Receta Healthy Veg Curry Bowl
by Nandita Iyer | Saffron Trail

Healthy Veg Curry Bowl

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Curry bowls are quite the rage these days. Open Pinterest or any food websites, and I'm quite sure you will find some of these gorgeous bowls loaded with healthy ingredients staring back at you. When I first read about curry bowls, I went hmphhh and said to myself, "this is how I eat my sambar, rice and veggies in one bowl on most weekdays for lunch". But smirks and jokes apart, they are much more than just mixing a dal, rice and veggies in a bowl, even though that also well qualifies to be a 'curry bowl' :D

From what I have understood, a curry bowl comprises a curry - which could be any curry of your choice, made using vegetables or meat or both, a kind of grain to soak up all the curry liquids and a variety of toppings to add interest, colour and texture to your bowl.

Also read: How to make a quinoa bowl

THE CURRY

I usually make a quick Thai curry from a ready paste and reconstituted coconut powder, especially because chopping up and then cooking the vegetables and the grains takes some time, and I don't have time to make the curry paste from scratch for a weekday lunch. This is a great way to get your 5 a day share of vegetables. Even if you are using a protein like tofu or chicken, make sure you add a mix of colourful vegetables too, to make it healthier

THE CARBS

For the grains, you could choose from cooked broken wheat (dalia)/ brown rice/ red rice/ couscous/ quinoa or even millets. Most of these grains are best cooked with 1:2 water, so that they remain fluffy and not clumped up. In my experience, brown rice cooks best in pressure cooker. Keep the flame on Sim for 10-12 minutes after one whistle and then switch off, allowing the cooker to cool down. When you open the cooker, the grains will be perfectly cooked. The other grains like dalia, millets and quinoa can be cooked on stove top or rice cooker. Couscous needs no cooking, just soaking in boiling hot water. You can also choose noodles instead of any of the above grains

THE TOPPINGS

The toppings are what make the curry bowl so much more interesting than just a mix of curry and rice. Chopped boiled eggs, toasted peanuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped herbs, pickled onions, stir fried greens, sesame seeds, julienned lemongrass, all make wonderfully flavourful toppings

Recipe for a Healthy Veg Curry Bowl
Makes 1 large bowl
Time taken: Under 30 minutes
Equipment required:Pressure Pan to cook the brown rice
Ingredients
Brown rice (raw) 1/4 - 1/3 cup
For curry:
Onion, peeled, halved and sliced 1/2
Garlic, finely minced 2 cloves
Diced yellow pumpkin 1/4 cup
Green beans, julienned 4-5
Grated fresh turmeric (optional) 1 tsp
Salt (depending on salt in the curry paste) 1/4-1/2 tsp
Heaped Thai red curry paste 1 tablespoon
Coconut power + ( lukewarm water 150 ml or coconut milk) 2 tbsps
If required, to thin curry
For toppings:
Finely chopped greens (I used Bathua / goosefoot) 1 cup
Garlic, finely minced 1 clove
Julienned spring onion greens 2 tbsps
Roasted peanuts, crushed coarsely 1-2 tbsps
Steps
To cook brown rice, rinse in water once, drain and place in a pressure pan with twice the quantity of water. Cover the cooker with its lid and the whistle and keep flame on high. After one whistle, lower flame to Sim and cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the flame and allow to cool and pressure to drop. After opening cooker, fluff up grains with fork. If any extra water is leftover in the cooker, unabsorbed by the rice, using a colander, drain it in a bowl and add this to the curry
To prepare curry, in a wide pan, heat 1 tsp oil. Saute the onion and garlic for 1 minute on medium heat
Add all other vegetables, stir on high flame for 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup water, pinch of salt, cover and cook until nearly tender
Add the red curry paste and stir well for 30 seconds - 1 min
Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer, adding a little water to thin the curry if too thick

To prepare topping, add 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add sesame seeds and garlic and stir for few seconds, until sesame seeds start popping. Add finely chopped greens and stir until wilted. Season with a little sprinkle of salt and pepper

To assemble curry bowl**, in a large bowl, serve the rice to one side. Ladle the curry on the other side and some over the rice

Top with sautéed greens with sesame seeds, roasted peanuts and spring onion juliennes

Before eating, stir it all together with a fork and tuck in.

This makes a very hearty and delicious lunch for me on weekdays. In fact almost all the components can be prepped ahead of time, when you are spending time in the kitchen. Come lunch time, you can mix them in a bowl and enjoy it. Even for a lunch at work, you can carry the grains, curry and toppings in a 3 tiered leakproof Tupperware and mix them in a dish or bowl during lunchtime.

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Thai Red Curry Paste

Coconut Milk

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Receta Healthy Veg Curry Bowl by Nandita Iyer | Saffron Trail

Receta Healthy Veg Curry Bowl
by Nandita Iyer | Saffron Trail