Curry Anyone : Cauliflower, Swede & Turnip Curry

A friend of mine often says, any day with a 'y' in it makes it a good day for curry,  and she could be right! The first curry recipe in Britain appeared in the recipe book, The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy by Hannah Glasse in 1747. Of course the original curry pre-dates this by centuries, and you can read more about curry, its history etc. here 

In more modern times curry can make a nice addition to your menu plans, and this suggestion uses root vegetables, which I know many readers find delicious. Once cooked serve this dish how it suits you ... on it's own-very tasty, or perhaps with rice and yogurt, or why not keep it lower carb and consider making some cauliflower couscous.

The recipe given below is 6.2g carb per serving.

Ingredients
Serves Four
Vegetable oil for frying
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
25-30 fresh curry leaves
1 small onion, grated
2cm fresh ginger, grated
2-3 dried red chillies
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
200g chopped tinned tomatoes
4 tbsp. desiccated coconut
250g mixed swede and turnip, diced
1 small cauliflower, broken into florets
Handful of chopped fresh coriander

Method
1. Heat a little oil in a frying pan, then add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Cook for a minute until the mustard seeds just start to pop, being careful not to let them burn (see tip), then add the onion and ginger and fry for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the dried chillies, turmeric, fennel and fenugreek seeds, then fry for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, coconut, swede, turnip and a good splash of water. Season, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Stir through the cauliflower, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Scatter with the coriander and serve.

Tip
Keep an eye on the mustard seeds – if they start to burn the dish will taste bitter.

Nutritional Information
Fat 9.7g Protein 2.3g Carbs 6.2g Fibre 4.3g
From an original idea here

Did you know about Fenugreek seeds, they are a popular seed in Indian cookery, in which it's termed methi, this small, hard, mustard yellow seed has a tangy, bitter, burnt-sugar flavour.

The herb of the same name (see fenugreek herb) is grown from it and is also used in Middle Eastern cooking.

Fenugreek Seeds

They are available all year round, but choose the best:-
Like all seeds, fenugreek seeds are best bought little and often - that way, instead of having them languish in your store cupboard for a long time, you can buy more, fresher seeds as and when you need them. The best place to buy them is Indian speciality stores.
How to prepare them:-
You'll get more flavour out of fenugreek seeds by grinding or dry frying them. To dry fry, heat up a pan, tip in the seeds and, over a medium heat, brown for a couple of minutes, tossing them around the pan frequently. As the seed's so hard, they're difficult to grind by hand so, for recipes that call for ground, rather than whole, buy ready-ground, unless you have a small coffee grinder.
When you store them:-
They are best kept in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, and should last for up to one year.
Cook them:-
In curries, pickles and sauces.

You will find a variety of recipe ideas within this blog, but please note, not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan