I found this recipe ages ago and recently rediscovered it as I sorted through my various recipe collections.  I finally caved and signed up for Evernote and fell in love and started adding all of my recipes to it.  The husband tried to convert me for years, and I resisted out of stubbornness my commitment to OneNote for my grad school notes.  I ultimately had to admit that Evernote has some significant advantages over OneNote.  It’s easier to clip websites, search text, tag notes, and even share notebooks with the husband.  You win, dear.

Ok, ok, enough of the love fest for Evernote!

You might be confused with the sharing of an Indian recipe right before Christmas.  What is she thinking?  It’s the contrast.  I have a tradition of chowing down on anti-holiday cuisine before the holidays to make those special dishes even more special.  I really love my stuffed acorn squash recipe, but if I ate that the week before Christmas, the Christmas stuffing would feel less special.  So yesterday I joined a couple friends at a local Vietnamese restaurant for lunch.  Perfect anti-holiday cuisine.

This recipe is a fairly basic Indian dish that is a good intro to Indian cooking (of which I’m a big fan).  I cut the cayenne down significantly from the original after burning my taste buds the first time around.  I love that it’s a complete meal in one dish and makes great leftovers.  Perfect to start your week with a Meatless Monday dish to eat for lunch the next day, too!  For a similar type of dish with less heat, try my Vegan Red Lentil Sweet Potato Stew.

Vegan Potato Curry

Ingredients

• 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on your taste–I’m a wuss)
• 4 tsp curry powder
• 4 tsp garam masala
• 1 in piece fresh ginger root, peeled and minced (a mini food processor is amazing for this)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
• 1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained (15 oz)
• 1 1/4 cup frozen peas
• 1 can coconut milk (14 oz)
• 1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews, optional

Instructions

1. Put the potatoes in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to keep at a simmer and cook until just tender–about 15 minutes.  Drain them and let them steam dry for a bit.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, or until translucent.  Add the cumin, cayenne pepper, curry powder, garam masala,  ginger, and salt.  Cook for 2 minutes more.  Add the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, peas, and potatoes. Add the coconut milk, dried fruit, and cashews (if using) and bring to a simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Serve with some naan if you can find it in your grocery store.  I found that biscuits were an acceptable substitute.

One year ago: I wouldn’t call it procrastination…