Keralan chicken (or veggie) curry with rice and pulsed cauliflower
Friday or Saturday nights we tend to have a curry. It’s the only night of the week we have a meal in front of the telly together. My aim is always to increase nutrient value so I add pulsed cauliflower to the rice and cook it together. To stop it becoming soggy, I drain the rice mixture and then put a tea towel over the colander and leave it to steam out the excess moisture. It’s delicious. Try this for yourself. If it was up to me, I would have all cauliflower but my children like it mixed with rice. Butternut squash is a carbohydrate food but it is much lower in carbs than potato or sweet potato – so ok if you’re watching your weight.
For The Curry
300g chicken breast (optional)
Tin of chickpeas if you are not using chicken
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 heaped teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 heaped teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 heaped teaspoon turmeric
1 small handful dried curry leaves
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
2 cloves of garlic
6 spring onions
1 fresh red chilli
1 large bunch fresh coriander
2 ripe tomatoes
1/2 butternut squash, cubed
1 x 400 g tin of light coconut milk
Salt to taste
For The Rice
1 mug 10-minute wholegrain or basmati rice
4-5 large cauliflower florets, whizzed in a food processor till it looks like rice
10 cloves
Serves 4
Put 1 mug of rice plus the cauliflower and 2 mugs of boiling water into the medium pan with the cloves and a pinch of salt, and put the lid on.
Pour the oil into the casserole pan, then quickly stir in the mustard and fenugreek seeds, turmeric and curry leaves. Add the chicken or chickpeas.
Pulse the peeled ginger and garlic, trimmed spring onions, chilli and coriander stalks in the processor until fine, then stir into the casserole pan. Roughly chop and add the tomatoes. Pour in the coconut milk and add the cubed butternut. Turn the heat up and then simmer until the butternut is soft.
Tear over the coriander leaves and serve with the rice cauliflower. The green veggie on the side is steamed Cavolo Nero.