Veggie massaman curry

Long-term readers of this blog will already know how much I love massaman curry (I shared one recipe for a traditional version back in January). Here I share a variation - a bit different (hotter and sourer) but equally nice. I've made this version stuffed with vegetables - add rice and you've got a balanced vegetarian meal. You could use chicken or beef in place of the quorn, if preferred.

Recipe

2 tsp oil
2-3 tsp minced chilies or sambal olek
1 tsp minced lemongrass
2 tsp minced galangal
2 tsp minced garlic
8 whole cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon, or 4 inch cinnamon stick
8 whole green cardamon pods, lightly bruised
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp shrimp paste
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp tamarind puree
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)

1 cup coconut milk

1 large sweet potato, diced
2-3 beets, pre-cooked, diced
1 large handful of green beans, cut into pieces
Quorn chicken-style pieces

Heat the oil in a heavy pan, and add the chilies, lemongrass, galangal, garlic, dried spices, shrimp paste and onion. Cook for a few minutes, until fragrant.

Add the peanut butter, tamarind, fish sauce and sugar, then the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Add the vegetables. Cover and reduce the heat. Simmer until the vegetables are almost done, adding some water if it starts getting dry.

Add the quorn and heat another couple of minutes.

Serve over rice.

I like my curry quite dry, but if you prefer a wetter curry, just add a bit more water or coconut milk.

Serves: 2-3
Preparation and cooking time: 25 minutes