Last week, with a fridge full of vegetables staring at me and saying, “Today, or bust,” I decided I wanted Indian food. I don’t know much–if anything–about the regional cooking of the country, and there is nothing particularly authentic about what I made, but riffing on things I love at our local Indian restaurant (where I had just eaten two days prior), I came up with this.

I added about half a pound of roasted shrimp, but it didn’t need it {shelled and deveined, rinsed, patted dry, sprinkled with salt and pepper, plopped (separated) on a foil-lined baking sheet, and into a 350 oven for about five minutes}. That said, if you want the protein, chickpeas (rinsed and drained) and pre-cooked chunks of chicken (hello, grocery store rotisserie chicken that makes life easier) would be great. I had it with the leftover rice and naan from the restaurant. What do they do that makes their basmati rice a thousand times better than mine…? I need to ask.

I’m writing it up here because I just finished the leftovers, and want to remember what I did. There are no pictures, because I scarfed it down.  Maybe next time. There will definitely be a next time.

Vegetable Curry

1 tbsp oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)

½ cup chopped onion

1 ½ jalapenos, (seeded if desired) and chopped small

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ head of cauliflower, florets separated and halved (about 3- 4 cups)

2-3 cups chopped frozen kale, defrosted (I had it in the freezer from last year’s gardening season; you could definitely use fresh, but boil or steam it first so that it’s already tender)

¼- ¾ cup water

1-15 oz can coconut milk

½ of a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes (more, if desired)

1 ½ tsp curry powder (I love Penzey’s and Simply Organic.)

¼- ½ tsp cumin seed (I didn’t toast it, because I forgot, and it was still great)

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup dried currants (golden or regular raisins would also be great here)

1. Warm the oil in a large skillet with a lid (could also use a Dutch oven) over medium heat, and add the onion and jalapeno. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to soften, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
2. Add the cauliflower, kale, ¼ tsp salt, a pinch of black pepper, and ¼ cup of water. Stir, cover with a lid, and cook until cauliflower starts to soften, about 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure the pan doesn’t dry out. You don’t want the cooked vegetables swimming in liquid, just a little lingering in the pan.
3. Once the cauliflower is softened, add the coconut milk, tomatoes, curry powder, and cumin seed. Lower the heat to medium-low and stir until the coconut milk is fully incorporated. Don’t let the mixture boil at any point.
4. Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes and stir in the currants. Taste for seasoning at this point, and add additional salt and pepper, if desired. Simmer another 5 minutes, or until the cauliflower is completely soft but not falling apart. Serve.