Page title and description
Vegetarian mains
Romanesco & chickpea korma
Romanesco is one of our veg heroes, heralding Autumn. Its fractal patterns are mesmerising to look at and it tastes fantastic too, with a sweet, nutty flavour. Fresh turmeric adds a warming flavour to this: the easiest way to peel it is with a teaspoon but its powerful orange hue can stain when cut, so wear rubber gloves if you like, and take care to wash your board and utensils well.
Cook's notes
Use a teaspoon of ground turmeric if you don’t have any fresh.
Ingredients
- 20g flaked almonds
- 1 leek, trimmed & halved, then finely shredded
- 30g coriander, stalks & leaves finely chopped separately
- 125g brown basmati rice
- 1 small piece turmeric, peeled & finely grated
- 1 garlic clove, peeled & finely grated
- 25g korma spice paste
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 chilli, finely chopped - add to taste
- 1 400ml tin coconut milk
- 125g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 400g tin chickpeas, drained & rinsed
- 1 Romanesco, leaves removed & chopped into florets, halving any large ones
- 1 lime
Method
Prep time:
25 min
PT25M
Cooking time:
35 min
PT35M
-
Step 1
- Put a medium saucepan of salted water on to boil. Put the almonds in a large dry saucepan. Gently heat, stirring often, until golden and toasted. Transfer to a plate. Set aside.
-
Step 2
- In the same large saucepan, heat 2 tbsp of oil. Gently fry the leek for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water if it looks like catching. Add the coriander stalks to the leek.
-
Step 3
- Rinse the rice in a sieve, then boil it for approx. 20 minutes, until tender with a little bite.
-
Step 4
- Meanwhile, add the turmeric, garlic, korma spice paste, mustard seeds, cumin, ground coriander, ground ginger and chilli (to your taste) to the leek. Stir for 1 minute, until the spices are fragrant.
-
Step 5
- Add the coconut milk, tomatoes and cinnamon stick. Add the chickpeas. Simmer for 10 minutes, while you continue. (Keep an eye on the liquid; add a splash of water to thin if needs be.)
-
Step 6
- Add the Romanesco to the curry. Cook for 8-10 minutes or so, until the florets are just tender with a little bite.
-
Step 7
- When ready, drain the cooked rice. Remove the cinnamon stick from the curry. Stir in three-quarters of the coriander. Season and add a squeeze of lime juice. Serve the rice with the curry, sprinkled with almonds and remaining coriander.