Coconut Potato Curry with Basil & Cashews

Basil Potato Curry (01) by MeetaK

We’re well into the first week of 1st Grade! A few posts ago I had mentioned that Soeren would be starting 1st Grade this week and in Germany it is tradition to celebrate this milestone with a lot of festivities.

We had our Zuckertütenfest on Saturday and it really went well. The evening prior to the big day, a few of the parents got together to decorate and paint banners in the sport hall, where the official presentation was to be held. We had a ball painting and reminiscing how we painted such banners for various school events like prom night and other parties back when we were at school. Now we were doing it for our children!

Class of 2020 was welcomed with a bang. Each one looked adorable and some of them had a tough time carrying their huge sugar cones filled with varies goodies.

class of 2020

Outside the sun was shining, just perfect for all those colorful wishes floating into the blue skies above.

Balloons

Each family was given a card so that we could write down the wishes of our little ones. These cards were then attached to colorful balloons and then released to find their way to the place where wishes come true.

After these festivities we headed off to lunch with family and friends, which gave way to coffee and cake and finally ended with dinner. A long day for everyone! As we put Soeren to bed he whispered

“Mum, most of my wishes have already come true – I have the best parents in the world! Now I just want to become an astronaut!”

Follow your dream Soeren! It’s up there, tied to a red balloon.

After all that eating on Saturday we needed to get back to the comfy food at home. I had a lovely basket filled with organic new potatoes and I knew what I was going to make with them.

Basil Potato Curry (04) by MeetaK

They are no strangers to the blog world. Both are ironic, sarcastic, have an opinion to everything and voice them over at Jugalbandi. It's a blog definitely worth checking out. You will laugh at their dry sense of humor, agree (or disagree) with their political attitude, be in awe of what they can grow in the desert and enjoy their unique ideas. That’s right – I am talking about Bee and Jai.

This month Jugalbandi is being featured over at Zlamushka’s event Tried & Tasted. The recipe I chose was something I knew I would be making the minute I saw it. Basil infused potato and peas curry. A delicious fusion of Indian and Thai flavors.

I pretty much followed their recipe to the T, just adding fresh and sweet cherry tomatoes and substituting the anis seeds with black cumin seeds. Oh and I used full fat coconut milk ;-).

Basil Potato Curry (03) by MeetaK

 

Ingredients
Printable version of recipe here.

500g new potatoes, steamed for 10 minutes. I left them whole
1/3 cup cashews, soaked for 10-15 minutes then chopped
1 cup green peas
2 cups fresh cherry tomatoes, whole
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon black cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
400 ml canned coconut milk
1 tablespoon canola oil
Handful of basil, chopped
Salt an pepper

Method

In a large pan, heat the oil and add the black cumin seeds.When they begin to sizzle and release their aromatic aroma, add the cashews and allow to gently roast. Finally add the steamed potatoes and toss to coat with the spiced nutty oil.

Add about 1/2 a cup of water with the tomato paste and incorporate. Throw in the whole cherry tomatoes and allow to simmer for 5-8 minutes.

Add all the spices and stir well coating the potatoes with the mixture. At this point some of the tomatoes should be cooked through and you can mash a few using a fork.

After 3-5 minutes add the coconut milk and the fresh peas. Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add the chopped basil leaves, reserving a few to garnish.

Notes:

  • The basic sauce idea pairs perfectly well with other items. Paneer, tofu or even chicken breast cubes could all be used instead (or with) of the potatoes.
  • This can be served with flatbread, Basmati or Thai rice or, as in our case, with bulgur.
  • The leftovers taste even better so make enough for the next day!

Verdict

Basil Potato Curry (02) by MeetaK

I love the gravy for this dish. It was deliciously rich and full of aromatic flavors. I sacrificed the last of my lovely organic basil for this, not regretting one leaf. The nutty, roasted, chopped cashews add fantastic texture and harmonize so well with the entire dish. We had this with bowlfuls of steaming bulgur, which made a delicious no-fuss meal.

