Butternut squash and vegetable Malaysian curry

Spicy New Year! After all the festive stodge I like to make something a bit more exotic and spicy to welcome the New Year. This recipe is also a great way of using up any leftover root vegetables. It's also economical because you can snap up veg really cheaply just after Christmas!

You can use any root vegetables for this but firm butternut squash and sweet parsnips are ideal. I always have surplus carrots so they go in too. For flavour either buy a Malaysian curry paste or add powdered spices of your choice to the onion mixture. Really it's up to you - make it mild and savoury or (I recommend) as hot and or spicy as you can bear!

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 3 parsnips
• 2 carrots
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 onion
• Half bulb of garlic
• 1 thumb garlic
• Asian curry paste of your choosing
• Red chilli (optional)

1. Peel and chop the vegetables into appropriate sizes: softer veg in bigger chunks, harder veg in smaller chunks so they cook evenly.
2. Make your curry base by blitzing the onion, garlic, ginger (and chilli if using) into a paste with a glug of oil, until it's a puree.
3. Put a large pan or wok on a gentle heat, and fry the puree for 5-10 minutes. Keep stirring and don't let it burn!
4. Towards the end add curry paste of your choice.
5. Add the vegetables and coat them with the paste.
6. Stir in the coconut milk, top up the can with fresh water and add that too, along with a sprinkling of salt to taste.
7. Cook for 10-15 mins on a gentle simmer until the vegetables are firm but tender. Err on the side of caution as they continue to cook once you take them off the heat. Add more water if the sauce is too thick.
8. Check for seasoning, then serve with rice and garnish with cashew nuts and a sprinkling of chilli or thinly sliced fresh chilli. Fresh coriander adds a hint of green though personally I can't stand it!

Curry Night! Quorn Tomato and Spinach Curry with Green Bean Fritters

Friday night is curry night! When the weather's hot, a spicy curry and a cold beer go down a treat. Here's my takeaway alternative: quorn palak with green been fritters and a refreshing raita.

Quorn Palak (Curry with tomato and spinach)

Clarified butter or ghee gives it that rich flavour, restaurants generally use far too much which makes them greasy and fattening! Alternatively use creamed coconut, or just fry things in oil then add a knob of butter into the sauce later as a cheat.

This serves 2, scale up for more.

• 4 Quorn fillets (or equivalent chunks)
• 2 tbsp curry paste (Madras or whichever you prefer)
• 2 medium onions or 1 large
• 4 chunks frozen spinach or equivalent fresh, wilted
• 2 tbsp coconut butter or ghee
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes

1. Slice the quorn fillets into thick slices of assorted sizes.
2. Chop the onions in half, and then into thin slices.
3. Chop the spinach.
4. Add ghee or oil to a pan and fry them together til the quorn slightly browns and the onions go translucent.
5. Add the curry paste (how much really depends on how strong you like it!). Mix with the onion and quorn til everything is coated.
6. Add the spinach, then the chopped tomatoes.
7. Cook on a medium heat til the sauce reduces and thickens.
8. Season with salt to taste at the end.
9. Serve with rice or flatbreads!

Variations

This also works well with chickpeas or paneer.

Green bean fritters

2 handfuls of French beans (imprecise but it depends how big the beans are!)

5 tbsp self-raising flour

1 tsp turmeric

1 egg

Trim the beans. If using frozen, defrost them then press them dry with a tea towel.

Mix the flour, turmeric, egg and a pinch of salt into a sticky batter.

In a large bowl, mix the batter with the beans. Make sure each bean is coated with a thin sticky layer.

Form the beans into about 4 lumps, or 6 if you prefer smaller.

Heat a pan, wok or deep-fat fryer. Drop the fritters into the oil for a few minutes each side. They should puff up a little. Cook til golden.

Drain them on kitchen towel then serve hot.

Raita

Raita makes a lovely cool side dish if you're having something spicy. Mix chopped cucumber and mint with thick yoghurt and a pinch of salt. Enjoy!