Curry dishes are loaded with vegetables, even those featuring chicken, fish, lamb, and other proteins. And they’re very healthy foods, if you work with reduced-fat recipes and serve them with sensible portions of the traditional accompaniments, rice or naan bread.
The spices that are so important a feature in curry also contribute valuable nutritional and even medicinal benefits. Ginger and turmeric, for example, are known to be effective anti-inflammatory agents. Cumin and coriander aid digestion.
Here we offer a variety of curry, each recipe selected for the minimum of fat and maximum flavor in it. You can raise or lower the spicy heat level in each one simply by adding or removing some of the chilies or pepper flakes.
Spinach, Chickpea, and Potato Curry
This recipe makes the most of the pantry ingredients that you may already have in the house. A hearty meal that’s easy to put together.
Prep time: 1 hour
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
A 2-½” piece of ginger, chopped finely
1 green chili, chopped coarsely
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 14-oz can chopped tomatoes
1 ¾ cups potatoes, measured after cutting into chunks
1 14-oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed
3 ⅓ cups fresh or frozen and thawed spinach, chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon garam masala spice
Instructions:
- Blend the onion, garlic, ginger, chili, and 3 tablespoons of water in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth.
- In a large deep frying pan heat the vegetable oil. Pour the onion purée in. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Add all of the dry spices and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and bring all to a simmer.
- Stir in the potatoes and chickpeas. Add 1 cup of water and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are cooked through.
- Add a little more water if it looks like sticking. Add the spinach and cook until it crumples.
- Stir in the lemon juice and garam masala. Cook for 1 more minute. Serve.
Turkey Curry
This curry makes the most of the leftovers.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 large onion, thickly sliced
1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
2 tablespoon curry paste
2 garlic cloves, crushed
14-oz can chopped tomatoes
1 ½ cup leftover turkey, diced
1 ½ cup leftover boiled potato, diced
2 tablespoons mango chutney
Small bunch coriander, roughly chopped
Instructions:
- In a large pan heat the oil over high heat. Cook the onion and pepper for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
- Stir in the curry paste and garlic. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and ½ cup water. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the turkey and potatoes. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Season lightly with salt.
- Stir the mango chutney in. Scatter coriander over everything. Serve with rice or naan bread.
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Vegetable Curry
This is a mild version of a traditional curry. You’ll make your own curry powder, instead of relying on commercial curry blends.
Prep time: 45 Minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Oil for frying
2 onions, halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
3 green chilies, sliced
2 tablespoons home-made curry powder (recipe below)
1 cup of coconut milk
½ cup vegetable stock
¾ cup butternut squash cubed
1 small cauliflower, broken into small florets
½ cup green beans, sliced
10 curry leaves
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
Home-Made Curry Powder
2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ star anise
½ broken cinnamon stick
6 cloves
2 pods cardamom
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon fenugreek
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
3-5 small dried red chilis, to taste
1 tablespoon basmati or jasmine rice
<h4Instructions:
- First, make the curry powder. Put the spices and chili in a non-stick frying pan, over low heat, and stir until the mix is fragrant. Remove from the pan and let it cool.
- Add the rice to the pan. Dry-fry until light gold. Cool. Grind the rice and fried spices in a spice grinder, mortar and pestle, or small food processor, until powdered. Note: the cardamom husks will separate from the seeds inside. Fish the husks out and discard.
- Heat 3 tablespoon oil in a large pan. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes until soft and pale yellow.
- Add the garlic and green chilis. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of the curry powder. Stir until the fragrance of the spices rises.
- Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock. Bring it to a simmer.
- Add the squash. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the green beans to be cooked until tender.
- To serve, heat another 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and fry the curry leaves and mustard seeds until they frizzle and pop. Pour over the curry.
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Kidney Bean Curry
You can call this “curry in a hurry.”
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2”-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 bunch coriander, chopped finely with stalks
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground paprika
2 teaspoon garam masala
14-oz can chopped tomatoes
14-oz can kidney beans, with its water
Instructions:
- In a large frying pan heat the oil over low-medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until softened and pale yellow.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and coriander stalks. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the spices to the pan and cook for another minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and kidney beans with their water from the can. Bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat down and simmer the curry for 15 minutes, until thick. Season with salt to taste. Scatter the coriander leaves over the dish. Serve with rice.
Satay Curry With Eggplant and Bell Pepper
Eggplant makes a meaty background for crunchy bell peppers and snaps peas in this meat-free, vegan curry.
Prep time: 40 Minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant, cubed
2 teaspoons peanut oil
½ large onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
A thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
1 ¾ cups light coconut milk
Snap beans, a handful
½ cup baby corn
2 limes, juiced
Instructions:
- Pour 1 teaspoon of peanut oil into a bowl. Scrape the eggplant cubes into the bowl and toss to coat with the oil.
- Heat a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Cook the eggplant for 5 minutes until it softens and gets brown.
- Add the onion, chopped bell pepper, remaining teaspoon of oil, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes until the onion has softened and the pepper is browning at the edges.
- Add the ginger, garlic and chili, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the peanut butter and coconut milk. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until thickened.
- Add the snap beans and baby corn. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the snap beans and corn are tender/crisp. Season lightly with salt. Stir in the lime juice.
- Serve with rice.
Curried Cod
This is a meal in one pot, light, and savory.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoon medium-hot curry powder
1 thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 15-oz cans chopped tomatoes
15-oz can chickpeas
4 cod fillets (about 4-5 oz each)
1 lemon, zested and quartered
A small bunch of coriander leaf, roughly chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion to cook for a few minutes over a high heat. Stir in the curry powder, ginger, and garlic.
- Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and chickpeas. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Cook the sauce for 8-10 minutes. It will thicken.
- Place the cod over the sauce. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, covered until the fish is cooked through.
- Scatter the lemon zest and coriander leaf over the fish. Serve with the lemon wedges to squeeze over.
Sweet Potato and Lentil Curry
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
A 2” piece of ginger, finely grated
6 fresh or dried curry leaves
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb), cut into chunks
⅔ cup red split lentils
1 ¼ cups low-fat coconut milk
1 ¼ cups vegetable stock
A handful of coriander leaves
1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions:
- In a large pan heat the oil over medium heat. Cook three-quarters of the onion with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and curry leaves. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the spices and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the sweet potato chunks and lentils.
- Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock. Stir well, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add a little water if it’s getting dry. Cook until the potatoes and lentils are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with coriander and the remaining onion on top, with lime wedges for squeezing over.
Beef Curry
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 2 to 2 ½ hours
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 tablespoon oil
500g diced stewing steak
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 2”-sized piece of ginger, grated
¼ teaspoon hot chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3 cardamom pods, crushed, seeds extracted and husks discarded
15-oz can chopped tomatoes
1 cup beef stock
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons garam masala
½ small bunch coriander, roughly chopped
Instructions:
- Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a casserole over medium heat.
- Salt and pepper the beef. Fry it in the casserole for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove it to a platter.
- Heat the rest of the oil and butter in the casserole. Add the onions. Fry for 15 minutes or until caramelized.
- Add the garlic, ginger, chili, turmeric, ground coriander, and cardamom. Fry for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock and sugar. Simmer.
- Add the beef. Cover the curry. Cook over low heat for 1 ½ – 2 hours or until the meat is fork-tender. Uncover the curry for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
- Stir through the garam masala. Season to taste. Scatter over the coriander over everything. Serve.
Lamb Biryani
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients:
For the cauliflower rice:
1½ cups cauliflower florets
½ teaspoon turmeric
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed, seeds extracted, and husks discarded
½ teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
⅛ teaspoon nigella seeds
For the lamb:
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 oz very lean lamb steak, cut into bite-sized pieces
15-oz can chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon water or stock
Tablespoon toasted flaked almonds
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
A handful of fresh mint leaves
Instructions:
- Put the cauliflower in a food processor and process into rice-sized pieces.
- Pour into a large bowl. Add the turmeric, cardamom, fennel seeds, black onion seeds, and some salt. Stir well. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Heat the oil in a wok. Add the onion and ginger to fry for 10 minutes, until soft.
- Add the chili and garlic. Cook 1 minute more.
- Stir in the cumin and coriander. Add the lamb and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and the water. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Microwave the cauliflower on high for 3 minutes. Spoon onto serving plates.
- Spoon the lamb and sauce over the cauliflower rice, then garnish each plate with the almonds, pomegranate seeds and mint leaves.
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