Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry with Cauliflower Rice

It’s the middle of the week, you’re tired, you want something comforting and tasty, but there’s not very much in the fridge/cupboards… You know that feeling too? Great, then this is the meal for you!

Serves 4 (or 2 with leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch).

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Method

• In a big pan, add a little oil and the sliced onion (I like large slices in my curry, but chop as finely as you like).
• Add the diced/minced garlic and ginger and cook off for a few minutes.
• Then add all the spices, and the chili if using, and mix through.
• Peel and cut your sweet potato into bite-sized chunks and add to the pan.
• Drain and rinse your can of chickpeas and add, before pouring in the chopped tomatoes and stirring through. If mixture seems a little thick you may wish to add a little water.
• Cover and cook on a medium heat, while you prepare the cauliflower.
• Cauliflower rice is so easy! Chop your cauliflower head into florets and add to a food processor – mine is old and cannot handle the stalks, so I chop most of them off. But if yours is powerful then by all means include some stalkage and see how you go!
• Pulse your processor, adding the florets a few at a time, until it resembles rice. Remove any bigger bits or keep whizzing until everything is rice-like-small.
• Check on your curry – now’s a good time to add salt and pepper to taste. I taste as I’m making, and often add a little more of this, or a little more of that… Soy sauce is also good for adding a splash of saltiness. Make sure the sweet potato is cooking evenly by mixing through.
• I typically leave the lid on, regularly mixing and checking for sticking, until the potato has softened significantly. Then I take the lid off and leave to simmer and cook through while I make the rice. (As is typical with most things cooked in one pot, more time equals more flavour. Curries always taste better the next day in my opinion, but the curry should be nicely cooked within 45 minutes.)
• Add a little oil to a frying pan on a medium heat and pour in your cauliflower rice. Mix through.
• Add the turmeric and mix again. And then add the salt and pepper to taste.
• You basically cook the cauliflower to your liking, so there’s no timing here… More time equals softer consistency, less equals crunchier. You want it warmed through before you serve it, but taste as you cook, adding a little more salt and pepper if necessary (remember you will have the flavour of the curry with it).
• When the rice is as you want it, and the potatoes in the curry are soft, then you’re ready to serve!

Variations: You can use plain potatoes instead of sweet, and you can add some green by chucking in frozen peas, or spinach. I’ve not yet tried it, but I imagine that jazzing up the cauliflower rice might be quite fun… So you could add peas, sweet corn, or diced carrots to it.