Well, another cold and snowy Monday here in the Southwest. Time for a warming and spicy meal (LoL).  We made this curry last week, during yet another cold and bone-chilling day. As some of you already know, we lived for many years in the Pacific Northwest and grew quite fond of Indian food. Who can blame us – let’s face it, it gets gray and gloomy quite a bit in the Northwest and as a result you can find quite a lot of Indian restaurants, only to be outdone by yet another Northwest  favorite – OMG. . . Starbucks!  😉

This curry is quite warming and spicy and the sweet potatoes absorb the spices beautifully. Wait for the delicious aroma filling your home.

You will need to marinate the sweet potatoes for about two hours prior to cooking, but other than that, it is virtually a fast food meal, when it comes to preparation.  The recipe will serve about 4 hungry people comfortably and these are the ingredients you’ll need:

Vegetarian Sweet Potato Curry:

• 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into long thin wedges
• 2 red potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 yellow Finnish potatoes (any yellow, or white potato will do), peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 red pepper, washed, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped, fresh coriander leaves
• 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 can coconut milk
• 4 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for about 20 min., finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1-1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. Himalaya salt
• black pepper to taste (about 1/4 tsp.)
• 1 tsp. finely ground cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. finely ground coriander seeds
• 1 Tbsp arrowroot starch blended in 1/2 cup of water
• 2 tsp. coconut oil
• 2 cups basmati rice

In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk with the cayenne pepper, curry powder, salt and chili powder. If you have fresh curry leaves, a couple of them, finely chopped would also enhance the flavor. Couldn’t find any for this meal, so we left it out and it still turned out great.  Finally, add the potatoes. Make sure that all the potatoes are well covered by the spicy milk concoction. Cover, place in the refrigerator, and let marinate for about 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator, set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the coconut oil and add the onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes and then add the ground cumin and coriander seeds, cover and let cook until aromatic and a nice golden color.

Meanwhile, start preparing the rice. Using a medium-sized pot, add 2 cups of  washed and rinsed basmati rice. Add 4 cups of water, bring to a boil. Add a little salt, and under medium to low heat, cook for about 40 minutes.

Now  back to the main entree preparation, add the red pepper, stir and blend well, turn down the heat and cook  for about 5 minutes. Finally, add the marinated potatoes, including the marinade, and let everything cook for about 30 minutes.

By now the rice should be done. Stir all the vegetables again and taste the sauce. You or may not need to add a little extra water. To thicken the sauce add the arrowroot starch blended with a little water. If it is too spicy for your taste, serve with some yogurt mixed with finely grated cucumber added to it.

Sorry that we can’t provide an individual serving photo, but everybody just helped themselves so quickly. It was too late. This is one of our favorite dishes and we are sure to make it again many times and will let you see another picture in an upcoming post. The curry was flavorful and spicy, everybody loved it. Enjoy, and let us know, what foods help you stay warm this winter?