Vegetable curry is a common dish in Southeastern and Indian cuisine. It is an all-purpose meal for lunch or dinner. However, when we say “vegetable curry” we don’t mean the curry powder you purchase in markets or stores. We mean something like a stew that you combine with any favorite vegetable. Thus, you can pair it with a green vegetable, or white vegetable, if  prefered.  What you have is something similar to a vegetable sauce. In this case, we did it with potatoes and cauliflower. Simply, we sliced the potatoes and cauliflower into bite-size pieces and added them to the stew.

Note that this is a classic curry. Thus, it is a spicy dish, but you can moderate the spice to taste. In this curry you have such standbys as coriander, turmeric and paprika. We’ve also added fenugreek, an herb popular in Europe, Wester Asia and Northern Africa. The seeds of the herb are treated as a spice, and it is added to stews, meats and roasted vegetables.  So, liven up dinner with this marvelous curry. In fact, mix it up with your favorite pasta, rice or grain. It won’t disappoint. We once teamed it with kasha. Yes, kasha, buckwheat groats. A combination of Eastern European and West Asian cooking. Everyone scarved it up. So, amaze friends and family with this one today.

VEGETABLE CURRY

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger or to taste
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon paprika or to taste
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into bite-size morsels
1 head cauliflower, washed and cut into floret (remove hard stems)
Salt to taste
½ cup water mixed with 1 teaspoon flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions:

  1. In a large pan heat oil, over moderate heat.
  2. Add onion, garlic and ginger; and fry, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes or until onions are golden.
  3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the turmeric, coriander, paprika and fenugreek.
  4. Add lemon juice and a little water, if necessary, to make a small paste.
  5. Add paste to onion mixture and fry, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
  6. Add the vegetables to the pan and fry, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Stir in salt and bring mixture to a boil. Cover pan, reduce heat to low and simmer the curry for 20 minutes until vegetables are cooked.
  7. Add the water mixed with the flour to thicken sauce.
  8. Stir in heavy cream and serve immediately.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.