Quick & easy creamy meat-free korma recipe

Creamy sweet potato curry

This is a wonderful meat-free Indian-inspired dish. It takes only minutes to make and is SO very tasty. The secret ingredient is, believe it or not, ordinary Carnation evaporated milk.

Let me tell you the story

When I lived in Yorkshire, we ate curry at least two or three times a week. Once a week, it was always from the local Indian takeout and I particularly loved their korma. Usually, I was the one delegated to fetch the curry (it was about a mile away) which I really didn't mind - the place had an open kitchen and I'd watch carefully so that I could make the dishes at home. To my surprise, the secret ingredient in the korma was Carnation milk. I've used it ever since.

Store cupboard ingredients

I always have the following in my pantry - the korma paste, the milk and naan bread. This means that I can whip up a tasty curry at anytime. I can vary the fresh ingredients (although I considered the cilantro to be essential) depending on what's in the fridge. Even better, those three essential ingredients are available online so I can shop from my laptop.

Quick and easy

This meal takes about fifteen minutes in total to make but only about five minutes of that is actual preparation time. The quantities I've given below will feed two hungry (or greedy in our case) adults.

Curry:

• 1 sweet potato - peeled and cubed
• 1 small yellow squash - peeled and cubed
• 1 medium onion - peeled and chopped
• 1 carrot - scraped and sliced
• 1 inch ginger root - peeled and finely chopped
• Half cup korma paste
• 1 cup Carnation milk
• Handful fresh cilantro - roughly chopped

Salad:

• 1 tomato
• 1 plum
• Few cilantro leaves

To serve:

• Chappati or naan bread

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan / skillet. When warmed through add the sweet potato and squash. Cook on a high heat for one minute then reduce the heat to medium/low.
2. Add the onions and ginger, stir and cover. Allow these to cook until the sweet potato is tender - about 7 minutes.
3. Add the sliced carrots and stir in the korma paste. Cook gently for one minute, then stir in the evaporated milk; continuing to stir until the paste and milk are well combined.
4. Cook gently for a further 4 - 5 minutes.While the korma is simmering, cut the tomato and plum into wedges and heat the Indian bread.
5. Serve the korma garnished with lots of cilantro with the plum / tomato side salad and the bread.

When I'm placing an order for Indian foods at Amazon,it's only sensible for me to order the side dishes I need too. These are absolutely delicious.

Curry is the most popular food in England today.Actually,I should refer to it as 'Indian-inspired' food as many people from India wouldn't recognise it as such. (Although there is no such word as 'curry' in India or Pakistan)

Indeed, many of England's most popular 'curry' dishes were actually developed in the UK. Others have been adapted from traditional dishes to suit the British taste.

This is somewhat akin to Chinese food in the United States evolving to suit the American favourite flavours.