Pineapple, Sweet Potato and Cashew Curry Recipe

Serves:

Prep time:

15 minutes

Cook time:

1 hour 20-25 minutes

Ingredients

100g coconut oil
200g cashew nuts
2 onions, very thinly sliced
6cm piece of ginger, peeled and very finely julienned
8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
8 sprigs of curry leaves (around 30)
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 cardamom pods
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
400ml coconut cream
1 small pineapple, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon palm sugar (if using underripe pineapple), or to taste
400ml water
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
200g daikon/mooli, peeled and diced
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Juice of ½ lime (if using overripe pineapple), or to taste

To serve:

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
Rotis or steamed rice

Method

1. Place a large saucepan that has a lid over a high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When hot, add the cashews and stir-fry until golden, 2–3 minutes, then set aside.

2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining oil. Add the onions and cook until starting to turn golden, 10-15 minutes.

3. Add the ginger, cook for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and chilli and cook until golden. Add the curry leaves and mustard seeds and sautee until the seeds start to pop and crackle.

4. Add the rest of the spices and the coconut cream, then increase the heat to high and cook for 10 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.

5. Taste the pineapple: if it's very sweet and ripe, you may want to add some lime juice at the end of cooking; if it is quite sour and sharp, add palm sugar now. Add the palm sugar, if using, along with the pineapple, water, sweet potato, mooli and salt.

6. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 45 minutes, removing the lid after 30, until the sauce is reduced by two thirds. Taste – it should be creamy, sweet and a little sour. Adjust the seasoning adding more salt, palm sugar, or lime juice, to taste.

7. Serve with a sprinkling of coriander, with rotis or steamed rice on the side.

Authors Rebecca Seal and Chantel Symons say that this dish is "loosely based on a Sri Lankan pineapple curry, which is often served as part of a big, plant-based feast. Pineapple in a curry might sound even weirder than pineapple on a pizza, but we urge you to give it a go."

Extracted from LEON Happy One Pot Vegetarian by Rebecca Seal and Chantel Symons, which is published by Conran Octopus, £17.99, www.octopusbooks.co.uk

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