Curry for Christmas

Christmas eve at our house will be highlighted with our traditional rice and curry dinner. This may not be the usual choice for many Canadians but my in-laws spent many years living in India and my mother-in-law always made the world’s best curry. She told me how to make it but it never tasted quite as good as hers. Perhaps this is because food always tastes better when it's made by someone else. In any event, I will pass on this recipe to you. There are no measurements, just approximations. And I always add different ingredients of my own and I encourage you to do the same.

Ingredients

Onions, chopped

Garam masala, or cloves, cumin, and coriander spices

Curry powder

Salt and pepper

Stewing beef (you can substitute lentils for meat)

Cauliflower (this is a must)

Carrots

Celery

White, red or sweet potato

Red pepper

Cabbage (red or green)

Spinach

Olive oil

Add onion and olive oil to a large pot over medium-low heat. Saute until onion is soft. Add spices. Cook for a few minutes and then add 3 cups of water. Add the meat and all the vegetables. Similar over medium heat until meat is brown and vegetables are cooked through. Add the spinach last. Allow the mixture to simmer over low heat to synthesize the spices.

Chutney

One fresh tomato, chopped

Flaked coconut

Vinegar (about a tablespoon)

Mix ingredients together to taste.

Serve curry over Basmati rice (mix in turmeric with the rice for colour and added nutrition) and add chutney on top. This chutney has a sweet, cooling flavour. You could try adding plain yogurt to offset the heat of the curry as well. Delicious! Enjoy!