I gotta give a big shout out to Neil, whose tweet inspired me to try again with a recipe that I completely failed with the first time around. Neil tweeted about an amazing vegetable and chickpea curry he had made with coconut milk and it just so happened to be exactly what I was craving, so I knew I was going to have to try it again. I approached the recipe with a bit more thought and planning this time and I’m happy to report that we now have a WINNER! Woo!
And by winner I mean I couldn’t stop sneaking spoonfuls of the sauce between photographs. It’s one of those dishes that just makes you say, “MORE!” Curries aren’t the prettiest of dishes, but their powerful flavor more than makes up for their lack in appearance. Using a pre-blended curry powder makes this dish a breeze. There’s no measuring out ten different spices, just one perfectly blended mix. I used a hot curry powder, but there are plenty of mild versions on the market. The beauty of a mild curry powder is that you can simply add some cayenne pepper to make it hot, or any heat level between.
I used another one of my favorite short cut items for this dish: frozen vegetables. I used a one pound bag of frozen cauliflower and broccoli. Not only was it a fraction of the price than if I had purchased them fresh, but I had exactly the amount I needed, the chopping was already done for me, and they are pre-blanched, so the cooking time was much shorter. Gotta love it.
The summary: This is a very easy, super flavorful, filling, and inexpensive dish that will help you use up leftover vegetables from your refrigerator or freezer. I made my vegetable choices based on what I had on hand, but you can feel free to experiment. For a little extra protein, try adding chickpeas, like Neil did!
Coconut Vegetable Curry
Coconut Vegetable Curry
Servings 4 -6 (5 cups total)Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 inch fresh ginger ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp curry powder* ($0.30)
- 1/2 lb. carrots, 3-4 medium ($0.55)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.52)
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.11)
- 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.75)
- 1 lb. frozen broccoli and cauliflower pieces ($1.65)
- 1 14oz. can light coconut milk** ($0.99)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp sugar ($0.02)
- 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped ($0.25)
Instructions
- Peel the ginger using either a vegetable peeler or by scraping with the side of a spoon. Grate about one inch of the ginger on a small holed cheese grater. Mince the garlic. Sauté the garlic and ginger with olive oil in an extra large skillet or large pot over medium heat until softened (1-2 minutes). Add the curry powder and continue to sauté for one minute more.
- Meanwhile, peel and cut the carrots into rounds. Dice the onion. Add the carrots and onion to the skillet and continue to sauté until the onions are soft and transparent.
- Add the tomato paste and diced tomatoes (with juices) to the pot. Stir until the tomato paste has mixed in with the juices and created a thick sauce. Add the frozen broccoli and cauliflower pieces and stir to combine. Let the pot simmer over medium heat until the broccoli and cauliflower have heated through (5-10 minutes).
- Turn the heat down to low and add the coconut milk. Stir until the coconut milk is thoroughly mixed with the tomato sauce. Allow the curry to heat through over low heat (5 minutes). Stir the salt and sugar into the sauce. Taste and add more salt if desired. Top with a handful of fresh, chopped cilantro.
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Notes
Nutrition
Step by Step Photos
Begin by mincing 2 cloves of garlic and grating about one inch of ginger on a small holed cheese grater (remove the skin first, either with a vegetable peeler or by scraping with the side of a spoon). Sauté the garlic and ginger with 2 Tbsp olive oil in an extra large skillet or a large pot over medium heat. Sauté just until soft (about 2 minutes).
Add 2 Tbsp of curry powder and continue to sauté over medium heat for about one minute. This will toast the spices and magnify their flavors. 2 Tbsp seems like a lot, but there will be a lot of vegetables to cover and the coconut milk really mellows things out quite a bit. That being said, every curry powder is different, so you may want to start with a smaller amount and work your way up. After you add the frozen vegetables is a good place to taste and determine if more is needed.
Meanwhile (or before, if you need more time), dice one small onion and peel and chop 1/2 lb. of carrots (about 3-4 carrots).
Add the onions and carrots to the skillet (or pot) and continue to sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent.
