Sweet potato and Swiss chard curry

 

It’s Meatless Monday today with this healthy, full of flavour, vegetarian curry. (I love curry.)

Swiss chard is a nutritious vegetable. It’s an excellent source of vitamins K, A, C, E, magnesium, copper, manganese, potassium and iron. Swiss chard is also a very good source of vitamins B6, B2 (riboflavin), choline, phosphorus, calcium, dietary fibre and protein.

The quantities in the recipe here are for 2-3 people.This sweet potato and Swiss chard curry is ready in 45 minutes or so.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 small red chili pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 2 cm of fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
• Juice of half a freshly squeezed lemon
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons of ground turmeric
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 5 large Swiss chard leaves, thick stalk removed, and leaves chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and diced
• 1½ cups of coconut milk
• 1 x 400g tin of tomatoes
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation

In the blender, purée the onion, garlic, chili pepper, ginger, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Reserve.

In a wok over high heat, fry dry for 1 minute the coriander seeds, cumin and fennel, until fragrant. Transfer to a mortar, and crush with a pestle to a rough powder. Mix in the turmeric, and set aside.

In the wok over high heat, add the olive oil, sweet potato, Swiss chart and bell pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the sweet potato softens. Transfer to a bowl, and reserve.

In the wok over medium-high heat, heat one tablespoon of olive oil and add the spices. Cook for one minute, add the onion purée, and cook stirring often for 2 minutes until the mixture reduces in volume. Stir in the coconut milk and the tomatoes with their juice. Add the cinnamon stick, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the vegetables, bring to a boil, and simmer covered until the sweet potato is soft, 20 minutes or so.

Nice with naan bread or brown rice.