Easy Coconut Curry Sauce
Recipe video above. This 30 minute recipe is all about the sauce that has beautiful depth of flavour, tastes like an Indian curry but not quite as intense. Specifically created this using spices you can get from everyday grocery stores, rather than having to find speciality Indian spices, but without sacrificing flavour. It's utterly addictive! I really love lentils and pumpkin with this creamy sauce, but feel free to use whatever you want, including proteins - see notes. Spiciness: Low, as long as your Curry Powder and Garam Masala are not spicy.
Servings: 5
Calories: 432cal
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, ghee or any regular cooking oil (canola, olive oil etc)
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger , finely grated
- 1/2 onion , finely chopped (brown or yellow)
- 400g/14oz can coconut milk (full fat)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup tomato passata (tomato puree) (Note 1)
- 400 g/14 oz can brown lentils , drained
- 250 g / 8 oz pumpkin (~3 cups) , cut into 2cm / 4/5" cubes
- 2 cups (tightly packed) baby spinach
- 1/2 cup cashews , unsalted (roasted or raw) (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp each cooking/kosher salt + black pepper
Spices:
- 1 tbsp garam masala (Note 3)
- 2 tbsp curry powder (mild or spicy, your choice, Note 4)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp paprika (sweet, or hot for spice!)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Serving garnishes:
- Coriander/cilantro leaves , whole or chopped
- Chopped cashews (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté aromatics - Heat oil in a deep skillet or pot over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger, cook for 2 minutes until onion is a bit tinged with gold.
- Cook off spices - Add Spices and stir for 1 minute. Don't worry if it looks a bit dried out.
- Coconut sauce - Add coconut milk, passata and broth. Stir until incorporated. Add lentils and pumpkin. Bring to simmer then adjust heat so it's simmering energetically.
- Simmer for 10 minutes or until pumpkin is tender but not mushy, and sauce has thickened.
- Stir through baby spinach until wilted, then cashew nuts. Add salt and pepper last, adding more if needed.
- Serve over rice, sprinkled with coriander and extra cashews, if using.
Notes
1. Crushed canned tomato can also be used here but doesn't yield the same smooth sauce. Use 3/4 cup.
2. Roughly chopped macadamia or pistachios would be a great sub. Otherwise, leave the cashews out and sprinkle generously with store bought fried shallots or onions (Asian section of supermarket), these are a great alternative for providing texture and added interest into the curry.
3. Garam Masala is a spice mix that is found in major supermarkets in Australia (Woolies, Coles etc) that is commonly used in Indian cooking. It smells like curry powder and is not spicy, if you buy it from standard supermarkets. If you get it from a speciality store, check the spiciness before using - you may wish to dial it back a bit.
4. I use Cloves of India (sold at supermarkets, spice section), mild or spicy. Any curry powder will be fine here because it's not intended to be a full blown authentic Indian curry.
5. The Formula: This recipe is all about the curry sauce, so feel free to use it for whatever you want to put in it. It makes about 3 1/2 cups of sauce which is enough for about 4 - 5 packed cups of "stuff".
Examples: 500g/1 lb chicken cut into bite size pieces (~2 1/2 cups) + 2 1/2 cups of chopped veggies of choice. Or 500g / 1 lb prawns / shrimp + 2 cups chopped sweet potato. Or 5 cups of veggies, chopped into bite size pieces. Or 1 can of beans (~2 cups) plus 3 cups of chopped veggies. Etc etc. :)
Stir throughs like spinach which wilts down to nothing is a freebie that doesn't count in the cups allowance, and similarly with a small amount of nuts.
Proteins (chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, fish and prawns/shrimp especially great) - brown first then remove (still raw inside ok), then proceed with recipe. Add it back in to finish cooking through / reheat. For beef and lamb, be sure to use a nice marbled cut and don't overcook, keep it juicy inside. You could also stir through shredded or chopped precooked meat.
Vegetables, add them into the sauce based on the cook time. The sauce needs 10 minutes to reduce / flavours to develop.
Legumes (beans) - whether canned or cooked dried beans, add them in as soon as the sauce is mixed and simmer for the full time so they soak up some flavour.
Dried lentils (2/3 dried = 1 can drained) - use 2/3 cup dried and simmer in 3 cups of lightly salted water for 20 minutes or until tender but still firm (not mushy). Drain and use per recipe.
6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings. It's a pretty generous amount! Excludes rice. It could almost be a meal in itself.
Nutrition
Serving: 316g | Calories: 432cal