Desley's mum's silverbeet, potato and tomato curry
“Children learn to love good food when they have helped grow it and cook it.”
- 6 large potatoes
- 6 stems coriander
- 1 onion
- 1 x 5cm piece fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 6 curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 18 silverbeet leaves
- 10 stalks parsley
- salt
This recipe is an extract from the book Kitchen Garden Cooking with Kids by Stephanie Alexander and Anna Dollard; Lantern, $39.95, ©2006. The format has been changed slightly to fit in with Epicure style. In the book, recipes include a list of equipment needed, safety tips and other information.
Method
Peel the potatoes and place the peel in a compost bucket. Chop the potatoes into 2cm cubes, place in a large bowl and cover with water. Soak the coriander stems in a small bowl of water. Peel and chop the onion, ginger and garlic, and place in a medium bowl.
Heat a small frying pan over a medium heat. Toast the cumin seeds in the dry pan until they smell fragrant. Tip the seeds into a mortar. Toast the coriander seeds in the same pan until they smell fragrant. Add to the mortar. Toast the mustard seeds until they start to pop, then add them to the mortar. Crush the seeds to a coarse powder using the pestle. Add the chilli flakes, crumbled curry leaves and turmeric to the crushed spices, and stir to combine.
Place a colander in the sink. Tip the potatoes and water into the colander. Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat and tip in the onion, garlic and ginger. Fry, stirring with a wooden spoon, for a few minutes until softened. Add the crushed spices from the mortar, the potatoes and the tin of tomatoes along with their juice. Stir to combine and add just enough water to barely cover. Cover tightly with the lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. Set the timer for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, separate the silverbeet leaves from their stems by slicing along each side of the thick central stem. Place the stems in the compost bucket. Rinse the silverbeet leaves and dry in a salad spinner. Roll the leaves into a loose bunch, then shred with a large knife. Place the shredded leaves in the bowl used to hold the onion. Lift the coriander from its soaking water. Rinse the parsley. Dry the herbs by rolling in a tea towel, chop roughly, then set aside in the small bowl.
When the timer goes off, check the potatoes are tender and taste for salt. Add the silverbeet leaves, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Transfer the hot curry to a serving bowl. Sprinkle the chopped parsley and coriander over the top.
Serves 6.
