Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Sweet and spice and everything nice

Curries have always been one of my favourite dishes to make. They can be made to be extremely healthy and low in fat while still tasting great and giving the impression of decadence. I don’t know what it is that makes curries this way, for me, I think it’s the spices and exciting flavours that they create. Some people think that healthy food equals bland food. While this recipe may be simple and easy to make, it certainly isn’t bland!

I combined the staple spices with tasty vegetables that give you a great variety of flavours and nutrients. I love using Spinach in curry, it gives a great consistency and texture to the dish and provides your body with iron, protein and calcium too!

You’ll notice in this recipe that I’ve included Asafoetida (hing) as an optional ingredient. Many of you might find that, as vegans, we tend to consume a lot of whole chickpeas and beans. While these foods are great – they can take a bit of a toll of your digestion system (in other words – make you toot a lot!). I find that adding just a teaspoon of Asafoetida to dishes that include these ingredients can really help as a digestive aid. Although I haven’t used the herb primarily for its flavour, it does help to balance the other spices in the dish. When you first smell this powder, you might be put off by its pungency. Don’t worry, it does go away as you cook it and tastes like a mellower leek flavour

.

SWEET POTATO, CHICKPEA AND SPINACH CURRY

Feeds 4, Liberally | Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil (or preferred oil)
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. brown mustard seeds
• 2 tbsp. garlic & ginger paste
• 1 tbsp. curry powder
• 1 tbsp. garam masala
• 1 tsp. cinnamon ground
• 1 tbsp. chilli powder (I used kashmir)
• 125g fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1 can chickpeas (400g), drained
• 1 can chopped tomatoes or 400g fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 200ml water
• 3 tbsp. fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 tsp. asafoetida (hing) optional

METHOD

1. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into evenly sized cubes, then boil for 15 minutes.
2. While the potatoes are boiling, heat the oil in frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and fry until they start to ‘pop’, then add the garlic and ginger paste.
3. Add the onions and sauté until they start to soften and turn translucent.
4. Next, add the curry powder, garam masala, chilli powder, cinnamon and asafoetide. Stir to coat.
5. Once the onions are completely coated in the dry ingredients you can add the tomatoes and chickpeas and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
6. Add the water, turn up the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
7. Add a handful of the spinach and stir until covered, continue this process until all of the spinach is combined.
8. Add the cooked sweet potatoes to the pan, stir to coat.
9. Lower the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally.
10. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with coriander.

Notes

This dish works beautifully served over brown rice.