Mixed Vegetable Curry

This would be our second backlog post - we made this maybe a week ago. This is the basic North Indian curry recipe we use when we are too lazy to look up something that has a specific flavor to it. It is very very tasty, and it can be adjusted to taste by adding more or less of any of the spices, more or less heat, more or less tomato, cream vs. coconut milk, thickening it more or less, and using any vegetable combinations you desire. In the picture below, for example, there are tons of blackened mustard seeds visible because Kober and Gabe went a little overboard - Gabe really liked it this way, but it was a bit overpowering for my taste.

My personal favorite variation, and the basic one here, is a wide range of green and not green vegetables, a medium amount of mustard and cumin, medium heat, lots of coconut milk and cashews, and very thick.


Mixed Vegetable Curry

all vegetable and spice amounts should be adjusted based on availability and taste.

1/4 cup vegetable oil or ghee
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1" piece ginger, minced
1/2 small hot green chili, minced, + more to taste
3 tbs ground cashews (optional)
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 cup chopped potatoes
1 cup chopped sweet potatoes
1/2 cup trimmed green beans
2 cups vegetable broth (1 small can)
1 14-oz can fine-chopped or pureed tomatoes
2 tbs curry powder
1 tbs paprika
1 cup coconut milk, + more to taste
salt and pepper to taste

heat the oil or ghee on medium-high in a large wok or wide-bottomed pot (you might need two). Test the oil by throwing a mustard seed into it - if it pops, the oil is ready. Toss in all of the cumin seeds followed by all of the mustard seeds - be prepared, they will pop all over the place and be dangerously hot projectiles, but you have to muster up the courage to reach over the pot anyway and dump in the onion, about 30 seconds after they're all poppin'. Turn down the heat a little maybe and cook the onions until they start to get translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, chili, and optional cashews. Cook briefly to soften everything up (don't let anything get brown) and then add all of the vegetables. Toss them around in the oil to coat, and cook them for a few minutes, stirring. Now add the vegetable broth, canned tomatoes, curry, and paprika. Cover the veggies and simmer them until soft - stir once and a while, especially if they aren't completely submerged in liquid. Add the coconut milk and salt and pepper to taste.

At this point your curry will likely be very watery, which is fine but non-traditional. To get it nice and thick, strain out the vegetables and transfer them to a bowl. Turn up the heat and boil the sauce, scraping the sides and bottom frequently, to reduce by half. You can adjust the seasoning while you do this, adding more salt and pepper and more chili or ginger. When it's as thick as you want it, pour it over the veggies and serve!