Vegan Red Lentil & Coconut Curry with ChefGary
I do love a great curry - I also love a healthy and nutritious meal - I certainly love a challenge and I really do love a spicy, authentic and vegetarian dish made with plenty of passion mixed in. Bringing together all of the above, I created a superb recipe that also ticked all the boxes in terms of flavour, fresh ingredients, nutritional balance and exciting flavours and textures. Still serving up a decent portion of super tasty grub, this curry is a low calorie winning dish in every way!
This morning's cooking was spent teaming up with Terry "Coach Anderson" for our second cook off with our continued vision. My culinary skills combined with Terry's nutritional knowledge is a well balanced combination. We both love our food and want to be able to share recipes that are easy to reproduce. My love of curries and spices set the theme for our latest recipe - the fact that it is suitable for vegans meant this recipe is open to everyone, providing lean sources of protein, a healthy source of vegetables, minerals and vitamins and with plenty of texture too. Fear not all you meat lovers, this curry still packs a punch and should definitely not leave you feeling something is missing. You can of course easily amend the recipe using some lean chicken or pork or even King prawns, though we felt for our recipe cards we would stay true to our original recipe to keep it more versatile.
Recipe (Feeds 6)
Malay inspired sweet potato, cauliflower, red lentil and coconut curry.
Start with:
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 inches fresh ginger, grated
1 red Pepper, chopped
Handful fresh coriander stalks
2 stalks lemongrass, chopped
6 kaffir lime leaves
2-3 green chillies
1 tablespoon Garam masala
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
Little Salt
Blend into a paste and fry in a tablespoon of coconut oil until darkened and thickened, then add:
1 tin coconut milk
1 tin chopped tomatoes (Blended)
Bring to the boil, simmer for ten minutes, then add:
2 medium sweet potatoes (roasted in their skins, then diced)
1 head cauliflower (cut into florets and blanched)
200 grams baby spinach leaves
200 grams red lentils (cooked)
Simmer for ten minutes then add the garnish:
Juice of 1 lime
Bunch coriander leaves, chopped
Bunch Thai basil leaves, chopped
4 Spring onions, finely sliced
1 red pepper, finely sliced
100 grams cashew nuts
Stir and serve
(Reserve some of the garnish to go atop if desired)
We recommend serving our curry with rice and/or some homemade chapatis.
Nutritional information:
Curry, (Based on 6 portions from the recipe above) 498 Kcals
Protein: 21 grams
Carbohydrates: 72 grams
Fat: 14 grams
Rice, (Based on 50 grams per person) 114 Kcals
Protein: 4 grams
Carbohydrates: 21 grams
Fat: 1 gram.