recipe – potato & pea curry (vegan)

I really didn’t go out of my way to cook a vegan dish. I actually didn’t even realize it was vegan until after I cooked it and checked all the ingredients to make sure. (I have a vegan friend and like to revise recipes for her so she can cook them herself).

Well, here it is you crazy vegan folks who sin me daily on my Instagram for my meat-eating and all that jazz.

I took some inspiration from other potato and pea curry recipes online – they are quite bountiful out there. The thing with these vegetarian recipes is that they vary with the type of spices they use, but my goal was to make this as easy as possible.

Enter: Jarred curry paste. There are plethora of them to choose from in your local grocery store as well as online, but I assure you, they’ll all likely taste the same whether they are yellow, red, green. If you’re not familiar enough with these spices, just test a few out yourself to see what you like.

As usual, saute the onions first then add the potatoes.

Add about a cup of water just to loosen the potato starches and cook them through. Also a good time to add the frozen peas as they will secrete liquid as well.

While continuously stirring, to get the potatoes and peas cooked thoroughly, add the curry paste. Closing the lid every few couple of minutes help as well cook the vegetables from the inside.

Once the potatoes are definitely cooked through, add the coconut milk and herbs and mix together with the seasonings.

Plate with any type of rice and top with additional herbs. I find Jasmine rice the best for this type of dish.

I decided not to tell Stephen what it was and let him see for himself what he thought. He actually really loved it; not even realizing it was vegetarian, let alone vegan. Kind of wish he didn’t know it was vegan, because now it takes away the appeal out of the dish. Still really happy with the outcome and will definitely make again.

OH and it is gluten-free too!

 

—ingredients—

• 2 lbs red potatoes, chopped in about half inch cubes
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• Few garlic cloves
• 1-2 cups water
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2 oz green curry paste from a jar (they usually come in 4 oz jars, so half that amount)
• 1 cup coconut milk
• Seasonings – salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne, to taste
• Fresh cilantro, chopped
• Cooked rice of your choice for serving

 

—directions—

1. In a large pot on medium-high heat, add oil and chopped onions. Saute for about 5 minutes, then add the chopped potatoes. Mix for a few minutes, throw in the chopped garlic, then add about 1 cup of water. Continue to stir on medium heat while making sure the potatoes soak up the liquid. If any more water is needed, add sparingly. Closing the lid for a few minutes at a time helps the potatoes soak up the liquid as well.
2. Add the peas when the potatoes are just slightly cooked through, closer to 15 minutes in. Stir in the 2 oz of curry paste and then the coconut milk. Continue to cook on low until everything is incorporated.
3. Add about a teaspoon of each – salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper. Adjust to taste.
4. Add chopped fresh cilantro on top and serve warn above rice.