Marrow! Not something I have ever relished eating! But then… I have never made it into curry before! 😛
Recently we bought a secondhand greenhouse and would you believe it, it came with a massive marrow (and a couple of courgettes and cucumbers!) 🙂
Now, last year we had a marrow plant on the allotment, but of the one vegetable that was growing, hubby thought it was an oversized courgette, so he picked it! It was still big. Not marrow big. Courgette big! Anyway we used it as courgette and it was tasty. You may be wondering why we had even had a marrow plant if we don’t like marrow? Well, everything is worth a try… or a second try… or a third! Our taste-buds do change! Recipes change. Cooking methods change. 😛
My recollection of marrow was thick slices without the skin on, like giant rounds of cucumber, with a bit of melted cheese on top, sitting on a bed of white bread crusts. The bread was soggy (maybe that’s why I don’t like trifle…) the vegetable bland and plain. Everyone else ate it. It was a regular dish at home. I recall the lodger asking to eat the sodden bread. That’s why I thought I didn’t like marrow!
Then along came the curry idea! 😀 In Asian countries, marrow or gourd or squash curry is a thing. So why not! The marrow was free anyway, so it just needed a bit of my time, plus my theory was to add other vegetables so I could forget about the marrow!
Oh but no… the marrow is the star! 😀 The marrow sucks up all those wonderful spices, all those aromas and is undoubtedly the perfect canvas for testing out new flavours. It worked. Guess what. I love marrow! I’ve another marrow recipe coming soon (I did say it was a giant marrow and there’s only so much curry one can eat! 😛 )
Try not to be overwhelmed by the recipe – it looks lengthy as I like to have the individual spices. You can of course just use a mix – a standard curry or garam masala powder and a seed mix (panch puran) if you don’t have the individual seeds. Let’s have a look!
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon kulonji seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
- Salt, Pepper & Chilli flakes to taste
- 1/2 medium marrow chopped into bitezise chunks
- 1 medium aubergine chopped
- 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1-2 tins of water (using the tomato tin)
- large handful chard or spinach chopped
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Dry fry all of the seeds (mustard, coriander, cumin, kulonji, fenugreek) in a large shallow non stick pan for a couple of minutes until they start to pop.
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Add the onion and garlic and mix with the seeds. Add a splash of water when it starts sticking,
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Stir in the powdered spices (paprika, coriander, cumin, turmeric, garlic, ginger) and season with salt, black pepper and chilli flakes as you wish. Cook for 1 minute to release some of the flavour.
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Add the marrow, aubergine and tinned tomatoes, then (using the tin to get all the bits out) add enough water to half cover the vegetables (this should be about 2cm in the pan). Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Scatter the chard (or spinach) over the pan, mix in and check the liquid. You should have enough liquid for a sauce – add a bit more water if required, or allow to cook for a bit longer to reduce more.
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Do a taste test and adjust the seasonings if needed. Serve with your favourite carb! Rice, naan bread, quinoa, chapati's etc.! Enjoy!
Of course you can change the vegetables up in this! Add some peas, cauliflower or even potato! Try using green beans or even okra! If you’re short of marrow, use large courgettes instead (the texture will change slightly as the marrow helps to thicken and bind the curry). Most of all, be adventurous with your spices! Buy a selection of seeds and spices and experiment with them! If you add too much spice, a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice works well, as does a good dollop of natural yogurt!
Here are a few items which are useful for this curry! Just click on each item to see a full description!
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We hope you have a fabulous weekend! We’re having a lovely relaxing weekend – I’m thinking of reading one of those many books that have been waiting for me and lots of baking such as these yummy cookies, more rock cakes, a new cake involving banana or coffee or carrot (in preparation for my Macmillan coffee morning next week) and of course a few bread rolls and loaves of bread! Hope you have a fun weekend! ? and please remember to leave your comments below! 😛
Speak soon
Laurena x