Thai sweet potato curry*

The competition is high but I think this Thai sweet potato curry, that I saw on the blog Pinch of Yum, is my favourite curry recipe of all times. Besides using both red and yellow curry pastes, which is delicious, it contains one of my favourite ingredients: sweet potato. I have done this recipe countless times now and I just don't know how could I not share it here before.

Time: 30 min.

Ingredients (4 people):
1 tbsp oil 
2 shallots, thinly sliced 
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 
3-4 cups fresh baby spinach 
2-3 tbsp curry paste (red, yellow or both) 
400 ml coconut milk 
½ to 1 cup broth or water 
½ cup chopped peanuts and coriander 
Fish sauce to taste 
Rice

1. Start preparing the rice.

2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and stir fry until soft and fragrant. Add the sweet potatoes and stir to coat with oil. Add the curry paste and stir until well-combined.

3. Add the coconut milk and broth and let it simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes Until thickened. Stir in the spinach until wilted.

4. Add half of the peanut/coriander mixture, reserving the rest for topping. Add a quick splash of fish sauce to the curry (this will just make the whole thing sing harmony in your mouth).

5. Serve over rice, topped with remaining peanuts and coriander.


*Thank you Pinch of Yum for the inspiration!

White beans curry stew*

Here at home we do a no-meat day at least once a week and we have tried really tasty vegetarian recipes. This white beans curry stew is our latest find. It's very rich in nutrients and it tastes great when combined with a cucumber salad. 

Time: 45 min
Ingredients (4 people):
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 carrot
200g celery 
800g white beans (mix small and big if possible) 
1 tbsp rapeseed oil 
1-2 tbsp red curry paste 
2 bouillon cubes 
4 dl water 
4 tomatoes 
Salt 
Chili (optional) 

Cucumber salad
½ cucumber 
½ red onion 
1 tbsp lemon juice 
½ tsp salt 
1 tsp sugar

Mint yogurt 
2 dl Turkish yoghurt  
2 tbsp dried mint 
½ tsp salt  
Fresh mint  
Curry powder or turmeric for garnish

1. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Peel and grate (thick) the carrot and celery. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the shredded and chopped about 2 minutes, stirring. Add the curry powder and cook for about 1 minute. Pour in water, crumble in the bouillon and simmer covered for about 15 minutes. Stir every now and then.

Meanwhile prepare the cucumber salad, the mint yogurt and cook the rice.

2. Cucumber salad: Rinse the cucumber and slice it thinly, preferably using a mandolin. Peel and slice the onions thinly. Mix with lemon juice, salt and sugar.

3. Mint Yoghurt: Mix the yoghurt with dried mint and salt. When serving garnish with fresh mint and a little curry powder or turmeric on top.

4. Drain the beans in a strainer and add them to the stew, together with the tomatoes cut into large pieces. Let simmer about 3 minutes. Season with salt, and possibly with finely chopped chili.

5. Serve the stew hot with cooked rice, the cucumber salad and the mint yoghurt.


*Inspired by recipe on Allt om Mat

Chicken with blood orange, sriracha sauce, fried rice and yogurt

Chicken is the most consumed meat in Sweden. Many eat chicken almost every day and even though we don't do that, we are still always looking for new recipes to try. In this recipe, the chicken is combined with blood orange and the spiciness of the sriracha sauce, giving it an exotic flavour. Served with fried rice and yoghurt is just perfect!

Go ahead and try yourself!

Time: 30 + 30 min. in the oven

Ingredients (4 people): 
4 chicken legs (~1 kg)
Basmati rice 
2 tbsp + 4 tbsp light soy sauce
1 ½ tbsp sriracha sauce (or chili sauce) 
3 tbsp of honey 
½ tbsp of canola oil 
2 fennel bulbs 
2 blood oranges
1 small bunch spring onions 
3 eggs 
70g baby spinach 
2 dl natural yoghurt 
Salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 225 ºC. Cook rice according to the package. Let cool on a large dish and mix with 2 tbsp of soy sauce.

2. Cut up the chicken legs and thighs and transfer to an oven dish. Whisk 4 tbsp of soy sauce, sriracha, honey and sesame oil. Brush the marinade over the chicken. Clean and cut the fennel into wedges. Add the fennel around the chicken.

3. Rinse one of the oranges and cut into slices. Squeeze 2 tbsp of juice from the other orange. Add orange slices around the chicken and pour over the orange juice.

4. Cook in the oven about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (80 ºC internal temperature).

5. Clean and chop the spring onions. Whisk the eggs with 2 tbsp of water and 2 pinches of salt. Fry the eggs in a frying pan. Add the rice and onions and let cook 2-3 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir in the spinach and remove from the heat.

6. Serve the chicken with rice, fennel and yogurt.

Cauliflower curry

I love curries and I make them often at home. They make a good hearty meal and are rich in flavour. I enjoy trying different recipes and different kinds of curry. My most recent experiment was this vegetarian curry with cauliflower. The best however, is the sauce rich in peanut taste. The combination is simply superb and as soon as I tried it for the first time, I know I would be making it again and again.

Time: 30 min.

Ingredients (4-6 people): 
1 kg cauliflower 
300g potato 
2 cans coconut milk (2x 400ml) 
3 tbsp peanut butter 
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice

Curry paste 
1/2 onion 
2 garlic cloves 
1/2 red chili 
1 stalk lemongrass
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp finely grated ginger 
1 tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Garnish: 
1 cup diced spring onions
1 cup peanuts 
coriander 
rice or naan bread
 
1. Curry paste: Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Chop the chili and the root of lemon grass (about 6 cm). Mix all the ingredients for the curry paste and mix to smooth consistency.

2. Clean and break the cauliflower into florets. Peel and cut the potatoes into cubes.

3. Fry curry paste on medium heat in a pan, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk and peanut butter and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for about 4 minutes.

4. Add the cauliflower and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add the fish sauce and lime.

5. Serve curry topped with spring onions, ground peanuts and coriander. Serve with rice or naan bread.

Granola*

I thought making your own granola was a lot of work. It's not. Store bought granola is full of unnecessary sugar and they always have at least one ingredient I don't like. Making your own granola solves both problems. Here is my recipe of granola. You can mix and match other ingredients until you find your own recipe. Try it and you will never buy granola again.

Makes about 3 liters
Time: 20 min + 1h in the oven

Ingredients:
200g walnuts (or hazelnuts or peanuts or mix)
2 large oranges
650g spelt flakes
400g sunflower seeds
300g pumpkin seeds
200g coconut flakes
1 tablespoon cinnamon (or cardamom)
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 dl honey
1 dl rapeseed oil
1 dl water
250g dried apricots (or dried figs or dried plums or mix)
1 dl cranberry raisins
1/2 dl regular raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 175 ºC. Coarsely chop the nuts. Squeeze the juice out of both oranges.

2. Mix the flakes, seeds, nuts, cinnamon, vanilla powder and salt. Mix with your hands.

3. Separately, mix orange juice, honey, oil, and water. Pour the mixture over the grits and mix with your hands.

4. Spread 1/3 of the mixture on an oven tray (those the same size as the oven) lined with with parchment paper. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the granola gets some colour. Stir occasionally. Repeat 2 more times with remaining mixture.

5. Allow to cool. Cut the apricots into small pieces. Add them to the granola. Add the raisins, cranberries and coconut flakes. Mix. Store in air-tight flasks (it keeps for weeks, if you can resist...).

Tips: Granola is really very versatile. Mix and match different ingredients to your liking. The original recipe had orange rind, for instance.

My favourite combinations
Yoghurt, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 sliced banana, topped with granola.
Frozen blueberries and raspberries microwaved for 30s, topped with yoghurt and granola.
Diced mango, yoghurt and granola.
Grapes, yoghurt and granola


*Inspired by a recipe from Allt om Mat.