Mixed Vegetable Curry

Serves 4

• 450g potatoes or sweet potatoes
• 225g vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, babycorn, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and French beans
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 50g creamed coconut, grated
• 400g can chopped tomatoes

  Canned chopped tomatoes

  Great for instant pizza sauce, pasta, curry sauces.

  • The tomatoes will keep for up to a week, but don’t store them in the opened tin because the metal will start to rust and spoil the food. Instead, tip the tomatoes into a plastic container, cover with a lid, or clingfilm and store in the fridge.
  • Alternatively, put the tomatoes in a freezer-proof container and freeze for up to 12 months.
• 1 level teaspoon of salt

  Salt

  Consider tablesalt, sea salt or crystals.

  Sea salt’s pronounced and salty flavour means less is required to season food.

• 4 handfuls of fresh spinach
• Coriander

  Herbs

  Ideal for seasoning pastas.

  To keep cut parsley or coriander, put in a hole free polythene bag with a couple of tablespoons of cold water, give the bag a good shake and keep in the salad drawer of the fridge. Herbs should keep for a week like this.

  sprigs to garnish
• Basmati rice

  Rice

  Great as an accompaniment or for making risotto and pilaff.

  • White long grain rice is good for salads, and its absorbent qualities go well with sauces and casseroles.
  • Risotto rice has an incredible capacity to absorb a great amount of cooking liquid and still retain bite, just like paella rice.
  • When cooked, basmati rice gives a light, fluffy, separate grains perfect to accompany curries or biriyani and pilaff dishes.
  • Rice can replace breadcrumbs in stuffing’s and a few grains can be added to soups to thicken the broth.
  • You have to be careful when reheating rice as there is a nasty little bacteria called bacillus cereus which may be present in cereals, particularly rice, and it is resistant to heat.
  • It’s important always to cook rice for a hot dish just as you need it and serve it piping hot. If the rice is for a cold dish, once it’s cooked, cool it as quickly as possible and chill within two hours. To do this, drain the rice in a colander, rinse with cold water then tip into a large shallow container. Once it is cold, cover and keep refrigerated for no longer than a day.
  , to serve