Hearty curry stew with aubergine, pumpkin and kale

The great thing about a stew is that is can be made with lots of different veggies - for example the exact veggies that you happen to have at home! These days I want to have pumpkin in almost everything - and so I added them to this stew as well.

Adding some pre cooked legumes when the stew is almost done is a great way to add som extra protein (and taste!). And then I always want to add something green - kale is a favourite! Best thing is to add the kale once you have removed the pot from the heat, that way the kale will stay green and perfectly soft.

You could serve the stew just like it is, or with your choice of grain och pseudo-grain; like sorghum, quinoa, naked oats or millet, for a even more filling meal.

And last but not least - don’t forget the golden rule when it comes to stews; they are even better the day after when the flavours have had the chance to REALLY evolve!! Now, time to cook.

Hearty curry stew with aubergine, pumpkin and kale

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp caraway seeds

2 Tbsp paprika powder

1 onion

1 garlic clove

1 aubergine

1 small pumpkin, Hokkaido or Muscat

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated

500 g crushed tomatoes

400 ml coconut milk

230 g / 4 dl / 1.6 cups pre cooked chickpeas

100 g kale, rough stalk removed and leaves shredded

2 Tbsp cold pressed coconut oil

salt and freshly ground black peppar

For serving

2 dl / 0.8 cups sorghum, uncooked

fresh cilantro

How to

Cook the sorghum according to instructions on the packaging.

Fry the spices in the oil in a thick bottom pot at medium heat until fragrant. Peel and finely chop onion and garlic, add to the pot at fry until soft.

Cut the aubergine in bite size pieces. Wash the pumpkin then half it, remove seeds and cut in to bite size pieces. Add the aubergine and pumpkin to the stew. Fry for 2 minutes together with the ginger. Add the crushed tomatoes and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and and let simmer for 20 minutes, until the aubergine and pumpkin have softened. Salt and pepper to taste.

Rinse the chickpeas. Add to the stew together with the kale. Remove from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve the stew together with cooked sorghum and cilantro.

Recipe was first published in The Gothenburg-Post/Två dagar

Golden sorghum salad with roasted broccoli, butternut squash, herb hummus and hazelnuts

A what's-in-the-fridge-lunch. Use a bunch of veggies that you like (including nice and unprocessed carbohydrates, some kind of plant based protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals), cook them in different ways for texture and maybe add something unexpected or fun - like sorghum cooked in turmeric and cumin for colour and flavour - and you're in for a treat. It doesn't have to be any harder then that to cook healthy, delicious and exciting every day food! 

Golden sorghum salad with roasted broccoli, butternut squash, herb hummus and hazelnuts

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 dl uncooked sorghum (Double or triple to get your meal prep going!)

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 broccoli

1/2 a butternut squash

1 small courgette 

2 handfulls of chopped kale 

2 tbsp roasted, peeled hazelnuts (make sure to remove the peel by toasting them in the oven and then rubbing them off wrapped in a clean tea towel if you can't find already peeled as it can be a bit bitter) 

2 tbsp cold pressed olive oil 

fresh herbs of your choice to serve (I used Thai basil)

Herb hummus

4 dl pre cooked chickpeas (about 1 can/230 grams)

2 tbsp tahini 

1/2 dl water 

1/2 garlic clove

2 handfulls fresh herbs of your choice (I used parsley and basil)

1 tbsp good quality cold pressed olive oil 

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

How to

Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. 

Cook the sorghum according to instructions on the packaging, adding 1 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp cumin to the cooking water. 

Rinse and cut of the steam from the broccoli florets. Tear the florets in to smaller pieces. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the tough outer layer of the stem, cut the rest of the steam in cubes. Peel the squash and remove the seeds, cut in to small cubes. Put on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and roast in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes, until broccoli gets crisp around the edges and squash gets soft. 

Wash and spiralize the courgette using a spiralizer, julienne peeler or a vegetable peeler. Rinse, dry carefully and then massage the kale with 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt until it gets all silky and soft.  

Hummus: Mix tahini and water until creamy. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the oil, and mix until smooth. Add the oil and pulse a few times, salt and pepper to taste. 

Layer the different components on two plates. Serve with hummus and fresh herbs.