Slow cooker all vegetable curry

I love slow cooking.  Putting lots of ingredients into the pot and coming back a few hours to a pot of delicious bubbling food.  We’re so used to take-out curry that we don’t feel that we can make a delicious curry at home.  Well think again!  I made this using my spice rack and it only took 10 minutes to prepare.  My slow cooker did all the work!

It’s worth saying at this point if you don’t have ALL of the spices, try it with what you have and next time you hit the supermarket, pick-up another spice jar.

Ingredients for 4 servings

300g	aubergine
300g	carrot
250g	courgette
100g	spinach, frozen
800g	chopped tomatoes
30ml	tomato puree
200ml	water
150g	onion
2	garlic cloves
150g	peppers
1	scotch bonnet
100g	chickpeas
100g	lentils
2	bay leaves
2 tsp	cumin seeds
4	cardamom seeds
2 tsp	turmeric
3 tsp	garam masala
1 tsp	ground ginger
2 tsp	ground cumin
1 tsp	ground coriander
1-2 tsp	chilli powder
20g	olive oil
	salt and pepper

(Example ingredient amounts given, adjust accordingly to your requirements)

Method

• Turn your slow cooker on high to warm the pot.
• Put a medium saucepan onto the heat to warm.
• Slice the onions and garlic and add them to the warmed pan along with the oil.
• As the onions soften add all of the dry spices to the pot, mix thoroughly and leave them to cook out for a minute or two.
• Add the tomato puree to the pan and stir to cook out before adding the water.
• Leave the pan to come to a simmer before turning off.
• Time to prep the vegetables.  Cut the carrots into small chunks, cut the aubergine into large chunks leaving the skin on, slice the courgettes approx 10mm thick, deseed the peppers and cut them in half.  The vegetables cook at different rates and if they are too small they will turn into mush.
• Add all the vegetables to the slow cooker pot along with chopped tomatoes, chickpeas, lentils and frozen spinach.
• Add the onion mixture to the slow cooker and give everything a good mix.
• Finish by adding the bay leaves and the scotch bonnet to the pot.  I like to take the stalk off and cut it in half leaving the seeds in.
• Pop the slow cooker lid on and leave to cook for 4 hours before turning down to medium and leave for another 4 hours.
• Serve with some rice or Indian breads and chutneys and enjoy!

Notes

• If you don’t have ALL of the spices, try it with what you have and next time you hit the supermarket, pick-up another spice jar.
• Feel free to mix up the vegetables and use up what you have in the fridge.
• Don’t be afraid to increase or decrease the spice levels by altering the ground chilli and scotch bonnet quantities.
• The curry freezes really well too!