Sweet Potato and Peanut Curry

Sweet potato is a current favorite with my 17 month old Joshua and as his dramatic food throwing moods are a little trying at times I was joyful over his reliable enthusiasm for this vegetable. Alas, my celebration was cut short when my husband developed sweet potato fatigue – okay so we have eaten it a lot recently!

After discovering the delicious flavours of sweet potato and peanut curry at a veggie restaurant in London I decided this was the way back to my husbands heart (I know, who is this food blog for?!). The result (after a few secret lunch experiments) – we got sweet potato back on the dinner menu with Daddy and a tasty, grab-able, spoon sticky meal for little Joshua. Win, win!

Ingredients

3 Big Sweet Potatoes (aprox 850g)

1 red onion or 2 tbsp of frozen onion

1 tbsp of sesame seed oil

Olive oil/rapeseed oil

1 garlic clove

1 tsp of cumin

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 a thumb sized piece of fresh ginger finely grated (large bits of ginger can make this dish too strong) 

1 carrot finely chopped or finely grated

500 mls of unsweetened almond milk

1 tbsp unsalted, unsweetened smooth peanut butter (Meridian or Pip and Nut do a lovely one without palm oil).  NB. Peanuts should be introduced with caution if there is a history of nut allergy in the family 

3 blocks of frozen spinach or 2 handfuls of fresh spinach finely chopped.

Rice or couscous (1 serving per adult)

Optional zingy dressing for grown ups 

The juice of 1/2 a lime

1/4 – 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper  (depending on your love of spice!)

2 tbsp olive oil

A small handful of coriander finely chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 C

Chop the sweet potatoes length-ways into four and then into toddler grab-able triangles. Spread the chopped sweet potatoes onto a baking tray and drizzle with sesame seed oil. Pop in the oven for 25-30 mins.

Whilst the potatoes are cooking take medium non-stick saucepan and fry the onion with a whole garlic clove for a few minutes until the onion has softened. Add the cumin, turmeric, ginger and grated carrot on a lower heat, fry until the spices become fragrant but don’t catch.

Add 500mls almond milk and a tbsp of peanut butter to the pan, stir together and a let the sauce simmer gently for a few minutes. Then add the frozen/freshly chopped spinach had allow it to soften. Turn the sauce right down so it does not catch but develops it’s flavour.

Prepare your rice or couscous accompaniment as per the packet instructions.

When the sweet potatoes are roasted so they are soft but not mushy remove from the oven and set aside

The optional spicy/zingy dressing 

In a little serving bowl mix the juice of 1/2 a lime, 1/4 – 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 2 tbsp olive oil and a small handful of finely chopped coriander. Pop on the table and get ready to plate your curry. 

Plate the curry by serving out the sweet potatoes on the bed of rice/couscous and then pouring over with with the peanut curry sauce so that the veg keeps it’s shape and doesn’t go too mushy.