Chard and New Potato Curry

Hugh came to the rescue again, as I was wondering what to do with my chard. It’s the first time I’ve grown it, and it was getting a bit unruly. Since it is in a large container and not in the ground I decided it needed a haircut…

It looks too pretty to eat!

To be honest this is not really Hugh’s curry I’m presenting here. But he was the inspiration and guide! I find it incredibly difficult to stick to recipes. They inevitably have one ingredient that I don’t have in my kitchen, and if I bought it, I would probably never use it again! In addition, the Germans do not use many Indian spices… In this case I left out the following:

• fresh ginger (I used dried)
• green chilli (can’t eat chilli!)
• cumin (could only find caraway!)
• mustard seeds (seemingly unavailable in several shops and supermarkets)
• cardamom pods (I used ground cardamom)
• almonds and coriander leaves

So feel free to change and adapt this to meet your needs, using just a spice mix if you prefer, but do try it, as it was a really lovely summer curry full of flavour! (And it’s healthy!)

(And I just realised it’s vegan too!)

• 400g rainbow chard (or spinach or any greens you have on hand!)
• 300g new potatoes
• oil for frying
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsps ground ginger
• 3 tsps garam masala
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 1 small tin coconut milk (200ml)
• 1 tsp sugar, and some salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper

Separate the chard leaves from the stems and cut the stems into 2-3cm pieces. Chop the leaves. Then, in as little water as possible precook the potatoes in bite-sized chunks. Add the chard stems about 5 minutes before the end of cooking time, keeping the lid on the pan. Do NOT drain the potatoes!

Mix all your spices together. Heat the oil and sauté the onion until soft, then add the garlic and cook for one minute. Now add the spices and tomato puree and stir for another minute. Add the tomatoes, then tip in the potatoes and chard stalks WITH the water. The starch helps thicken up the sauce. Add sugar, salt and pepper, chard leaves and coconut milk. Stir and let bubble until all the greens have wilted and the sauce has thickened.

Serve with (soya) yoghurt and coriander leaves, basmati rice and/or naan bread. (This is enough for 4 servings.)

Enjoy!

Another recipe for greens coming up tomorrow!

(I had to harvest my spinach too!)

😀