Next add 2 Tbsp tomato paste and one 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes (with the juices). Stir until the tomato paste has mixed in with the juices.
Check the freezer aisle for a one pound bag of frozen broccoli and cauliflower. This one was disguised as “Winter Blend” and has a picture of a red bell pepper on it, but when I flipped the bag over and looked at the ingredients, sure enough, it was JUST broccoli and cauliflower. :D
Stir one pound of frozen broccoli and cauliflower pieces into the tomato mixture and let it heat through.
I used this can of coconut milk that I had scored at Trader Joe’s the last time I was in Baton Rouge (99 cents! Woot!). You can certainly use full fat coconut milk, but you may need to add some water to make it more saucy. Full fat coconut milk has much less liquid than light coconut milk. Oh, and no, “coconut beverage” (the kind meant as a dairy milk substitute) will not work here. It’s too diluted.
Turn the heat down to low and then stir in the 14-ounce can of light coconut milk. Allow the sauce to heat through, then stir in 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if desired. Top with a handful of fresh, chopped cilantro.
You’ll definitely want to serve the curry with either rice or naan to soak up all of the delicious sauce!
Mine turned out pretty good! I did have to add more oil than listed in the recipe. But that’s just how I like my curries :)
I thought this was fantastic! I actually ended up not using curry powder (I thought I had it but turns out I didn’t), and ended up using ground coriander, turmeric, cumin, and ground mustard.
I also just did the frozen carrot, cauliflower, broccoli blend and that turned out just fine.
Still turned out great to me! I may consider throwing shrimp or chicken next time for protein.
I made this last night and it was delicious and easy to make! I didn’t have any broccoli so I added butternut squash and mushrooms. I will be having the leftovers for dinner tonight. Thank you for the recipe!
Delicious !!!!! Creamy filling and yummy
Unfortunately this turned out bland for me, which is most likely due to the curry powder I used. Next time, I’ll try a different one and see how the results are.
I only have half a can of coconut milk left in my freezer. Can I just use that instead of buying another can?
Yes, it will just be half as coconutty. :)
Thanks! Do I have to add more water to make up for less liquid?
Probably not. It’s not a huge difference. It will just be a little thicker. :)
Love the recipe, I added more salt to my recipe. I also thickened my sauce, this was my first try at a curry recipe and it came out awesome. At least I think it is awesome, lol. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Great recipe! I fried my onions garlic and ginger in coconut oil, used two TBs fresh curry powder and fresh tomato puree instead of canned paste. As for veggies…yellow summer squash,carrots and a can of chickpeas. It was awesome. I left out the sugar at the end. I added one crushed dried Japanese chili for heat and served with Jasmine rice. Will certainly make again. Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks.
Oh my goodness. This is the first time I’ve ever made a recipe from your site and all I can say is that if all your recipes are this delicious I’m going to have a very happy tummy for a long time.
This was amazing! I used chickpeas, carrot, and sweet potato for the veg, and threw in a lonely chicken breast that was languishing in the freezer. It required all of my self control not to go back for seconds (on the upside, I know what my lunch is tomorrow). Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this tonight- wow, it was good! I used chickpeas and summer squash for the veggies, which is what I had around. It turned out great! Also added a teaspoon of garam masala, for more depth of flavor and added spice. My husband and I inhaled it! Also, I wanted to say thank you for having so many simple yet vegan-friendly recipes. I am a big fan. :)
Found this on a random search… its our first curry dish & we are blown away!
I made this tonight and love the veggies with the mild curry. We had fresh cauliflower so we just used that, and I added a bit of cumin and cayenne pepper as our curry powder isn’t particularly spicy. Served with basmati rice and it’s delicious!
Just had this (with a few changes, since I had no ginger, not light coconut milk, and used a different veggie blend) and I thought it was great!! Thanks for the recipe!
We love this recipe (and many others on your site)! We added green beans and my husband said that cashews would also be a great addition next time.
Would this freeze well?
It should, although I didn’t try freezing any of this one.