Half-hour curry
3
- Prep Time10 mins
- Total Time40 mins
- Makes4 servings
© Royalty-Free/Masterfile
Curry comes from the southern Indian word kari, meaning sauce. Vegetables stewed in a savoury, spicy curry sauce make a delicious and satisfying weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
1 large red onion
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large eggplant
1 to 3 tsp curry paste, plus 400-mL can coconut milk OR 284-mL can curry sauce
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
3 to 4 large tomatoes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
12 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, optional
540-mL can chickpeas or lentils, drained and rinsed (optional)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup plain yogurt or light sour cream, optional
Instructions
Slice onion into 8 wedges. Heat oil in a large wide saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add onion and stir-fry just until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, slice unpeeled eggplant into 1/2-inch- (1-cm-) thick rounds. If eggplant is slim, slice rounds in half. If eggplant is thick, slice rounds into quarters. Add to pan. Stir-fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
If using paste, stir in 1 teaspoon (5 mL). Stir constantly, mashing paste, 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk. When sauce is hot, taste and add more paste, if you like. Flavour will mellow as sauce cooks. Or, if using curry sauce in place of curry paste and coconut milk, add sauce to eggplant. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up brown bits from pan bottom to add flavour to sauce. Cover and reduce heat to medium.
Meanwhile, core and seed peppers. Slice into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces. Add to sauce. Coarsely chop tomatoes. Stir in along with any seeds and juice, salt and sugar. Add chicken thighs, if using. Submerge in sauce. Gently simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, from 25 to 30 minutes. If using chickpeas or lentils, stir into curry once veggies are tender, after about 15 minutes of simmering. Cook until warmed through. Stir in coriander. Taste and add yogurt or sour cream, if using. Serve over couscous or rice. Spoon 2 cups (500 mL) curry and a couple of chicken thighs, if using, into a large freezer bag. Seal and refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 months.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories 313, Protein 8.5g, Carbohydrates 35.3g, Fat 17.8g, Fibre 6.9g, Sodium 922mg.
Tomorrow's meal
Remove chicken from sauce and slice into thin strips. Heat curry and chicken. Divide between 2 large tortillas or roti wraps, then tightly roll. Enjoy right away or wrap each in foil and heat in a 350F (180C) oven until warm.