Chickpea Coconut Curry with Roasted Squash and Cauliflower

This vegetable curry recipe was inspired by one of my celebrity crushes, Vikram Vij. Vij, as he’s fondly known, is an exceptional Vancouver chef with dreamy blue eyes. The first restaurant he opened in Vancouver, Vij’s, was a game changer in the local culinary scene. Taking no reservations, people start to line up at Vij’s at 5:00pm. When I was last there, it was in the old location and we were lucky enough to get into the bar in the back of the restaurant while we waited. Vij walked around feeding us hot cassava fries that were crisp, light and flakey. The warmth and the atmosphere made me feel like I was family. If you haven’t been, you must. And I need to go back.

Onto this recipe. I wanted to make a curry that had a mild colour (read: not brown) and a heady mix of flavours. Vikram Vij’s Family Chicken Curry recipe called out to me and I took some liberties. The big difference is no chicken and instead of sour cream, I added coconut milk. It’s now vegan. I also used fresh turmeric versus dried as I spotted it at the the Granville Island market and knew my dried turmeric was old and stale. It was the first time I smelled and tasted fresh turmeric and I was delighted. It was a combination of earthy, peppery, floral and spicy aromatics. Exactly what I was going for! You can use any vegetable combinations you like and instead of roasting them, let them simmer in the pot until tender. Enjoy! -bvox

Chickpea Coconut Curry with Roasted Squash and Cauliflower

1/2 cup canola or grapeseed oil
1 cups finely chopped onions
3 inch cinnamon stick
3 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp chopped ginger
2 small peeled and diced potatoes
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried turmeric
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
3 tbsp garam masala
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 small cauliflower, cut up into bite size pieces
1 can chickpeas
1 can coconut milk
2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, including stems

Preparation

Toss cubed squash with a couple tbsp oil, and salt and pepper. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet and roast in a 425 F oven for 25 mins. On another baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with oil, salt and pepper. Halfway through cooking the squash, add the cauliflower to the oven. Roast until the vegetables are tender enough to pierce with a fork and you see some charred bits on the edges. Set aside.In a large pan, heat the remaining oil (may need to add more) on medium heat for one minute. Add onions and cinnamon, and sauté for a few minutes. Add potatoes, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, salt, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala and cayenne. Cook this masala for 5 minutes or so.Add coconut milk and water and mix well. Increase the heat to medium-high. When curry starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium, and add the chickpeas, squash and cauliflower. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, while stirring two or three times until potatoes are cooked. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick.

To Serve: Divide curry evenly among six bowls. Just before serving, top with chopped cilantro. Serve with naan or rice.

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