It’s that time of year when the days are colder, the mornings and evenings are darker, and all you want in the evening is to feel cosy and comfortable. That’s how I feel anyway! So recently as I sat down to decide what recipes I wanted to cook for dinner for the week, I decided to revisit an old favourite of mine – my Sweet Potato and Chickpea Coconut Curry. This recipe uses the same spice mixture (because it is LEGIT delicious), but the veggies and beans are different this time around. I absolutely love butter beans, so I’ve given them centre stage in this recipe! Time to get cooking – I can’t wait to see what you all think of this creation!

Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 red onion
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp each of ground cumin, turmeric and coriander
• 1/2 tsp mild chili powder
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 400g can of butter beans
• 1 400ml tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 400ml can of low fat coconut milk
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 courgette

Method 

1. First, prepare the veggies! Finely dice the onions and garlic clove, and chop the sweet potato, courgette and red pepper into bite-sized pieces (for the sweet potato, aim for 1-inch chunks). Wash your veggies too of course!
2. Place the spices into a little bowl and give a stir to combine well.
3. Time to start cooking! Heat the cooking oil in a medium-sized pot until melted, then add your onions and minced garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent.
4. Next, add your spices to the onions, and cook until the onions are coated.
5. Add the chopped red pepper and courgette and stir again.
6. Add the tinned chopped tomatoes and coconut milk to the pot. Stir until combined.
7. Add the chopped sweet potato and stir again. The liquid level of the curry should be high enough to cover the sweet potato (about 2/3 of the pot depth), because the sweet potato is going to cook and soften in the sauce. Add extra water to bring up the liquid level if you think it’s too low.
8. Drain and rinse the tin of butter beans, and add them the curry.
9. Turn the heat down to a simmer, and leave to cook for at least 30 minutes. Check on the curry frequently, stirring every few minutes to make sure its not sticking to the pot.
10. At the 30 minute mark, give the curry another stir, and do a taste check. If you think the sauce needs a little extra spice, go for it! At this stage I usually add a sprinkle extra cumin and cinnamon, and season with salt and pepper.
11. Stick a fork into one of the sweet potato chunks to see if they’re cooked – if the fork easily pierces them then they’re ready!
12. Hey presto, its time to eat! This curry is perfect served with grains like rice, quinoa etc or with greens, whatever you fancy! I usually use the 30 minutes cooking time to prepare my rice/quinoa/greens so they’re ready when the curry is!

Enjoy guys! As always, tag me if you try this recipe out – @theirishbalance on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook!

Ciara 🙂 x