Sweet Potato Curry with Coconut Rice

Simple Vegetable Curry, Everyday Food

I've been experimenting with different curry recipes for some time now. First it was a recipe from Good Housekeeping, which I tweaked to no end, then it was one from 101 Cookbooks, which convinced me that all curries need to have coconut milk, and finally one from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, which brought it all together and helped me complete my own recipe.

As we've seen with previously posted recipes, sweet potatoes take very well to coconut milk and curry, so this recipe is another take on the flavors with much more to chew on and lots of room for customizing. Add a protein like shrimp, chicken or tofu if a plate of veggies doesn't cut it for you or choose your favorite combination of vegetables to make it your own. Some others I considered throwing into the mix were broccoli, okra, baby corn and chickpeas, but this time I based my choices on color.

Curry paste as opposed to curry powder is used in this recipe, making it a Thai curry rather than an Indian one. You can find this in the ethnic aisle of your grocery store. Thai Kitchen is the brand I see most often.

This is a hearty dish that'll keep you warm on a cold winter night. It's a healthy version of Thai takeout, and the best part is, you get to choose what goes in it! I grew up eating coconut rice - it's easy to make and a great addition to this dish.

Sweet Potato Curry

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 small red onion, cut into quarters
1 large sweet potato, diced into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 cups string beans, trimmed and halved
1 handful raw large spinach leaves, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup unsalted cashews (or peanuts)
1 cup white rice


In heavy stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, onion and sweet potatoes; cook and stir until fragrant and onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add curry paste, stir until sweet potatoes are coated. Add 1 cup of the coconut milk (set remaining coconut milk aside) and 2/3 cup water; stir until coconut milk is red from the curry. Add cauliflower, string beans, spinach and cashews; season with salt and pepper; stir so spinach is in liquid; cover and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Coconut rice:
In the meantime, measure remaining coconut milk, add water until it reaches 2 cups. Heat in small saucepan until boiling; add rice; stir; return to a boil then reduce to a simmer; cover until liquid as been absorbed, about 15 minutes.

To serve, spoon curry over bed of rice; garnish with cilantro sprigs if desired.