Vegan potato and bean korma

Breakfast: Baked porridge

Lunch: Carrot and orange soup 

Dinner: Vegan potato and bean korma with chickpea pancakes

I don't know why I don't make curries more. I love them, they're great for you and they're relatively easy to make. I think it stems from not having enough spices in the cupboard normally, but this excuse has been removed since I spent $30 on cardamom pods and other goodies at the store last week. Hooray!

Usually Indian recipes tend to be vegetarian or vegan, or are at least easily adaptable. One thing that I've been craving lately is a korma, especially the ones from Manchester's infamous Curry Mile. As I can't really fly back for the weekend, I adapted this fantastic Madhur Jaffrey chicken korma recipe to be a little spicier and wholly vegan. You really cannot go wrong with Madhur Jaffrey recipes and I very much recommend you buy at least one of her books!

This, as ever, is even better the day after and can be easily frozen or kept in the fridge for up to a week.

You'll need:
(Feeds 4-6)

4 inch piece ginger, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
6 tbsp vegetable oil
5 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
10 cardamom pods
6 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 800ml tin diced tomatoes
3 large potatoes / 10-12 new potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
3 cups green beans, chopped
1 cup coconut milk

Method:

Blend together the ginger and garlic with 3 tbsp water to form a smooth paste
Heat the oil in a pan for a minute, then throw in the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves and cumin seeds and sautee for 3 minutes
Add the onions, garlic-ginger paste, ground coriander, ground cumin and stir to coat
Add in the diced tomatoes, beans and potatoes, and bring to the boil
Lower down to a medium heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes
When the potatoes are tender, add in the coconut milk, stir well and heat for another 8 minutes
Pick out the bay leaves and serve with rice, naan or chickpea pancakes

This is a great warming meal for a winter dinner time, and eating the leftovers for lunch the next day will give you enough energy to get through that Zumba class / yoga class / walk home you do before dinner. If you're English, it will probably make you a bit nostalgic for Brick Lane, but that can't be helped.