Cold night, warm curry

Winter kicks in around these parts in late May. The weather has been bitter for the past few days: cold, windy, damp. Snow has been falling not far from here, and you can feel it.

Scarves, gloves and coats are the order of the day – and thank goodness for my new pair of warm boots, which I had on lay-by and paid off at just the right time! At this time of year, I love eating food which warms me from the inside: soups, casseroles, stews ... and curries.

This curry is one of the simplest recipes I know [which is good, since I’m a simple cook]. The most complicated part is the curry powder mix. I make it in bulk and keep it in a jar; or make up one recipe’s worth the night before. Once the curry mix has been made, you can have this curry on the table in about the time it takes to cook a pot of rice.

You’ll notice there’s very little chilli in the curry mix. This recipe is supposed to be fragrant rather than hot, but you can add more chilli if you want. Also, adjust the salt if you need to. I tend to be lazy and don’t bother grinding the curry mix, which is fine if you don’t mind eating whole coriander seeds and picking out whole cloves. The “secret ingredient” is the cardamom seeds – if you can find them, use them rather than pods or ground cardamom. Their flavour is divine: but don’t use more than ½ tsp as they’re very strong!

This recipe is vegan, but in my experience meat-eaters will happily scoff it. If you must add meat, chicken would probably be nice.

FRAGRANT CASHEW CURRY
Curry powder mix:
½ tsp ground chilli
1 flat tsp sea salt
1 T coriander seeds
1 T cumin seeds
1 T fennel seeds
½ tsp whole cardamom seeds
½ tsp whole cloves
1 T turmeric

1 carrot, diced
¾ cup green beans, fresh or frozen
¾ cup cauliflower, cut in small florets
1 400ml tin coconut cream
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup water
1 cinnamon stick
½ cup raw cashew nuts

Combine all the curry powder mix ingredients. Grind them in a spice/coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle, if you wish and set aside. In a large pot, heat some oil and add the carrots, cauliflower, onion and garlic [and the beans if you are using fresh ones]. Cook, stirring, until the onion starts to soften. Add the curry powder mix and stir quickly to coat the veggies in the curry. Add the coconut cream, water and cinnamon stick, and mix well. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for five minutes or until the veggies are just tender. If you are using frozen beans, add them, and the cashew nuts. Cover and simmer for five minutes, or until the beans are just tender. Serve with plain white rice.