One of the questions I get asked so frequently by most of them who know me is that ‘How to make a good vegan curry?’. Making curry at home is so different to the ones you eat at restaurants. It is not as hard as you think it is. This is a fool-proof recipe to make an amazing curry at home. No spice mixes. No weird additives you don’t know the name of. Very simple, yet this will taste amazing.
I have used kale and sweet potatoes. Feel free to add what you like. Customisable to your taste.
You need:
- Oil-1.5 tsp
- Cumin-1 tsp
- Onion-very finely chopped-1 heaped cup
- Tomato-very finely chopped-1 heaped cup
- Ginger-grated-2 tsp
- Garlic-grated-1 Tbsp+1 tsp
- Ground Turmeric-1/2 tsp
- Ground Chili-3/4 tsp
- Ground Coriander-1.5 tsp
- Salt-to taste
- Garam Masala (optional)-1/2 tsp
- Coconut Milk-1/2 cup
- Water-2.5 cups
- Sweet potato chunks-1 cups
- Kale-2 cups
Method:
- In a stockpot, heat oil, once really hot, add cumin seeds.
- Once they crackle, add onions. Keep on low flame stirring constantly until brown and caramelised.
- Then add grated ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
- Now, add tomato, fry until mushy.
- Turn heat to low, add the ground spices-turmeric,chili and coriander and fry on low heat for 3 minutes-constantly stirring.
- Add a cup of water, heat back on medium and let the spices boil in water.
- Once water gets evaporated, you add the sweet potato and kale, salt, stir for 3 minutes and add 1.5 cups of water. Cover and let it cook for 13 minutes (or) until sweet potato is cooked through.
- Now add coconut milk, garam masala and let it sit for 5 more minutes.
- Take off heat & Serve with rice.
Tips for perfect curry:
- Spice blend combo: 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground chili, 1.5 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp garam masala Ratio is (1:2:3:1). This will be the one for an authentic hot curry.
- Always add cumin only after the oil is hot. They should sizzle when you drop them in.
- Make curry on medium heat. You don’t want to burn the elements.
- Once you add the ground spices, they will lump up. You have to keep stirring this for few minutes on low flame, add water and let it boil on medium heat-uncovered. This will ensure that the spices are cooked through.
- Always add garam masala in the last 5 minutes for better aroma.
- You don’t need curry powder to make good curries. In fact, curry powders are not used in India.
- Never use canned tomatoes. They tend to be very acidic.
Sweet Potato Kale Curry + Tips for perfect curry
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Sweet potato and Kale Curry. Also included are some tips to make a perfect curry
Author: Charanya
Recipe type: Vegan,Vegetarian,Glutenfree,Soyfree,Yeastfree,Dairyfree
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: Large bowl
Ingredients
- Oil-1.5 tsp
- Cumin-1 tsp
- Onion-very finely chopped-1 heaped cup
- Tomato-very finely chopped-1 heaped cup
- Ginger-grated-2 tsp
- Garlic-grated-1 Tbsp+1 tsp
- Ground Turmeric-1/2 tsp
- Ground Chili-3/4 tsp
- Ground Coriander-1.5 tsp
- Salt-to taste
- Garam Masala (optional)-1/2 tsp
- Coconut Milk-1/2 cup
- Water-2.5 cups
- Sweet potato chunks-1 cups
- Kale-2 cups
Instructions
- In a stockpot, heat oil, once really hot, add cumin seeds.
- Once they crackle, add onions. Keep on low flame stirring constantly until brown and caramelised.
- Then add grated ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
- Now, add tomato, fry until mushy.
- Turn heat to low, add the ground spices-turmeric,chili and coriander and fry on low heat for 3 minutes-constantly stirring.
- Add a cup of water, heat back on medium and let the spices boil in water.
- Once water gets evaporated, you add the sweet potato and kale, salt, stir for 3 minutes and add 1.5 cups of water. Cover and let it cook for 13 minutes (or) until sweet potato is cooked through.
- Now add coconut milk, garam masala and let it sit for 5 more minutes.
- Take off heat & Serve with rice.
Notes
Spice blend combo: ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground chili, 1.5 tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp garam masala Ratio is (1:2:3:1). This will be the one for an authentic hot curry.
Always add cumin only after the oil is hot. They should sizzle when you drop them in.
Make curry on medium heat. You don’t want to burn the elements.
Once you add the ground spices, they will lump up. You have to keep stirring this for few minutes on low flame, add water and let it boil on medium heat-uncovered. This will ensure that the spices are cooked through.
Always add garam masala in the last 5 minutes for better aroma.
Never use canned tomatoes. They tend to be very acidic.
Always add cumin only after the oil is hot. They should sizzle when you drop them in.
Make curry on medium heat. You don’t want to burn the elements.
Once you add the ground spices, they will lump up. You have to keep stirring this for few minutes on low flame, add water and let it boil on medium heat-uncovered. This will ensure that the spices are cooked through.
Always add garam masala in the last 5 minutes for better aroma.
Never use canned tomatoes. They tend to be very acidic.
wow lovely teaming- looks delicious Charu…
Thanks Chitz <3
Looks delish! At the end of step 6, how long do you let the water boil for?
Hey Sam,
It takes around 7 minutes for the water to evaporate. The mixture would sort of become dry and start sticking to the base of the pan when you add other veges and go on from there 🙂
Thank you <3
This recipe looks amazing, but for the wimps among us, how can we make this less spicy? I like some spice, but can’t handle anything really hot…
I think start with 1/4 tsp ground chili (I use 1/2 tsp cos I can’t handle spicy food myself), if you think you can take a little more, next time you make it, you could use 1/2 tsp, but don’t cut down on ground coriander amount. Hope this helps 🙂
Hi,
I cooked this curry tonight and the taste was amazing. My husband loved it. The only thing was it ended up a lot runnier than the one pictured. What do you suggest I can do to make it thicker and creamier like the one in the picture next time?
Thanks!
Hi Lindsay, there are 3 things you could do: 1. Wait for the cup of water you add to the tomatoes to completely dry out before adding the sweet potato in. 2. Make it 3/4 cup of coconut milk. 3. Soak 1/4 cup cashews, make a paste out if it with 1/4 cup water and add to the curry. It will be super creamy. You’ll need only 1/2 cup Coconut milk if you add cashews.
Am so glad you guys enjoyed it. I’ll see if I can update the post with some step by step photos as well.