May's Spice Of The Month is Goan Xacuti Curry Powder. It's pronounced za-coo-tea and is a blend of fiery dried chilli, sweet cinnamon and coriander (amongst other deliciously fragrant things). It's traditional in Goa to balance the heat of spices with creamy, soothing coconut milk as André has done here. He's also filled it full of lovely veggies and topped the whole thing off with peanuts for a bit of extra crunch. Enjoy!
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
1
Onion
1
Carrot
1
Chestnut Mushrooms
1
Green Beans
1
Baby Corn
30
Tomato Puree
1.5
Goan Xacuti Spice
½
Tamarind Sauce
(Contains Sulphites)
½
Ground Turmeric
400
Coconut Milk
1
Vegetable Stock Pot
(Contains Celery, Sulphites)
150
Basmati Rice
25
Salted Peanuts
(Contains Peanut May contain Nuts)
300
Water
Halve, peel and thinly slice the onion into half moons. Peel the carrot and remove the top and bottom, then cut in half lengthways and slice into thin half moons. Slice the chestnut mushrooms. Trim the tops from the green beans and chop them and the baby corn into four pieces.
Heat a splash of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until everything has softened, 5-6 mins. Stir the tomato purée, Goan xacuti curry powder, tamarind sauce (only use the amount stated in the ingredient list!) and half the turmeric into the veggies. Cook for 2 mins. Add the coconut milk, half the veggie stock pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 mins.
Meanwhile, pop the remaining turmeric and stock pot into another large saucepan with the water (amount specified in the ingredient list). Bring to the boil on high heat, stir to dissolve the stock pot and add the rice. Lower the heat to medium and cover with a lid on (or some foil). Cook for 10 mins, then remove from the heat and set aside (still covered) for another 10 mins. TIP: The rice will finish cooking in its own steam.
Once the curry has simmered away for 10 mins, add the green beans and baby corn. Continue to cook until the beans are tender, another 8-10 mins. Taste and add salt and black pepper if necessary.
Place the peanuts between two sheets of clingfilm. Bash them with a rolling pin or the bottom of a saucepan.
Fluff the rice up with a fork and spoon it into bowls. Top with the veggie curry and sprinkle over the peanuts. Enjoy!