Vegan Yellow Pea Curry with Crispy Veggies
I found a recipe in one of my cookbooks that inspired this recipe. It helped me think about using the peas differently than I usually do when making Indian style food. I usually only think of them in relation to dal but today I cooked them as the sauce for the curry with lots of seasonings and then added some tender-crisp fresh veggies at the end.
* I use a LOT of curry powder and I like mine a bit spicy so feel free to adjust the curry powder blending as you see fit for your own taste buds but use at least 1 1/2 tablespoons to ensure that you get enough flavor*
One thing I recently realized - growing up I rarely ate fresh vegetables, they were mostly frozen or canned because at the time, that is what we could afford (and basically all my mom could cook, love her but cooking is not her strong point) so lately I've made a point of using all fresh veggies whenever possible and boy does it make a big difference!
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 white onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoon hot yellow curry powder
2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup yellow split peas, rinsed (I usually can only find these at Sprouts)
2 3/4 cups water
1 can coconut milk (be sure to use the full fat one not the light version, it's worth the calories for the taste)
1 cup sliced carrots
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup thickly sliced yellow onion
1/2 cup cut green beans
1 each - yellow, green, orange, and red bell peppers, chopped
4 roma tomatoes chopped
1/2 teaspoon of salt, or to taste
1. In a 3 quart saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and garlic, cook stirring until the onions are tender, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the curry powders, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne until the spices are absorbed into the onions.
2. Add the peas and stir until they are coated with the spices. Add the water and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about an hour to hour and fifteen minutes, or until the peas are mostly dissolved. Be sure to stir it occasionally.
3. When the sauce is almost done, about an hour into cooking, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet or a wok. Add the carrots and cook until they are almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add the rest of the veggies and cook until they are your desired tenderness. I like my veggies pretty tender so I cooked mine for about 10 minutes but 3-5 will cook them so they are still pretty crisp.
4. Stir the vegetables in the curry mix and add salt. Serve!
One of the things I like about this the most is it's really easy to modify so you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Everything from cauliflower, snow peas, squash, mushrooms, the sky is really the limit! Just be careful with the cooking times depending on what veggies you end up using.
* I use a LOT of curry powder and I like mine a bit spicy so feel free to adjust the curry powder blending as you see fit for your own taste buds but use at least 1 1/2 tablespoons to ensure that you get enough flavor*
One thing I recently realized - growing up I rarely ate fresh vegetables, they were mostly frozen or canned because at the time, that is what we could afford (and basically all my mom could cook, love her but cooking is not her strong point) so lately I've made a point of using all fresh veggies whenever possible and boy does it make a big difference!
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 white onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoon hot yellow curry powder
2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup yellow split peas, rinsed (I usually can only find these at Sprouts)
2 3/4 cups water
1 can coconut milk (be sure to use the full fat one not the light version, it's worth the calories for the taste)
1 cup sliced carrots
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup thickly sliced yellow onion
1/2 cup cut green beans
1 each - yellow, green, orange, and red bell peppers, chopped
4 roma tomatoes chopped
1/2 teaspoon of salt, or to taste
1. In a 3 quart saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and garlic, cook stirring until the onions are tender, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the curry powders, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne until the spices are absorbed into the onions.
2. Add the peas and stir until they are coated with the spices. Add the water and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about an hour to hour and fifteen minutes, or until the peas are mostly dissolved. Be sure to stir it occasionally.
3. When the sauce is almost done, about an hour into cooking, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet or a wok. Add the carrots and cook until they are almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add the rest of the veggies and cook until they are your desired tenderness. I like my veggies pretty tender so I cooked mine for about 10 minutes but 3-5 will cook them so they are still pretty crisp.
4. Stir the vegetables in the curry mix and add salt. Serve!
One of the things I like about this the most is it's really easy to modify so you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Everything from cauliflower, snow peas, squash, mushrooms, the sky is really the limit! Just be careful with the cooking times depending on what veggies you end up using.
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