You might like these great potato ideas from WFLH:

AchaariAloo 03 framed Potatoes in Mango Chutney Sauce
Foccacia 03b Tender Potato Focaccia
PotatoSaladYogurt01 Potato Salad lite

From around the blogs:

Daily Tiffin Reading Tip:

We've got a new look over at the Daily Tiffin. Come and check it out!

 

 


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39 comments:

  1. oooo gorgeous, have been thinking about curry all week YUM!

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  2. Beautiful post, lovely pics. This is the first time I am visiting your blog. It is beautiful! Nice recipe as well. Great work Meeta!

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  3. Meeta, congrats to Soeren!! That sounds like such a neat tradition... I wish we had something like that : )
    That recipe sounds hearty and yummy - props for the bulgur wheat side; I love that grain!

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  4. Meeta that curry looks so rich.. cashew and coconut nice combo

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  5. Wow! Congratulations Soeren! I'm sure you will make an awesome astronaut someday! :) (love the career choice btw :))

    Sounds like a lovely celebration Meeta and that curry looks delicious!

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  6. Whoopee! Congratulations Soeren (and you Meeta). I've always admired the Zuckertüten in Germany, didn't know there was this special day for firstgraders. Thanks for sharing!

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  7. Meeta
    This is my first time writing here. This recipe looks delicious-will try it out this weekend. I'm a vegetarian so I try and tweak your recipes to my liking-love it! :)

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  8. That sounds delicious, Meeta!
    I wonder if Thai basil would taste good instead of the normal basil. I think I prefer its faint liquorice taste to the full-on wham of Italian basil in curries...

    ;)

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  9. Thats really so sweet of you Soeren to say that...I know how proud you must feel..congrats..and that curry looks awesome!..I would've loved it for my mela!

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  10. All the best to dear Soeren and his dreams :-)

    ...and the curry looks gorgeous

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  11. hi, your recipes look very yummy, and photos are great:)
    thanks for sharing....

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  12. A curry fit for a space-traveler, for sure! So delicious-looking!

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  13. The curry looks really delicious Meeta, the color is very appealing. I had it bookmarked too the day I read it :) Its surprising how well Indian curries pair with bulghar and cous-cous, I have totally gotten rid of the rice in my diet and still enjoy my fav curries and dals.
    ...and Good Luck to Soeren :)

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  14. It is this trust in parents that makes us realize how big a responsibility bringing up children really is! But how easily and happily we take it on.
    Sweet Soeren! May his other wish come true too!

    I can use some spicy chicken curry myself...the appetite needs perking.

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  15. Loved the write up about Soren's back to school party. Lovely dish! I have tried this frm Jugalbandi and it was sooooo delicious!

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  16. Ahh, so exciting that Soeren's schooling is going so well!!

    Gorgeous dish!!

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  17. Thank you sweet Meeta. I will hold on to my sanity. Believe me, I needed to hear that with all the chaos now and more which are coming towards me fast! :D

    That potato dish looks fabulous. They told me that I need to keep my microwave and essentials separately when they demolish the kitchen. So we will be eating out or microwaving or grilling our food for 4-6 weeks. Ahh! Not looking forward to it at all.
    Take care, hugs to you!:))

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  18. Congrats to Soeren. May his dreams continue to come true. Your dish looks so delicious.

    Paz

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  19. Oh delicious! I had considered making this one for T&T too!!

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  20. Oh yum it looks wonderful. I love all the flavours you used.

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  21. wish you all the best, little astronaut!!! basil makes everything more delicious and aromatic. the curry looks so perty.

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  22. This sounds delicious and I'm glad the Zuckertütenfest went well! I love that balloon photo

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  23. Class of 2020 - that really makes me feel quite old! What a fun time for your sweet boy! and that meal - delicious!

