Peanut and sweet potato massaman curry - part 1

Peanut and Sweet Potato Massaman Curry (Vegan)

SERVES 4

Notes

Easy to make double/triple the paste and store it in ice cube trays or under a layer of oil in the fridge.

Use the tough bit of the lemongrass to make tea or to add to an Asian stock, so don't throw it away.

This can, of course, be made with store-bought massaman curry paste, to which you can add additional aromatics like ginger and garlic.

If you can't find palm sugar, you can substitute normal caster for honey or maple syrup.

For the curry

• 1-2 x 400ml tins of coconut milk
• 500g of new potatoes
• 650g of sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 4cm pieces (this was 3 potatoes)
• 200g of purple sprouting broccoli, thicker stems cut in half lengthways
• 4 tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter
• 100g of unsalted peanuts
• 1 tablespoon of palm sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce or tamari
• 2 tbsps tamarind paste

For the paste

• 2 sticks of lemongrass
• 1 unwaxed lime, maybe 2!
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 banana shallots or 2 small shallots, peeled and chopped
• 5cm piece of ginger or galangal, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorns
• 8 cardamom pods, bashed and seeds removed
• A good grating of nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
• 1 heaped tsp of ground cinnamon
• 4-6 dried Thai red chillies (birdseye chillies)

Instructions

First make your curry paste. Take the outer casing off your lemongrass, and discard the tough green top. Slice up the lemongrass then add it to a P&M or blender. Add the garlic. Peel the zest from the lime using a veg peeler and finely chop it. Add it to the blender with the garlic, roughly chopped shallot and ginger.

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Now dry-toast the spices in the pan for 5 minutes until it smells heady and toasty. You want them to be well toasted.

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Add the spices to the blender or the pestle and mortar and pulse again. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/400F/gas mark 6. Get a large roasting tray and add the new potatoes and the sweet potatoes chopped a little bigger along with about 2 tbsp of the massaman paste, Add one tablespoon of coconut oil (not olive oil), toss well, then roast in the hot oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the sweet potatoes, toss them into the tray, and cook for another 20 minutes. Throw in the purple sprouting broccoli, toss it well and put the tray back into the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until it is charred and has lost its bite.

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Put a large frying or saute pan over a medium heat. Add a tablespoon of the thick part of the coconut milk from the top of the can. Add the remaining massaman paste to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then (or until the paste has turned dark and smells a little smoky.)

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Add the rest of the coconut milk and 4 tablespoons of peanut butter to a coconut milk tin full of hot water. Add this to the pan and bring it to a boil. Add the palm sugar, soy sauce and tamarind paste, then stir it up. Add your roasted veg and cook them for 5-10 minutes with the lid on medium heat to bring everything together.

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Put the peanuts on a baking tray and toast them in the oven for about 5 minutes until golden.

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Serve the curry on top of warm jasmine rice and finish with a sprinkling of peanuts, lime juice and coriander.