Vegetable curries are a great hearty choice for a vegetarian meal. Filled with bold flavors and a good variety of vegetables, they can be healthy, satisfying, and delicious — as long as the vegetables are well cooked and the flavors are balanced.
To nail the bold flavor we turned to a few pantry-friendly items like curry powder, garam masala, garlic, and tomato paste while fresh ginger and a serrano chile pumped up the flavor even more. A combination of sweet potatoes, canned diced tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, and chickpeas guaranteed everyone would walk away from the table satiated.
We started by cooking the sweet potatoes since they would take the longest to become tender, followed by the eggplant and green beans. We also found that 20 minutes of simmering eliminated any tinny taste in the tomatoes and allowed the chickpeas to turn from crumbly to creamy.
Finishing the dish with a generous handful of cilantro and a dollop of Greek yogurt helped to add brightness and brought our flavors into balance. You can adjust the spice level of this dish by either including less of the serrano chile or adding its seeds.
Indian-Style Vegetable Curry
Servings: 6
Start to finish: 45 minutes
1 (14.5 ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons canola oil
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
2 onions, chopped fine
12 ounces sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon no-salt-added tomato paste
1 pound eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch lengths
2 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2/3 cup 2 percent Greek yogurt
Pulse tomatoes with their juice in food processor until nearly smooth, with some 1/4 inch pieces visible, about 3 pulses.
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add curry powder and garam masala and cook until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add onions, sweet potatoes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are browned and sweet potatoes are golden brown at edges, about 10 minutes.
Stir in garlic, chile, ginger, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add eggplant and green beans and cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are coated with spices, about 2 minutes.
Gradually stir in water, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tomatoes and chickpeas and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Off heat, stir in cilantro and 1/2 teaspoon salt and season with pepper to taste. Serve with yogurt.
