savoury

Veggie Gurkha Curry

• servings: 6

Ingredients

• 4 cm piece ginger
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 red chillies
• 4 cardamom pods
• 4 cloves
• 1 heaped tsp fennel seeds
• 1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
• 1 heaped tsp ground turmeric
• 1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 fresh bay leaves
• 30 g fresh coriander
• 250 g natural yoghurt
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 2 large onions
• 2 large aubergines
• 600 g sweet potatoes
• 400 g plum tomatoes
• 660 g chickpeas
• 450 g brown basmati rice

Cookware

• food processor
• large roasting tray
• oven
• large pan

Method

1. Peel ginger and garlic cloves, deseed red chillies and place in a food processor. Crush cardamom pods and add just the inner seeds to the processor along with cloves, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, ground turmeric, and ground cinnamon. Tear the stalks out of fresh bay leaves, adding the leaves to the processor. Pick the most beautiful fresh coriander leaves into a cup of cold water for later, then add the rest of the bunch to the processor with natural yoghurt and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Blitz until smooth.
2. Peel and quarter large onions. Wash large aubergines and sweet potatoes, then chop into 3 cm chunks. Toss the veg in the marinade in a large roasting tray (30 cm x 40cm) and, if you can, leave for 60 minutes or even overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C. Roast the tray of veg for 60 minutes until dark golden and cooked through. Transfer the tray to a medium heat on the hob, then pour in plum tomatoes tinned, breaking them up with a wooden spoon as you go, along with 1.5 tins' worth of water. Stir in chickpeas (juice and all). Leave to bubble and simmer away for 20 minutes, then taste and season to perfection.
4. Meanwhile, cook brown basmati rice in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain and return to the pan over a low heat so it gets a bit gnarly at the edges.
5. Portion up the rice. Ripple the remaining natural yoghurt through the curry, then serve sprinkled with the reserved coriander leaves.