Chick Pea Curry

Ingredients:1 red onion, 100g mushrooms, 1 clove garlic, 1 sweet potato, 100g spinach, 1 x 240g can chickpeas, 50g cashew nuts, 2 x 15ml spoons curry powder/paste, 1 x 5ml spoon cummin, 1 carton coconut milk, 2 x 15ml spoons tomato puree, 1 x 15ml spoon sunflower oil.

Gather equipment needed.

1. Peel the skin from the onion. Make a bridge with your hand and cut the onion in half.

2. Put the flat sides down on the chopping board. Hold the onion firmly keeping your hand like a claw. Slice across without cutting through the root.

3. Turn the onion round and still holding it like a claw, slice in the other direction.

4. Peel the skin from the sweet potato.

5. Cut the sweet potato into thick slices and then into cubes.

6. Wipe the mushrooms on kitchen paper. Cut into chunks.

7. Peel the papery skin from the clove of garlic. Remove ends.

8. The vegetables should now look something like this.

9. Put 1 x 15ml spoon of sunflower oil into a large saucepan.

10. Add the chopped onion and fry gently for a few minutes.

11. Add the crushed clove of garlic.

12. Add the sweet potato and mushrooms. Stir over a medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes.

13. Add approx 2 X 15ml spoons of curry paste or powder.

14. Add 1 teaspoon ground cumin.

15. Add 50g cashew nuts.

16. Open the tin of chick peas and rinse under cold running water.

17. Add the drained chick peas to the pan.

18. Add 2 X 15ml spoons tomato puree.

19. At this stage the mixture should have a nice rich colour and look something like this.

20. Add about ¾ of the carton or can of coconut milk. You can add more later if necessary.

21. Stir well, put a lid on the pan and leave to simmer gently for about 20 – 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and add more liquid if needed.

22. There are various ways to cook rice. I like the microwave method and use 50g of long grain rice per person. Put the rice in a non-metallic bowl or pan and cover with boiling water.

23. Cook on the simmer setting for 23 minutes. When cooked the rice will have absorbed all the water and the grains will be fluffy and not stuck together.

24. Just before the curry is cooked, tear the spinach leaves into pieces.

25. Add the spinach and continue cooking for 1 or 2 minutes.

Serve with rice and poppadom, like this or ….

… like this!!