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  24. This looks like a perfect way to deal with those impertinent new potatoes! And more to the point, I think I have all the ingredients and might give this a go soon!!

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  25. Your little baby is growing up... and class of 20/20?! I am ancient (lol)

    I am definitely going to make this potato curry. I like that you used cashew and coconut milk. This must have tasted soooooo good!

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  26. thy look so yum,...:-)hppy bloggin,,ceeya ,,nd happy janmasthami too,..

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  27. Thanks everyone. Soeren and his dream. The astronaut is pretty serious. I've never seen any kid literally devour books and information about everything regarding outer space and planets. He'll miss such meals out there LOL!

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  28. ooh i want to set out a balloon with my wish, into the sky too :) Soeren is so cute ... at this age he already appreciates his parents. And ambitious too ... :) i do hope he becomes an astronaut, and a very fine one too.
    The potato curry looks wonderful, a blend of Thai n Indian ... has to be knock out. Have to , have to try this out. The presentation n styling of the pics is so pretty.

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  29. I experienced this from a teacher's point of view. I was a First Grade teacher for nearly 15 years and to me it was always amazing to see how these little people develop into independent human beings. With supportive parents like you, your child will soar!!!!
    I love the potato dish...it is my favorite vegetable.

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  30. My son is starting first grade as well... It's so fun to watch them grow and dream. This looks like another great jugalbandi recipe... with the Meeta touch. Nicely done. the picture is beautiful as always.

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  31. Hi Meeta! I wanna try this recipe cuz it looks so good! What made it even more worthwhile is that I have a pack of coconut milk waiting to be used. However, I have neither cayenne pepper nor coriander powder nor garam masala powder... What do I have is tumeric powder and all spice... What should I do?

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  32. Hey Meeta,

    Love your post! I am a huge fan of curry and cannot wait to try this recipe. I really love your site and I have been coming here for a while reading and getting ideas and I finally took the plunge to make a comment. I am going to try the curry dish and I will let you know how it turns out.

    Thanks Again, and leep up the good work.

    ZestyCook

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  33. Thanks again everyone for all your comments! Yes, truly a lovely Jugalbandi recipe with my twist - I like that! ;-)

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  34. Curry with coconut and cashews sounds really good!

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  35. Mmmm cashews and potatoes. Love the textures already. Don't think I've ever seen black cumin seeds... Sounds interesting.

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  36. Beautiful pictures! Thanks for another yummy recipe for a potato addict:)

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  37. Omg, I did forget this one. I am not aware of seeing it in my mailbox, thou... sorry Meeta, I am fixing it right now, dear :-)

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  38. Lovely Recipe, which I must try out. The only thing in this post that puts me off is this
    "Each family was given a card so that we could write down the wishes of our little ones. These cards were then attached to colorful balloons and then released to find their way to the place where wishes come true."

    It sounds all romantic but hasn't it yet occurred to people that those balloons don't go where the wishes come true but are more likely to sink back to earth where they will remain, creating a hazard for the wild stock in the woods and fields. Balloons are not biodegradable, neither are their cords or their cards.
    I mean, do you also just throw your trash in the fields? Cause that's what you are basically doing.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous! First I always wish people who voice their opinions so openly and loudly would really stand up to their opinions and not hide behind the "anonymous" mask. Second, of course you are totally right in your sentiments and concerns. Maybe I should have mentioned it in the post, now that you comment here I see that I should have, but in Germany these kind of events have to be registered at a kind of Environmental Office, where they then monitor it and the rangers are then sent out to pick up any debris they find. Not only that but as far as I read even the airports in the surrounding area are informed etc. etc. These events are extremely expensive but I am certain that the school did register as otherwise the punitive action from the city is even more expensive. That is probably why not many people do this here.
      I very much agree with you that people should think one step ahead before having such events and regard the consequences. All that you said in your comment is true.

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Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hugs
Meeta