Sweet Potato Curry
I did not grow up eating curry, per se, but it does hold a place in my heart as ultimate comfort food. My mother is German and Swedish and cooked that way. I remember Swedish meatballs, freshly baked rye bread and German pancakes with great fondness. Also in her collection, were recipes for goldenrod eggs, tuna salad, the best chicken fingers in the world (I don't care what you say), and Russian pork chops. There was even an enchilada recipe that called for 2 cups of heavy cream! One of my family's favorite dishes is called "Mrs Perini's Special Chicken": a recipe that was originally found and cutout from a magazine, but has now become a staple for our gatherings. This casserole is comprised of halved chicken breasts and florets of broccoli, with a sauce made from Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise, milk and just a touch of curry powder. This must explain my draw to curry as a comfort food despite having very little exposure to actual curry as a child.
I still love my mom's cooking, to this day my siblings and I battle over whether mother should make goldenrod eggs or German pancake for our holiday breakfast. My personal favorite is the German pancake, served with spiced apples and sour cream, alas, I am usually out-voted and goldenrod eggs win!
Life experiences change us as we grow and our palates are no exception. Though the food we loved as children will always hold a place in our heart, we pick up new tastes and preferences and find new passions. As a result, I find myself locked in a never-ending journey for new flavor combinations and the current food trends, which offer insight into different cultures. So naturally, I spend a lot of time reading cookbooks. Moreover, this dish was inspired by a description of fenugreek-cream curry in The Flavor Bible, which sounded divine to me! My recipe has no cream or fenugreek but I added yogurt for slight tang and the soft texture of the sweet potatoes gives this dish a hominess I look for in curry. This recipe can be vegetarian or you can serve it with Spiced Lamb Shanks, which add the fenugreek infusion that had originally intrigued me. I also used pumpkin stock, which is not only vegetarian, but also amplifies the flavor and complexity of the dish. However, if you are short on time or find you don't have the patience for stocks, a store-bought vegetable broth will do.
Sweet Potato Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 large sweet potato, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 3 medium carrots, roll cut
- 1/2 yellow onion, medium dice
- 1 bunch of kale, stems removed and cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 2 tbsp ginger, minced
- 1 jalapeno, brunoise
- 3/4 c pumpkin stock
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomato
- 1/2 c plain yogurt, plus more for garnish
- 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1/4 c currants
- 1 c cilantro, roughly torn or chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add mustard seeds.
- When the mustard seeds start popping, add onion and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes.
- Add ginger, jalapeño, curry powder and sauté until fragrant.
- Pour in diced tomato, and simmer to reduce sauce by half.
- Add stock, carrots, sweet potato and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes.
- Whisk in yogurt. Add the kale, currants and cook on low for another 5-10 minutes, or until your vegetables reach desired tenderness.
- Ladle curry over basmati rice and garnish with dollops of yogurt and cilantro.
Notes
This recipe is vegetarian, though I added spiced lamb shanks which paired wonderfully with the tangy yogurt in this dish.