Market stall-inspired Vegetable Curry

Sometimes you pass by an overflowing fruit & veggie stand and you have to turn back and browse the redder-than-red tomatoes, the muddy potatoes and sweet-sticky yams. ​Well, from constantly doing that, this dish is what we came up with and it's one of our favourite recipes to date: a veggie curry made up from whatever looked best in the market that day! 

Spain is famous for its fresh fruit and vegetable stalls that are filled with colourful and fresh local produce, spilling out of baskets and getting snapped up by little old ladies pushing ahead in line. You can get daily inspiration for meals from these stalls by checking to see which are the freshest fruits and vegetables that day and adjusting your menu accordingly.
We love to keep this curry recipe in the back of our minds as it is so versatile - one day the main ingredient will be sweet potato but the next, it could be butternut squash, lentils or spinach, and sometimes all three.

​Pair the curry with our delicious, spiced version of basmati (or whole-grain) rice and along with a cooling serving of yoghurt, you'll be making this cosy dish multiple times throughout the cold season.
​

​What we're aiming for:

A sharing bowl of vegetable curry (plenty for 2 with leftovers)
A sharing bowl of rice
Enough yoghurt to plop on top and keep the mouth cool

​The Curry:

The Components:

• 2 cups of red lentils (straight from a jar if you want)
• 1 sweet potato, cubed
• 1 red pepper, diced
• Two pineapple rings, diced
• 1 shallot diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon of garam masala*
• 1 teaspoon of curry powder
• ½ teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• 1 tin plum tomatoes
• 1 handful of fresh coriander
• A few glugs of olive oil

*In case you don’t have or haven’t pre-made garam masala, here is a quick recipe with spices you will probably have in the spice rack:
1 teaspoon ground cumin + ½ teaspoon ground coriander + 2 teaspoons black pepper + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + ½ teaspoon ground cloves + two pinches of ground nutmeg

The Algorithm:
- Place a large, deep frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the olive oil, garlic and shallot
- Cook until golden, then add ALL the spices and cook for a further 2 minutes
- Tip in the tomatoes and coconut milk, stir, then add the sweet potato, lentils, red pepper and pineapple
​- Bring to the boil, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally

The Rice 

The Components:

• Basmati rice
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5-10 cloves

The Algorithm:
​- Add two cups of rice to a saucepan, then four cups of cold water
- Add the turmeric, cinnamon stick and cloves and stir
- Place over a high heat, bring first to the boil, cover and then reduce to slightly higher than a simmer for about half an hour.  Don’t open the lid until at least half an hour has gone by.
​- When it looks ready, turn up the heat to medium for 3-4 minutes to crisp the bottom layer slightly

​The Yoghurt:

The Components: 

• 200ml greek yoghurt
• Half a cucumber, cubed
• Sea salt
• Dried mint

The Algorithm: 
- Add the ingredients to a small serving bowl, adding salt and dried mint to taste
- Mix well and place in the fridge until ready to be tabled

​And Finally...

- When everything is ready, add the curry and rice to separate warmed bowls
- Garnish the curry with some fresh, chopped coriander
- Bring out the yoghurt to dollop on top of the curry or keep in the bowl for each person to help themselves
- Serve and enjoy!