Carlin Pea Curry with Perpetual Spinach and Peanut Butter
Carlin Pea Curry with Perpetual Spinach and Peanut Butter is a modern British recipe for a classic curry of carlin peas in a spiced coconut milk and tomato base with perpetual spinach and peanut butter. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Carlin Pea Curry with Perpetual Spinach and Peanut Butter.
(click this button to prevent the screen from sleeping so Cook Mode is 'ON')
The original recipe here was for a Swiss chard and chickpea curry. I’ve been testing using carlin peas as a substitute for chickpeas for a while now and thought of giving this recipe a try. However, I’ve never been a big fan of Swiss chard (spinach in South Africa) and I find it rather muddy. Then a friend pointed me towards a cut and come again Swiss chard cultivar (actually Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla var. cicla known as ‘perpetual spinach’. It’s a cultivar of swiss chard that really does taste like spinach and you can cut the leaf stems and the plant grows more leaves.. ideal. So this curry recipe was born.
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
500g perpetual spinach
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
¼ tsp asafoetida
250g dried carlin peas
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400g tin coconut milk
4 tbsp peanut butter
Chopped coriander to taste
squeeze of lemon juice
Method:
If you’re starting from dried carlin peas, soak them in a large bowl of water over night, then rinse and simmer them in plenty of water for about 40 to 45 minutes until tender. Drain the peas but reserve 150ml of the cooking liquid for this recipe.
Set a pan over medium heat. When hot add the oil along with the onion and garlic. Cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile wash the perpetual spinach and separate the stems from leaves.
Add spices, stir to combine, and cook of for another couple of minutes.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes (wash the tin with a little water and add this too) and cook for 5 minutes with lid on.
Now add the carlin peas (and their reserved cooking liquid) and coconut milk. Stir in the peanut butter to dissolve, then bring to a simmer and cook for another few minutes.
Finally add spinach stems then leaves leaves and let them wilt into the curry.
Serve with rice, garnish with herbs and lemon juice.
