March 8, 2010

Sweet Potato, Pea and Spinach Curry


One of the first things I learned to do when we moved to France was translate French recipes.

Each month I picked up copies of Cuisine et Vins de France and French Saveur at the local tabac and with my trusty French dictionary at my side I dutifully studied the names of ingredients and cooking terms, making translation notes in the margins and jotting down measurement conversions.
It's amazing how easy it is to pick up a language when the subject is something you're really interested in!

There's a great series of small, recipe packed cookbooks by Marabout for the very reasonable price of €4,95 each. I've bought two so far, one with Indian and Thai curries and one with recipes for comforting, wintery food called Tout Chaud.

I've made a few recipes from each book and one of the best so far was an aromatic, homey vegetarian curry. It is some serious comfort food! Low in calories and high in flavor and vitamins - I swear it makes you feel stronger after you've eaten it a plate of it.

The original calls for the addition of canned chickpeas, which I didn't have in the cupboard, so the recipe has been adapted to what I had on hand. Add them if you like, but this version is also fantastic!

Sweet Potato, Pea and Spinach Curry

serves 4
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon mild curry powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes, crushed with their juice
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 ounces fresh baby spinach, washed
  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 cup frozen baby peas
  • plain yogurt (optional)
  1. Warm the oil in a deep pan with a lid and sauté the onions over low heat until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
  2. Sprinkle the curry powder, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, turmeric and salt over the onions and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.
  3. Add the sweet potato, canned tomatoes, brown sugar and water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot and cook for 15-20 minutes over low heat, until the sweet potatoes are cooked through.
  4. Add the spinach and baby peas and cook for another 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted and the peas are warmed through.
  5. Taste and correct for salt and add more cayenne if you like it really spicy.
  6. Serve with steamed basmati rice and a dollop of the optional plain yogurt.
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8 comments:

garry said...

no snow pictures?

i have received a dozen from the area today!

Kim - Easy French Food said...

Hi Loulou - I like your substitute of green peas for the chick peas. I do frequently make a similar combination (supposedly a Moroccan dish) that uses the chickpeas. Now I'll have to check out the green pea combination.

Do you read Vie Pratique Gourmand - I really like it. Easy recipes and fun information on different foods.

My local grocery store recently had a sale on cookbooks - think I went a little wild there. They do it every time the soldes come around - something to look for.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

I've been thinking about curry lately, too. Looking for something interesting to do with all these potatoes, carrots, and leeks I keep getting!

Danielle said...

Hi Jennifer,

I love the new look of Chez Loulou! This curry looks amazing. I am hopelessly addicted to sweet potatoes, and I intend never to kick the habit! Hope that some of the winter-weather complications have cleared up over there.

Sandy said...

This really looks amazing...you have the eye and taste for awesome dishes! Since we have plenty of sweet potatoes here in the south-- I am for sure going to make this dish. Thank you!!

Sandy said...

Hi Loulou--do you think it would be okay to add both chickpeas and green peas to this dish? Or just one or the other...that maybe too many peas.lol

georgiegirl said...

Looks good. I will have to try it. I like chick peas. Glad you had a good time in the states.

Jennifer said...

garry
hopefully you've seen them by now? We lost power and phone line just after I posted this, so the snow photos didn't go up until later.

Kim
I think I've picked up that one from time to time.
When our friend's bookshop closed she had great sales on cookbooks - I went a little crazy. I need more shelves to accommodate all of these books!

croqucamille
I make Indian and Thai veggie curries a lot. Love the flavor and they're so easy!

Danielle
Thanks!
I love sweet potatoes as well. Could eat them every day.
We're still blanketed by snow, but the roads have cleared so at least we can get around.

Sandy
I would definitely try it with both chickpeas and baby peas. Should be good!

georgiegirl
Let me know what you think.
It was a great trip! I'm so glad I had all that time to spend with my family and friends.