Written by: Andrea Memon, RDN, LD, CD
This is a recipe inspired by one that my mother-in-law taught me. This vegetarian curry is nutrient-dense, flavor packed and won't disappoint. Don't let the ingredient list intimidate you. Once you gather everything, I promise it is simple! Also, many of the ingredients can be omitted if you don't have one or two. I'll label these below as optional. You won't regret trying this wonderful winter meal - it's delicious, warm, spicy and comforting. Nutritionally, there's so much to highlight. Where do I even start?! You can read about the benefits of some of the ingredients here: garlic, onions, cilantro, fenugreek, basil, spinach, kale, dill, tomatoes, chili peppers, potatoes, herbs and spices. But if you don't have time to read it all, the bottom line is this recipe is made with nutrient-dense, whole foods, it is tasty and incredibly nutritious! Eat it with basmati rice and naan.
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small white onion
3 bunches of fresh cilantro
1/4 cup dried fenugreek or 1/2 cup fresh (optional)
0.75 oz of fresh basil (optional)
5 ounces of baby spinach
2 large handfuls of kale (optional)
2 bunches of dill
2 small tomatoes
2 serrano pepper (optional)
2 red potatoes (or any potatoes you like)
1-2 Tbsp of vegetable masala (more to taste based on desired spice level)
1/2 cup water
Method:
1. Place your pan on the stove and turn the heat to medium. The is one of my favorite pans and is what I used for this recipe. Let your pan heat up. Slice one small, white onion. Pour the olive oil into your pan. Add the sliced onions and sauté until caramelized. This will take about 6-10 minutes.
2. Chopped the tomatoes and add them to your pan.
3. Mince the garlic and add it to your pan. I usually prepare blended garlic paste and keep it in my refrigerator, so this is what I used. To make garlic paste, I use my Vitamix blender base with these smaller spice blending bowls. I combined whole, fresh, peeled garlic and a little water and blend. I love the flavor of fresh garlic, but I hate the process of cutting it every time I'm cooking. For me, it is less painful to make the garlic paste once or twice per week and have it ready when I need it. You can store it in your refrigerator for about 5 days.
4. Next, add 1-2 Tbsp of Vegetable Masala. You can add more if you want it spicy! Stir all of the ingredients together and cook for about 5 minutes.
5. In a colander, rinse the cilantro in water. Shake off the excess water. To save time and to make my food more flavorful, I don't separate the cilantro stems from the leaves because you can eat the stems. So, you also can skip this time consuming step of picking the leaves off of the stems! However, I don't use all of the stems, so place your cilantro bunch on a cutting board. Grab a knife. Separate the leafy top from the bottom stems by cutting the bunch in half with your knife. Throw away the bottom stems that don't have any leaves attached. Roughly chop the top of the cilantro bunch, and add it to your pan.
6. Add the spinach to your pan.
7. In a colander, rinse the fenugreek with water in a colander. Pick the leaves off of the stems.
Fresh Fenugreek
Fresh Fenugreek Leaves
8. Add the fenugreek leaves to your pan. If you can't find fresh fenugreek, then you can use dried.
9. In a colander, rinse the dill in water. Separate the leaves from the stems and roughly chop.
Fresh dill
10. Add the chopped dill to your pan.
11. Rinse the potatoes in water and roughly chop. Leave the skin on the potato and eat the skin as fiber in a potato is highest in the skin. Any type of potato will work in this dish, but I often like to use red potatoes. They are the healthiest potato when comparing 4 types of potatoes (white, red, russet, and sweet potatoes) based upon the density of minerals and vitamins, the content of sugar and fiber, the sodium and potassium ratio, and the photochemical profile using data from the USDA Food Database.
12. Add the potatoes to your pan, and 1/2 cup water. Stir the vegetables, cover your pan with a lid, and cook on low to medium heat until the potatoes are soft. This will take about 15-20 minutes depending on how thick or thin you cut your potatoes.
Enjoy!
xo Andrea
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