SIBO friendly vegan curry
Serves 4-6*Measures are in Australian measures. Use gram and ml for international accuracy. Use lightly heaped teaspoons for US, UK, NZ, British and Canadian measurements1 Australian tablespoon = 4 teaspoons in most places
Ingredients
For the curry gravy:
- 60ml (3 tablespoons)* neutral oil
- 1 bunch spring onion greens chopped
- 1-2 leek greens thoroughly washed and chopped
- 1 small red capsicum chopped
- 1 small green capsicum chopped
- 2-3 large carrots reasonably finely chopped
- 50 g ginger chopped
- 1 x 400g tin of plain tomatoes any sort are fine as long as they are unflavoured
- 2 teaspoons ground garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
For the curry paste:
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- 2 tablespoons garam masala
- 1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds optional
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli see notes
- 50g (2 tablespoons)* tomato paste
- Juice of 1 smaller lemon
To finish the curry:
- Seeds of 10-20 cardamom pods discard the pods and keep the small black seeds
- 400-500 g tofu cubed
- 250ml (1 cup)* coconut milk or cream (see notes)
- Seasoning to taste
- 1-2 cups chopped SIBO friendly vegetables see notes
Instructions
To make the curry sauce base:
- Place the ghee in a very large cast iron skillet, pan or wok over a low-medium heat. Add the spring onion and leek greens, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until verdant green and fragrant. Add the ginger, capsicums and carrot and cook until soft – an additional 10 or so minutes. Add water whenever the vegetables are sticking and you sense they need it.
- Add the tinned tomatoes and spices and stir to combine. Top with the 1-2 cups of water, stir and place a lid on. Allow to cook for 15-20 minutes until you can pierce the carrot easily with a knife.
- Once the vegetables are completely soft and the mixture is fragrant, set aside to cool. Once sufficiently cool, place the mixture in a high-speed food processor and blend until you have a smooth curry gravy.
To make the curry paste:
- Combine all the spices (except for the cardamom seeds) for the curry paste in a bowl. Add the lemon juice and tomato paste and stir to form a paste. Add some water or some of the curry sauce base if it’s feeling thick or dry.
To finish the curry:
- While you’re waiting for the curry base to cool, wash and reheat the large skillet or wok and return it to the heat. Preheat really well, then add a scant amount of oil and fry your cubes of paneer until golden on all sides. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons more oil or ghee to the skillet and place over a medium heat. Add the cardamom seeds to the hot oil and cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the spice paste and fry off for a minute or two until fragrant.
- Once the mixture is fragrant, add all the curry base and stir thoroughly to combine.
- Add the coconut cream or milk as you see fit, then add the tofu cubes and vegetables. Taste the curry for seasoning, then cook for 5-10 minutes longer or until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. Top with the coriander leaves and serve as is or with 1/2 cup cooked white rice, if you are allowed rice or on stage 2.
Notes
1/4 cup (60ml) coconut milk is allowed on the SIBO diet (make sure you check there are no fillers). 2 tablespoons of coconut cream is permitted per serving. To use 1 cup of coconut milk, this curry needs to serve 4. To use 1 cup of coconut cream, this curry needs to serve 6. Personally, I think the coconut cream version gives a richer flavour and mouthfeel.
I like to bulk the curry out with SIBO friendly vegetables to ensure it serves 6. Some SIBO friendly vegetables include carrots, kale, Asian greens and eggplant. You could also add in a some pumpkin (1/4 cup per serve for stage 1 and 1/2 cup per serve for stage 2) or 10 green beans per serve.
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