Prior to making this recipe, I had never made Indian food. In fact, I haven’t even eaten much of it since it wasn’t readily available until I moved to Columbus. I love the complex flavors and textures of the dishes. But, because of the unusual (to me) spices, the idea of cooking it at home intimidated me. Most of the spices and seasonings in my cabinet are standard American and Mexican ones. I have a good idea of how they go together. I know which flavor combinations are complimentary and which ones are not. Indian and Asian spices are much less familiar to me. Still, you never learn if you don’t try. A couple weeks ago, I decided to plunge in and play around with a Sweet Potato & Spinach curry recipe I found online. It turned out better than I expected and gave me the confidence to try more Indian recipes in the very near future.

Sweet Potato, Spinach & Tofu Curry
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1″ cubes
1 large eggplant, peeled & cut into 1″ cubes
1 bunch fresh spinach
12 oz. tofu, cut into 1″ cubes
2 tbsp. cumin
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. mustard seeds
2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1/2 cup canola oil

Directions
1. In a large pot of salted water, boil spinach for 30 seconds. Drain, then dry with paper towels. Roughly chop the spinach.
2. Heat oil in a deep pot over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cook for 30 seconds. Add garlic and cumin and cook for an additional minute.
3. Add cubed sweet potato, stir well, cook for 8 minutes. Then add eggplant, spinach, tofu, salt, curry powder, and turmeric powder. Cook until eggplant is tender, about 8-10 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat, and let curry rest in the pot for 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

My thoughts:
1. The original recipe called for much less spice and only contained vegetables. I added the tofu to give it some protein and doubled the spices since tofu tends to be bland, and since Jared and I tend to like heavily seasoned foods.
2. The instructions and comments about this recipe mentioned letting the curry rest. This is a very important step. The freshly made curry was good, but somewhat bland. It got more flavorful over the 20 minute rest period.
3. The next time I make this, I plan to bake some Naan to go with it. This time, I brushed some flatbreads with olive oil and garlic and toasted them in the oven for a few minutes.

Recipe Source: Inspired by Sweet Potato, Eggplant & Spinach Madras Curry at A Life (Time) of Cooking

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