Vegan Jalfrezi Curry
Servings: 4
Calories: 404kcal
This Vegan Jalfrezi Curry is easily prepared with a few everyday ingredients such as bell peppers, onions, potatoes, spinach, spices, and meat-free pieces although these can be switched out for extra vegetables. It is a deliciously easy dinner and perfect for a home takeaway meal.
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Equipment
- Saucepan [for par-boiling potatoes]
- Large non-stick skillet, deep fry pan, Wok, or similar [with a lid]
- lemon zester
Ingredients
- 500 grams baby potatoes [cut into 1 inch bitesize pieces and parboiled for 5 minutes]
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil [or ¼ cup of vegetable stock, plus more as required - if oil-free is preferred]
- 1 medium-large red bell pepper [about 145 grams of prepared pepper, cut into thick slices]
- 1 medium-large green bell pepper [about 145grams of prepared pepper, cut into thick slices]
- 1 medium-large onion [cut into thick slices, about 110grams of prepared onion]
- 250 grams vegan chicken pieces [can replace with mushrooms, tofu, seitan or extra vegetables such as broccoli]
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder [or 4-6 cloves of diced fresh garlic]
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder [or 1 inch piece of grated fresh ginger]
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder [use fresh green chilli if preferred, or more chilli powder]
- 2 tablespoons mango chutney [or an onion chutney]
- 1 can kidney beans [400grams [14oz] can, rinsed and drained, or 240grams of cooked beans]
- 1 can coconut milk [400g [14oz] can]
- 1 can chopped tomatoes [400g [14oz] can]
- 1 tablespoon sugar [your choice of sugar, syrup or sweetener, we used granulated but coconut sugar is also nice]
- 1 small lemon [weight of lemon about 95grams [3oz] you will need the zest and juice]
Stir through at the end:
- 2 teaspoons garam masala powder
- 100 grams baby spinach [if your spinach leaves are large then shred them up a little]
Instructions
Parboil the potatoes:
- Parboil the chopped potatoes for 5 minutes in boiling water, then drain and set aside until required. If preferred the cooking liquid can be retained and stored within the refrigerator for use for other recipes such as soups, stews, sauces, etc.[Parboiling the potatoes means that the curry will take less time to cook]500 grams baby potatoes
Prepare the curry:
- Melt the coconut oil in a non-stick pan. [Or if using vegetable stock bring about ¼ cup to a gentle boil, add a little more stock as and when needed.]1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Add the bell peppers and onions, and over a medium heat, cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.1 medium-large red bell pepper, 1 medium-large green bell pepper, 1 medium-large onion
- Zest the lemon and add the peel to the pan along with the garlic powder, ginger powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and chilli powder. Stir well.[The spices can be replaced with a jalfrezi spice mix or paste, if a paste is used allow it a few minutes of cooking in the pan to release the flavours, a little extra oil may be required][Instead of dried ginger or garlic you can use fresh, frozen, or jarred garlic and ginger]2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons coriander powder, 2 teaspoons cumin powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon ginger powder, 1 teaspoon chilli powder, 1 small lemon
- Next, add the vegan chicken pieces and give everything a good stir.250 grams vegan chicken pieces
- Add in the parboiled potatoes and and stir for about a minute.
- Next, add the kidney beans, along with the mango chutney, canned tomatoes, and coconut milk.2 tablespoons mango chutney, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can coconut milk, 1 can chopped tomatoes
- Add a few pinches of salt, some black pepper, and the sugar. Half the lemon and squeeze out the juice from one half [keep the second half for seasoning the cooked dish, if liked].Stir the lemon juice through the curry and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 25 minutes.1 tablespoon sugar
- Check that the potatoes are soft, and if not pop a lid over the pan and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. [Cooking the potatoes in a tomato-based sauce does mean that they will take a little while longer to soften up, and so exact times will depend on the potatoes that you choose, but initially parboiling the potatoes helps reduce the overall cooking time.]
- Once the potatoes are softened, remove the pan from the heat and stir through the garam masala powder. Taste the curry and if required add salt and pepper to taste.2 teaspoons garam masala powder
- Next, pop in the spinach and stir the leaves through the curry until they are wilted.100 grams baby spinach
Serve the curry:
- Optional: Serve, garnished with fresh coriander [cilantro] or sliced spring onions [green onions], toasted peanuts or cashews, extra mango chutney, and perhaps a squeeze of lemon juice over each serving if liked. A dollop of vegan yogurt, mayonnaise, or creme fraiche is a nice addition.Naan breads, poppadoms, rice or noodles are all tasty accompaniments.
Notes
- The individual spices - coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger nd chilli, can be replaced with 2-3 tablespoons of jalfrezi curry paste, 1-2 tablespoons of jalfrezi curry powder, or at a pinch 1-2 tablespoons of ordinary curry powder and a few pinches of chilli powder if available. If using the curry powder do add garam masala powder if its available.
- Instead of vegan chicken pieces you can replace this ingredient with extra potatoes, or broccoli, mushrooms, tofu, seitan, tempeh, rehydrated TVP or soy curls, or your choice of vegetables.
- We used This Isn't Chicken Pieces which are plant-based and vegan.
- Instead of garlic powder and ginger powder, replace with fresh garlic [about 4-6 cloves, sliced or diced] and fresh ginger [about 1 inch piece, grated]. Or go with jarred or frozen garlic and ginger.
- Mango chutney can be replaced with an onion chutney or an onion pickle.
- Store leftovers for up to 3 days within the refrigerator.
- Or freeze for 2-3 months.
- To reheat the leftover curry, add it to a non-stick pan, adding more liquid if necessary such as plant-based milk, coconut milk, vegetable broth or stock, or just water, so that the curry can reheat more easily. Bring the curry to the boil, lower the heat, and simmer for a few minutes or until piping hot throughout. Stir the curry frequently as it reheats.
- For a simple guide on toasting nuts and seeds see the how to prepare vegan jalfrezi curry section above.
- For an extra spicy curry add fresh green chilli's to the curry at the same time the bell peppers and onions are added. Or add extra chilli powder, we used a mild chilli powder but you can use a medium or even a hot version! Alternatively, to please all family members add the fresh chilli slices as a garnish just for those who prefer extra spice.
- Our family loves preparing curry sandwiches or curry tortilla wraps with leftover curry! Leftovers also make delicious toasted sandwich fillings.
Nutrition
Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 585mg | Potassium: 1139mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 2643IU | Vitamin C: 58mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 5mg
