Falafel-curry

Easy falafel curry

Falafel is such a vegan staple – it’s one of those things that will feature as the vegan option in 90% of restaurants these days.

But it’s often served in the same way – just on its own, with some salad and pitta bread, maybe a bit of hummus.

Falafel might not be an ingredient you often find in curry, but it works so well! The creamy curry sauce coats the falafel beautifully, like little chickpea dumplings. It’s full of flavour, and easy to make too – read on to find out how!

This falafel curry is a brilliant way to serve falafel, coated in a creamy, spicy sauce – it makes such a hearty, filling curry! Perfect served over rice or with naan bread for dipping.

 

Ingredients:

  • ~ 18 pieces of falafel (6 per person)
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 mild red chilli, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon ginger paste (or fresh minced ginger)
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 400 g tin (~ 1 ⅓ cups) chopped tomatoes
  • 400 ml (~ 1 ½ cups) tinned coconut milk (I used light)
  • Large handful fresh spinach
  • Salt
  • Black pepper

Instructions:

  1. Bake the falafel according to the instructions on the packet – it should take around 20 minutes. Make sure it’s nice and crispy.
  2. Meanwhile, heat a dash of oil in a deep frying pan, and add the sliced onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook over a medium heat for around 5 minutes, until the onion has softened. Add the turmeric and garam masala, and cook for a few minutes more. You can add a dash of water if the mixture feels too dry – it should be the texture of a paste.
  3. Next add the tin of chopped tomatoes and the coconut milk, and bring to a gentle simmer. Leave it to cook for a while – the exact timing doesn’t really matter, but at least 10 minutes or so will give a nice rich sauce (a bit longer is fine too!).
  4. Add a handful of spinach to the sauce, and allow it to wilt for a couple of minutes, then add the crispy falafel. Stir gently to coat the falafel in the sauce, season to taste, and serve immediately.