I love that I’m writing this up on world vegetarian day! No matter what style of diet or nutritional ‘box’ you might put yourself in, we could all make more room for veggies! This got dubbed the ‘buy nothing new curry’ because the veggies used for it resembled bits and pieces fit for the compost bin. BUT, I like to push the envelop and reduce waste wherever and whenever possible, so I decided, on a night when my boys were out for dinner, that I’d make the curry for myself and test it. Oh how my son loved it the next day! “Better than your chips, mum!” And that my friends is really saying something.
IT. IS. SUPER. GOOD. I hope you enjoy it too. Just hang onto your fennel, chard and spinach stalks for a couple of weeks and whiz this up. It needs a curry so the spices give otherwise bland off cuts a big personality.
Hopefully this will help you get thinking about extra things that you normally compost, that could just go into the meal – a stalk, an ‘outer leaf’ of a broccoli / cauliflower… Get them in there!
If you want to take a fun waste challenge, why not join the “Give A Fork” campaign throughout October. Conceived by Sustainable Table, an awesome group of peeps helping people reduce waste and live sustainably without having to move to a commune! You could use this recipe as a starting point for the planning!
To serve – Suggestions
Eat as is from a bowl with fresh coriander on top
Eat over cauliflower rice or brown rice
Blend on high for a minute in your high speed blender until ultra smooth BUT remove cardamom pods first (at least 3-4 or it will be too potent blended to leave all in there)
Serve as a side along with other dishes on a curry night.
It lasted 3 days across my meal and 2 meals for me and the little man. Such amazing value with a few pantry staples and leftover veggie off cuts.
The chips are just wedge cut kipflers fried in coconut oil for 8-10 minutes and sprinkled with sea salt and dulse flakes (sea veggies)
Enjoy and why not post your waste reduction efforts too!?
Real Food. Less Waste. Yay
Vegetarian Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 stalks left over from chard / spinach, chopped into inch chunks
- 4 limp stalks celery Those ones that get less and pess pretty and are less and less likely to be used? Yeah, those! Chop into 1 inch chunks
- 4 stalks fennel
- 1 cup beans that were a little ugly
- few beetroot leaves (you could use any leaves. Truly, make this curry your own)
- 1 large onion from the 50% off bin at my local organic shop!
- 200 ml coconut cream
- 1 cup veggie stock (you can use chicken / beef stock too, no probs)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup tomato passata you could use mushy tomatoes about to go bad to complete the experience instead!)
- 1 inch chopped ginger
- 1 heaped tsp turmeric powder
- 6 mashed cardammon pods
- 1 tsp cummin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 large red chilli or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (leave out and add to yours for cooking with kids who are sensitive to heat)
Instructions
- Fry onions on low/med for 20mins in the coconut oil until very golden.
- Add all spices and fry into the onions / oil an extra couple of minutes.
- Add chopped veg and stir through to get spices all over them
- Add all liquids. Stir until the veggies start to wilt a bit
- Simmer for 15 minutes
- You’re done.
- This is easily adaptable to thermomix too!
Comments 4
Great recipe. I’ve been using up more and more wasted bits ever since Jamie Oliver showed us how to use the outer lettuce leaves in a potato dish. Fried in coconut oil, does that mean fried in a pan? I’ve never tried that before, I always bake mine. Do you par-boil them first?
Thanks Alex… This sounds amazing & cheap!
I have to clear out the veggie in fridge so That’s tonights dinner sorted
Sorry if this nit picking But fry the onions for 20 mins? or should it be a couple of mins
Author
Hi Natasha – no all good: Ask away! I truly believe that for the best tasting curries, as my Indian chef friend has taught me, that you must cook the onions really well – Not burnt, but slowly browned and caramelised so that you get a deep, rich flavour base with the spices before you start to add all the rest. It’s worth it. That said, if time is of the essence it’s not going to taste BAD ith just a quick soften of the onions, just not as rich x