If you don't have the time or the inclination to faff about with spices etc, just use curry paste. It's not essential for the recipe that you do it all from scratch; as I've said I have a particular passion for Indian food and spices so I happen to have all the spices in my cupboard; you may well not. The key thing about this recipe is really the roasting of the tomatoes and vegetables together. Doing this means you don't have to keep much of an eye on it and you can leave it in the oven for 40 minutes or so. Also, the roasted tomatoes really make the sauce what it is.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
750 grams tomatoes
600 grams mixed veg suitable for roasting (I used a mixture of butternut squash and carrots)
2 red onions
4 cloves garlic
3 tsp garam masala
2 - 3 chilli peppers
2 cm fresh ginger
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried coriander
1 teaspoon dried cumin
1 teaspoon fenugreek
1 tin chickpeas
100g fresh spinach (though frozen will also do fine)
1 stock cube
100g creamed coconut (or 1 tin coconut cream if you prefer your curries to have a thinner consistency)
Fresh coriander
Instructions:
1. Peel and chop the mixed vegetables and the onions and TWO of the garlic cloves, and add to a roasting dish.
2. Chop the tomatoes into eighths and add to the pan. It will look like a lot of tomatoes, but they reduce down considerably
3. Coat the vegetable mixture in some vegetable oil, along with TWO tsp of the garam masala, shake to coat the veg as much as possible.
4. Roast at 200 degrees celsius for around 40 minutes, or until everything is soft, shaking occasionally.
5. Once the vegetables are ready, slice the remaining two garlic cloves, two of the chilies and the ginger, and fry in oil along with the cumin and mustard seeds for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the roasted vegetable mix to the pan. The tomatoes should still have some shape to them, but if you stir thoroughly they will begin to break up.
7. Add the remaining spices (turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, fenugreek, paprika), and crumble the stock cube into the curry, stirring to mix.
8. Drain the chick peas and add them to the pan, along with the spinach.
9. Add the creamed coconut in chunks and stir thoroughly to break it up. It will considerably thicken the sauce, so add hot water to the curry to get the consistency you prefer.
10. Continue to cook until heated through and the consistency you desire, adding the remaining tsp of garam masala and fresh coriander towards the end, stirring so combined thoroughly.
11. Serve with rice or naan bread, garnishing with some fresh coriander, and the remaining chili pepper.
