Fusion South Indian – Sri Lankan – Mauritian inspired coconut curry

My hubby Roop was craving this last week so I came up with a Sri Lankan – South Indian – Mauritian fusion veggie coconut soupy curry. It came out so incredibly delicious and wonderfully versatile that I just had to share it with you!

Remember, you can add fish or meat to this dish too and whatever veggies you fancy!

This makes a lightly spiced and fragrant coconut curry  if you want a stronger taste, experiment with a little more of the turmeric, curry powder/garam masala, mustard seeds and chilli/cayenne pepper

Serves: 3-4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time:30 – 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 level tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 level tsp garam masala or curry powder (your preference – I used mother-in-law’s homemade garam masala)

small handful of curry leaves (I can only find dried organic ones not fresh – buts that’s good too)

a few sprigs of thyme

chopped chillies/pinch of cayenne pepper (again depending on your preference and taste – but be careful! Even the tiniest pinch of cayenne pepper is strong!)

1 large clove of garlic

1 inch squared of ginger

2 medium shallots or 1 medium onion, finely chopped

1.2 litres vegetable stock (or you can use fish or chicken stock)

1 can of coconut milk

150ml coconut or almond creme

1 parsnip

handful of brussel sprouts

1 carrot

1/2 courgette

1/3 medium butternut squash

5 large brown mushrooms

Method:

1. Steam the butternut squash, parsnip and brussel sprouts until they are 3/4 cooked. Steam any other veg together with this that takes a little longer to cook.
2. In a big saucepan, use a little bit of coconut oil or water to lightly saute the shallots/onions, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, mustard seeds, curry leaves, thyme for a few minutes on a medium heat. What you are really doing is infusing all the ingredients together and lightly toasting them. Be very careful not to let the mix fry and dry out… keep adding a little water if you need to to keep it all well lubricated and facilitate the infusing process.
3. Add the steamed veggies to the mix as well as the courgette and mushroom and mix it all thoroughly together making sure the infusion covers all the veg.
4. Add in the stock and coconut milk and mix thoroughly. Add in the coconut/almond creme until the mixture becomes a little thickened. But not too much because as the curry cooks on, it will become a little thicker anyway.
5. Add the garlic in 3 minutes before the end (this is to ensure the medicinal properties are not destroyed).
6. Add in your chillies/cayenne at the end for a very lightly spiced curry – that’s how I like it. If you want a much stronger taste, add this in larger quantities at stage 2.
7. Serve the dish with brown rice, quinoa or make it MASSIVE by adding in more vegetables/fish to make it a dish in a bowl.

Enjoy!