Curry: one word, big subject! The word derives from kari, the Tamil word for “sauce”, which clearly covers a lot of ground (for those interested to know more, Sejal Sukhadwala’s The Philosophy of Curry is a slim but brilliant read), but, for all my love of the sauce element of a curry, it’s also the need for something with crunch to go with it, both for balance and to add some textural contrast, that keeps me coming back for more. That’s why today’s two recipes are as much about the crunchy toppings and fillings, from poppadoms to potato sticks, as they are about the gravy.
Butternut squash and poppadom curry
I’ve always enjoyed eating poppadoms alongside curries, but it wasn’t until I ate at a Rajasthani restaurant recently that I was inspired to use them in the actual dish itself. This curry also takes some inspiration from Kerala, and the result is neither distinctly Keralan nor Rajasthani, but rather a nod to both. Serve with rice.
Prep 15 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4
1 butternut squash (1kg), halved, seeds removed and discarded, then cut into 4cm skin-on chunks
75ml olive oil
Fine sea salt and black pepper
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 red onion (150g), peeled and finely chopped
20g ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
10 fresh curry leaves
400g tin coconut milk
¼ tsp ground turmeric
100g baby spinach
3 cooked poppadoms, plain or spiced, each broken into about 8 pieces
3 plum tomatoes
¼ tsp mild chilli powder
1 tbsp lime juice
Heat the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9. Mix the squash with two tablespoons of oil and a half-teaspoon of salt, then spread them out on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper and roast for 25 minutes, until cooked through and lightly charred.
Put two tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan on a medium-high heat, add the mustard seeds and a good grind of pepper, and cook for about three minutes, until the seeds start to pop.
Stir in the onion, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and a teaspoon of salt, and fry, stirring often, for five minutes, until the onions are soft and starting to take on some colour.
Add the coconut milk, turmeric and 400ml water (use the empty tin of coconut milk to measure that out), then bring to a simmer. Stir in the roast squash, spinach and poppadoms, and simmer for another five minutes, until the spinach has wilted and the poppadoms have softened.
Roughly grate the tomatoes into a fine sieve set over a bowl, then discard the skins. Add the tomato water to the curry, keeping the pulp for later.
Put the remaining tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan on a medium heat. Once hot, add the chilli powder, cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, then add the tomato pulp and cook for three minutes, until the mix is bright red and slightly thickened.
Stir the tomato mixture and the lime juice into the squash curry, transfer the curry to individual bowls and serve.
Black chickpea and mango curry with bombay mix
This bombay mix is a take on the version served at the Regency Club in Edgware, and it’s so addictive that I now want it alongside just about every curry. I like the funk of the asafoetida, but if you don’t, or can’t get hold of any, simply swap it for crushed garlic. There are many types of mustard oil out there – some are for cooking and others for other uses – so check the label. Black chickpeas are very nutty and much firmer than regular chickpeas, so take longer to become tender; if you can’t get hold of any, use normal chickpeas instead.
Prep 20 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4
For the curry
100ml edible mustard oil, or sunflower oil
60g coriander, 30g stems finely chopped, 30g leaves finely chopped and reserved for the bombay mix
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced (160g)
1 red chilli, split in half
½ tsp asafoetida, or 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1½ tbsp chickpea (AKA gram) flour
800g (2 tins) black chickpeas, drained
1 tsp jaggery, or palm or demerara sugar
Fine sea salt
1 unripe mango (300g), peeled, stoned and flesh cut into roughly 2cm pieces (220g)
1 lime, quartered
For the bombay mix
1 large onion, peeled and cut into ½cm dice (200g)
1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 tsp coriander seeds, roughly crushed
70g ready-salted potato stick crisps, roughly crushed
2 tbsp chaat masala
Put the oil, chopped coriander stems, onion and chilli in a large saute pan for which you have a lid, and set it over a medium heat. Cook, stirring often, for eight minutes, until the onion is soft and slightly golden, then stir in the asafoetida, garam masala, turmeric and chickpea flour, and cook, stirring, for a minute longer, until fragrant.
Add 600ml water, the chickpeas, jaggery and a teaspoon and three-quarters of salt, bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat to medium. Cover and leave to cook for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are tender.
Stir in the mango, cover again and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the fruit is soft but still holds its shape. Take off the heat and leave to rest for a few minutes while you make the bombay mix.
Put the onion, chilli, coriander seeds, potato sticks and chaat masala in a medium bowl, mix well to combine, then add the chopped coriander leaves and toss again. Scatter a few spoonfuls of the bombay mix over the top of the curry, and serve with the rest in a bowl on the side, and with the lime wedges alongside.
