Sweet Potato Curry

Few foods warm you from head to toe like a good curry. This sweet potato curry recipe is rich and thick, partly due to coconut milk and partly due to the sweet potatoes, which release their starch into the sauce. It’s also a nutritional powerhouse thanks to the sweet potatoes, fresh spinach and spices like turmeric and ginger. Nutrient-packed chickpeas make this a well-rounded, one-dish vegan meal everyone will enjoy. It’s an easy curry recipe that will quickly become a mainstay on your weeknight meal rotation.

Curry Powder vs. Curry Paste

You won’t find curry powder in most countries that are known for curry dishes, like India or Thailand. Instead, cooks use several different spices and aromatics to season and enhance a dish. Curry powder and curry paste are simply premixed blends in either dry spice form or wet, concentrated form. Curry powder is mainly used in Indian dishes outside of India, whereas curry paste is often used to flavor Thai or Malaysian specialties.

Most store-bought curry powders include turmeric, cumin, coriander, cardamom, chili powder, black pepper and garam masala, which is itself a blend of spices. Plenty of other Indian spices and herbs are likely to be mixed in, and every curry powder recipe or store-bought jar varies in its ratios, making each unique. Curry paste, on the other hand, usually includes garlic, ginger and chiles, giving it a robust flavor profile.

The powder or paste you choose determines everything from the curry’s flavor profile to its level of heat. For the most control over your curries, make your own curry powder. To highlight an ingredient in a given dish, simply add a little more of it. For example, this sweet potato curry recipe calls for turmeric, cumin and chilies in addition to the curry powder.

Sweet Potato Curry Ingredients

• Aromatics: Infuse the hot oil with onion, gingerroot and garlic for a first layer of flavor in this sweet potato curry recipe.
• Spices: When spices like curry powder, turmeric, cumin, salt and red pepper flakes hit the hot oil, they “bloom” and release their natural oils, exponentially increasing their aroma and taste.
• Sweet potatoes: Sweet, bright orange sweet potatoes complement the spice and mild heat. You can also use butternut squash to make this curry.
• Vegetable broth: Stick with vegetable broth to keep the curry vegan. Make vegetable broth at home to control the sodium level; it’s easy and cheap.
• Coconut milk: Coconut milk mellows the spices and heat in curry and makes the sauce creamy. Full-fat coconut milk imparts a rich flavor without the heaviness of coconut cream.
• Diced tomatoes: The juice in a can of tomatoes gives the sauce flavor, and the diced pieces enhance the taste and texture of the dish.
• Garbanzo beans: While this curry is filling without them, garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) add protein and keep this dish vegan or vegetarian. Reduced-sodium beans are always the way to go to keep the salt levels in check.
• Spinach: Fresh spinach practically melts into this curry, adding nutrients, flavor and color. Cook regular, full-size spinach leaves and save the baby spinach for salads.
• Cilantro: Cilantro provides a key flavor in many curry recipes. Stir in this delicate herb at the last moment for the best texture.
• Lime juice: Lime juice gives curry a hint of acidity. If cutting lime wedges for garnish, set aside half of the lime to squeeze into the curry for the freshest, brightest taste; otherwise, bottled lime juice works well.
• Rice: Steamed white or brown rice soaks up the curry and adds some heft to the final dish. Of the most popular types of rice, basmati has an ideal texture for curry and sweet potatoes.

Directions

Step 1: Saute the onion

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In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it’s tender, four to five minutes.

Step 2: Bloom the spices

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Stir in the ginger, garlic, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until they’re fragrant, about a minute longer.

Step 3: Cook the curry

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Stir in the sweet potatoes, broth, coconut milk, tomatoes with juice and, if desired, garbanzo beans. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, just until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Editor’s Tip: Canned coconut milk separates as it sits. Give the sealed can a good shake, then flip it upside down. Shake the can again before you open it to help the solids and liquids recombine. Don’t worry if there’s still separation when you pour it into the pan; the heat will soften and dissipate the solids. Whisking also encourages separated coconut milk to recombine.

Step 4: Add the spinach and final flavors

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Add the spinach and cook, uncovered, until it has wilted, two to three minutes. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Serve the curry with rice and, if desired, lime wedges and additional cilantro.

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Sweet Potato Curry Variations

• Add extra vegetables: Mix in sturdy vegetables like cauliflower and carrots, especially if you leave out the beans. For more color, add frozen or fresh peas or green beans. Eggplant, sweet corn and bell peppers also work well in curry.
• Change up the beans: Other popular legumes for curry include kidney beans, black-eyed peas, pigeon peas and mung beans. If you can’t find them in cans, soak dried beans and cook them before you start the curry.
• Add meat: If you’re not eating a vegan or vegetarian diet, cubed chicken or shrimp are a great addition to sweet potato curry.
• Serve flatbread instead of rice: The sweet potatoes in this curry make it quite thick, perfect for scooping with traditional Indian bread, like naan.

How to Store Sweet Potato Curry

Store leftover sweet potato curry separately from the steamed rice, refrigerating them in airtight containers. Let both cool to room temperature before you package them up. Reheat the curry in a saucepan over medium heat until it’s warmed through. If it’s too thick, add a splash of vegetable broth or water until you like the consistency. Use one of these easy methods to reheat rice for serving.

How long does sweet potato curry last?

Store this sweet potato curry recipe in a refrigerated, airtight container for up to four days. Curry flavors meld as they sit, so refrigerated leftovers might taste even better when reheated the next day. After day three, the acidity of the tomatoes may become stronger. Cooked rice, when stored separately from the curry, should be consumed within 24 hours—cooked rice doesn’t last as long as you might think in the refrigerator.

Can you freeze sweet potato curry?

This dairy-free curry freezes well in a freezer-safe container. Leave plenty of headroom for expansion, and use the same techniques you would when freezing soup to avoid freezer burn. Frozen curry keeps well for about three months, but the flavor and texture might change the longer it sits. Thaw the curry overnight in the fridge before reheating it. You can freeze leftover, rice, too; it’s best eaten within a month.

Sweet Potato Curry Tips

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Can you make sweet potato curry in a slow cooker?

A slow cooker creates tender, evenly cooked sweet potato curry. The longer the sweet potatoes cook, the more their starch releases into the sauce and thickens it. Plan to slow-cook it for about eight hours on low heat for the best texture.

For the most intense flavor, fry the aromatics and spices in a skillet before adding them to a 4-quart slow cooker, along with the other long-cooking ingredients. Wait to add the spinach, lime juice and cilantro until just before serving the curry.

What can you serve with sweet potato curry?

When served over rice, curry becomes a filling, one-dish meal. Try it with deep-fried leavened bread like bhatoora or the smaller poori, or make naan bread or chapati from scratch. For a fuller spread, add an Indian cucumber salad, one or more types of chutney and fresh paneer sprinkled with salt and spices. Chicken tikka skewers will please any meat eaters joining the party. Finish the meal with a sweet mango lassi or gulab jamun (fried doughnut balls infused with rose water).