My favourite curried veggies

Each mouthful of this is bursting with flavour as the carrots, peppers, cauliflower, peas and spinach are cooked in an amazing blend of coconut milk and spices.

I love serving this in a big bowl with a bed of hot brown rice under the curry and a good dollop of lime and chilli pickle on the side. It tastes even better the next day.

Serves: 3-4 people generously

Timing: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 medium cauliflower, broken into equal-sized florets
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into 2.5cm chunks
  • 2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped into 2.5cm chunks
  • 2 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 5 cloves of garlic, finely grated
  • 5cm root ginger, finely grated
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 3 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 5 cloves
  • 3 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 x 400ml can of coconut milk
  • 2 green finger chillies
  • Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
  • 200g fresh baby spinach
  • 100g frozen peas
  • A large handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

01 Heat the oven to 190C (210C non-fan). Take 2 baking sheets or trays. Place the cauliflower on the first tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper and mix to coat evenly. Place the carrots and peppers on the second tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp oil, salt and pepper and the cumin seeds, mix it all with your hands, then roast both trays for 45 minutes. Check every 10 minutes or so and give them a shake — you want the carrots and pepper to shrivel and sweeten, and the cauliflower to blacken a little.

02 Meanwhile, in a high-sided pot, gently heat the remaining olive oil, then add the garlic and ginger with a pinch of salt and stir so it cooks a little but doesn’t colour. Once they give off a lovely scent, add the rest of the spices and stir, making sure not to burn anything.

03 Add the tomato purée and stir again, then the tomatoes and coconut milk. Bring to the boil and let it simmer gently. Add the green chillies. If you’re like me and enjoy spicy food, slice them open and leave the seeds in. However, for a milder curry, throw them in whole. The longer you leave it simmering, the more delicious it will taste, but I cook it for at least 30 minutes.

04 When there are just 5 minutes left before you want to eat, taste the curry and add lemon juice to heighten the flavours. Stir in the spinach and peas — they should take about 2 minutes to wilt and defrost. Finally, stir in the roasted vegetables, being careful not to break the cauliflower florets apart too much.

05 Serve with brown rice or quinoa and sprinkle with lots of coriander before eating.

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