Cauliflower, Mushroom and Carlin Peas Curry

Ingredients:

230g cooked carlin peas (This is the approximate drained weight of a standard tin. If cooking dried peas from scratch, start with 100g.)

For roasting the vegetables:
1 medium cauliflower
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
salt and black pepper
250g mushrooms cut into chunky bite sized pieces if large

For the curry base:
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 large onion, halved then thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves. finely chopped
2cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated or chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp black mustard seeds
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
1–2 tsp sugar (optional)
250ml water
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground fenugreek
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground fennel or 1 tsp fennel seeds added with the cumin and mustard seeds
1–2 fresh chillies, chopped (added with the garlic and ginger)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
200ml tinned coconut milk
2 tbsp coriander, roughly chopped
coconut shavings, to serve (optional)

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.

Next roast the vegetables: Pre-heat your oven to 220°C (200°C Fan/Gas Mark 7) with a shelf positioned in the upper third of the oven.
Break the cauliflower into large florets and arrange these in a large mixing bowl.

Combine the coconut oil, cumin and turmeric in a small bowl and microwave for a few seconds until the oil has melted.

Toss the cauliflower with half the spiced coconut oil then season with a little salt and black pepper before turning out onto a lined baking tray.
Set the tray in the pre-heated oven and roast for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, toss the mushrooms with the remaining spiced coconut oil then turn out onto the baking tray and return this to the oven.
Cook until both vegetables are browned but the cauliflower is still a little firm without being crunchy (about a further 10–12 minutes).
Remove the tray from the oven and set aside.

Whilst the vegetables are still roasting, begin preparing the curry. Set a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the coconut oil and allow to melt.
Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until it's starting to soften & brown (about 10⤓15 minutes).

Stir in the garlic and ginger (plus the fresh chilli) and cook for 2 minutes more.

Add the cumin and mustard seeds (plus the fennel seeds if using instead of ground) and cook until they fizzle and pop.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes, the tomato purée, the sugar if using, the water, garam masala along with all the ground spices. Season with a little salt and a generous grind of black pepper.

Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Continue cooking until you have a thick, rich gravy (about. 20 minutes).

Stir in the coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the roasted cauliflower and mushrooms including any cooking juices, plus the drained carlin peas. Simmer until the cauliflower is tender rather than soft and the sauce is reduced to your liking (about 5–10 minutes).

Taste and add more seasoning if needed then stir in most of the coriander leaves.

Serve with the rest of the coriander as a garnish, plus the coconut shavings if using.