This sensual seasonal supper moves from stove to table in less than an hour. If you have aubergines to hand they work well too, either with the courgettes or as a stand-alone base.
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 onion, peeled and sliced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 thumb-sized knob of fresh ginger
1 red or green chilli (deseed if you prefer a milder heat)
2-3 courgettes (aim for around 500g in total), chopped into chunky dice
1 tsp dried cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 level tbsp garam masala
1 x 400ml tin chopped tomatoes
350ml vegetable stock
1 generous tbsp mango chutney
1 generous handful frozen peas
To serve: fresh coriander (chopped), thick plain yoghurt, rice and/or chapatis
Method
In a blender or food processor, blitz the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli with 50ml water until smooth.
Heat a little sunflower oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion paste and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring continuously, for 6-8 minutes or until fragrant. Add the courgettes to the pan and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes, adding the cumin, turmeric and garam masala for the last couple of minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, mango chutney and vegetable stock, stir well, bring to the boil and simmer for around 20-25 minutes or until the courgettes have started to ‘collapse’ and the sauce has thickened slightly, adding the frozen peas for the final 3-4 minutes of cooking time.
Serve on mounds of steamed rice (and/or alongside chapatis) topped with dollops of thick plain yoghurt and generous sprinkles of fresh coriander.
