Ayurvedic Kitchen: Sweet Potato Korma Curry

This is a super simple, deliciously creamy dish, inexpensive and very nutritious meal - nothing nicer for a cosy night in. Sweet potatoes are diuretic and grounding, with the cooling coconut milk and korma spices, this makes for a wonderful tridoshic meal, meaning it works for all body types and is also gluten (and dairy) free. We had it for dinner last night, and it was wonderfully unctuous. The Ayurvedic Kitchen Taster this week, was my partner Les. For all of his amazing assets, being a food critic is not one of them! In his words: 'It's fine yeah', which wasn't immediately encouraging! However due to his brevity in commenting on food, I've learnt to ask for a ranking out of 10. This got the second highest yet, 8/10, so translated that means 'Amazing!' Try it and let me know your thoughts. This was inspired by the fabulous Ayurvedic guidebook and cookbook 'Eat Taste Heal', which I definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about Ayurveda, its half cookbook and half guidebook. I will review this in more detail next week. Why not try this for Sunday Supper?

Korma Powder - Grind a tsp of each of the following spices and seeds together and store in a jar. It will last about 4wks if you store in a cool place. Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cardamon seeds, poppy/nigella seeds, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground turmeric, ground cloves

Sweet Potato Curry - Chop up 2 large sweet potatoes and drizzle with ghee or coconut oil, roast in oven until nicely cooked. In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee over low heat, add 1 tablespoon of Korma Powder, stir for 2-3mins until fragrant, add 2 tsps of ground almonds, and 2 tablespoons of chopped leek (or onion) . Stir cooking for 3-4mins then add 1 teaspoon of chick pea flour and 1/4 tsp asafoetida. Cook for 2mins then stir in a cup of vegetable stock , seasoning and a cup of coconut milk with 2 chopped dates. Whisk until smooth and adjust stock/coconut milk to desired creaminess. Stir in 2 tablespoons each of chopped coriander and organic plain yoghurt. Add the warm sweet potatoes and ensure well coated. Serve immediately with a squeeze of fresh lime juice on top. Works well on its own or with fluffy basmati rice. For dairy free, omit yoghurt and add 2 tablespoons of cashew butter, use vegetarian ghee. Enjoy!