Everyday meals
Coconut Curry
Seasonal vegetables in spiced coconut milk, with all six tastes.
- Prep
- 15 minutes
- Cook
- 30 minutes
- Serves
- 4 to 6
From Ayurveda: Breaking the Rules Without Breaking the Principles
Growing up, we never called anything “curry.” We called this kind of dish daar, masala or rasa. Instead of store-bought curry powder, I mix the spices fresh, which lets you adjust the dish to your taste and the season.
Coconut milk is wonderfully cooling in summer, and it pairs beautifully with ginger, turmeric and red chili. The vegetables below are simply what was in season when we created the dish, so use about three cups of whatever grows near you. Cut and cook them in the order the body digests them: a bell pepper has stronger cell walls than a zucchini, so it is cut smaller and goes into the pan first.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 inches ginger, minced (leave the peel on if your digestion tolerates it)
- 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
- 6 ounces baby corn
- 2 small zucchini, chopped
- 1 yellow squash, chopped
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons dhana jeeru (or 1 tablespoon each ground cumin and coriander)
- 3 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 2 small tomatoes, chopped
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Chopped cilantro, for garnish
- Cooked rice, for serving
- Pickled chutney, such as pickled mango, for serving
Method
- 1Heat the oil in a wok or large sauté pan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the onion and ginger and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- 2Add the bell pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- 3Add the broccoli and cook until it turns bright green, about 2 minutes.
- 4Add the baby corn, zucchini and yellow squash and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- 5Meanwhile, whisk the coconut milk, dhana jeeru, salt, turmeric and red chili powder together in a bowl.
- 6Pour the coconut mixture into the pan and bring it to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, until the little curds in the coconut milk dissolve.
- 7Remove the pan from the heat and add the tomatoes and lemon juice. Season with more salt to taste.
- 8Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice with a pickled chutney.
