicious.