Spinach and sweet potato curry

I apologise for another photo of "mush".  Steve and I try so hard to make the photographs look appetizing but curry is notoriously difficult to photograph.  It would be so much easier if this was a blog about cup cakes...

This is a great way to feed spinach to someone that claims not to like it.  Unlike my sauteed spicy spinach recipe this dish fully cooks the spinach to bring out the bitter flavours to offset the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.  I first tried a similar dish called butternut 'n' spinach at Hot Stuff a fantastic little Indian cafe in Vauxhall, London.  It was so delicious I tried to recreate it a few days later.  This is my final version and it is very different to Hot Stuff's original dish; it is significantly less oily, the butternut squash has been replaced with sweet potato because I find it easier to prepare and I have made it a little less subtle.  Bon appetit!


Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 300 grams sweet potatoes - peeled and cut into chunks
• 100 grams baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons light tasting vegetable oil
• 4 fenugreek seeds
• 1 small onion - finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic - crushed
• 1 red chilli - finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground

To garnish (optional)

• Coriander - chopped
• 1 red chilli - sliced

Method 

1. Boil the sweet potatoes until cooked - probably in the region of 20 minutes.
2. Drain the sweet potatoes and then mash well removing any large lumps.
3. In the meantime finely chop the spinach leaves discarding any thick stalks.
4. Heat the oil in a pan.
5. Add the fenugreek seeds and let them cook for a minute or two.
6. Now add the chopped onion and let it cook until very soft.
7. Add the garlic and chopped red chilli and stir.
8. Now add the coriander-cumin powder, salt and black pepper.  Stir well.
9. Add the spinach and stir again.  Let the spinach cook for a minute or two.
10. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and stir well so that the spinach and potato are fully mixed together.
11. Place a lid on the pan and let the curry cook for 5 minutes on a low heat.
12. Garnish with the coriander and/ or red chilli and serve immediately.