Sri Lankan inspired Coconut Vegetable Curry
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free
I recently recovered from Covid-19 and since then, I’ve been craving lighter and full-flavoured food, so I started with one of my favourites, inspired by my first ever trip to Asia. I loved Sri Lanka – and even though I’m not really a big coconut fan, I loved the sweet-sour taste of their veggie dishes, which comes from coconut milk. This simple dish is always a winner.
Don’t worry if you don’t have the tamarind or the curry leaves. You can also leave out the desiccated coconut, but the coconut milk is pretty essential for this delicious dish. Choose a rainbow of seasonal vegetables for a beautiful bowlful!
Makes 2 servings
Calories per serving: 240–265
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 13 minutes
1 tsp coconut OR olive oil 45 cals
1 tsp black mustard seeds 5 cals
1 tsp turmeric 5 cals
few black peppercorns
1 red onion, chopped 38 cals
½–1 small, hot red chilli, seeded, finely chopped 2–4 cals
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 8 cals
1–2cm-piece ginger, peeled and grated, to taste 3–4 cals
400g mixed vegetables, diced or chopped into equal-size pieces, including 80g baby aubergines 16 cals, 150g mixed butternut squash and sweet potato 92 cals, 1 medium courgette 34 cals, 1 red pepper 30 cals (150–200 cals in total)
Optional: 10g desiccated coconut, plus a little extra for serving 62 cals
1 tsp tamarind paste 7 cals or juice of ½ lime 10 cals
80ml coconut milk made up to 200ml with cold water 140 cals
100g Chinese cabbage, pak choi, or other greens 17 cals
Optional: 4 dried curry leaves, a few fresh coriander leaves, chopped to garnish
1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and cook for 1 minute till they pop slightly. Reduce the heat and add the onion, chilli, garlic, ginger, turmeric, peppercorns and fry gently for 2 minutes.
2. Add the chopped vegetables and desiccated coconut if using, and fry for 2 more minutes. Add the curry leaves, tamarind paste and coconut milk and water mixture and, bring to a simmer. Let it cook for 6 minutes.
3. Add the Chinese cabbage or greens and cook for a further 2 minutes.
4. Serve sprinkled with the reserved coconut and chopped coriander. Delicious served with 50g basmati or jasmine rice per person (dry weight: 166-175 calories per serving).
More ideas from the 5:2 Kitchen For more protein, add tofu, cooked prawns or cooked chicken at the same stage as the coconut milk.
To freeze Simply allow the second portion to cool before freezing in an airtight plastic container. Defrost the curry before reheating in a pan or the microwave.