Sweet Potato Curry

A few months ago, I came to the not-so-shocking revelation that I eat too much meat. I’m an animal lover, I care about the environment, and there is ample evidence that excess meat consumption is causing lots of issues in the world today, so while I don’t feel the ability to move to an entirely plant based diet, I am making the conscious, concerted effort to make meat-free meals a staple in my kitchen.

So I reached out to friends, asking for their favorites, and was steered to this recipe by Bon Appetit – https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/sweet-potato-curry

Good news, I already had everything in my pantry to make this meal (more or less) so I figured I’d give it a go.

Let me start by saying – the recipe was a success. I didn’t follow the BA recipe exactly, which is why I’m putting my variation below (though admittedly the changes are minor) but more importantly, because this base sauce is so freakin’ good that while I started with sweet potato curry, I can’t wait to do this again with lentils, chickpeas, tofu, eggplant, heck, even meat (even though, yes, I get the irony of turning this vegetarian find into a meat-infused meal). I’m only human after all.

Sweet Potato Curry Recipe

Couple of notes: if you don’t have or can’t find fresh lemongrass, feel free to use 1 tbsp lemongrass paste that is usually refrigerated in the produce section of the grocery store. Also, I like grating my ginger and garlic with a microplane. Lastly, I find the carrots tasty, but optional.

I like using a big sauté pan for this, it allows excess water to evaporate. Just make sure you have a big enough pot or pan with a lid.

INGREDIENTS
1 lemongrass stalk, tough outer layer removed, finely chopped
1 2″ piece of ginger, peeled and grated
4 garlic cloves, grated
2 tbsp light olive oil
1/4 cup red curry paste
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 can crushed tomatoes (approx 14 oz)
2 cans light coconut milk (approx 28 oz)
2 sweet potatoes (approx 1.5 lbs) cut into bite sized pieces
2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces (optional)
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1 red thai chili (thinly sliced)
1 lime, half for juicing, half cut into wedges for garnish
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro (tender stems are a-ok)
1/4 cup torn thai basil leaves
Cooked jasmine rice to serve alongside
salt/pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the lemongrass, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Give that a pinch of salt and add curry paste and tomato paste, stir, and give that another couple of minutes.

Add the canned tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, making sure to scrape up any browned bits, then add your coconut milk and mix it all together. Bring this to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. This is your base red curry sauce. From here you could add anything, cauliflower, tofu, beans, you name it, then season and garnish with the lime juice and herbs for a delicious meal. Don’t forget to check in the end and do final salt/pepper additions if you need it.  If you are going the sweet potato route, read on.

Add sweet potatoes and carrots to you pan, cover with a lid and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Add shallots (reserving a bit for garnish if you like) and cover again, cooking until the potatoes are tender. Depending on the size you cut them, this could be 10 to 30 minutes. Important note, this is supposed to be a sauce, so feel free to add water if at any point it’s getting dry and your sweet potatoes aren’t in a glossy/rich sauce. Likewise, it shouldn’t be red curry soup, so if it’s looking too wet, do the final cooking with the lid off so that sauce stay exactly that, sauce.

Once your sweet potatoes are ready, add the juice of half a lime, and spoon over rice. Garnish with the fresh chile, scallions, cilantro, thai basil, and little lime wedges.