Sylvia's Veggie Curry with Garlic Naan and Raita

My sister Sylvia is a masterful cook who creates recipes almost daily. I'm not sure why I'm the food blogger. The following is her version of veggie curry.

I: Ingredients for the Vegetable Curry:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced

• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

• 1 stalk celery, finely sliced

• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp curry powder and 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp dried chili flakes

• 1 head cauliflower, chopped into bite-size florets

• 2 more green vegetables of your choice, about 1 cup each, diced

• 1 large can diced tomatoes, do not drain

• 2 cups vegetable stock

• 1 cup red lentils

• 1 can chickpeas, drained

• 1 can full fat canned coconut milk

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

• Juice of one lime

• Salt and pepper

Methods:
Saute the onion, carrot and celery in coconut oil for 2-3 minutes, until the onion is soft. Add sweet potato, curry and chili flakes, then saute for another minute. Add the cauliflower, diced green vegetables, tomatoes, red lentils, chickpeas and broth. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. If using baby spinach as one of the green vegetables, add it at very end of cooking time since it takes nanoseconds to cook. Stir in the coconut milk and add salt and ground pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and let the curry stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and parsley.  Serve over basmati rice in warmed bowls with the raita (Indian yogurt dip) you made yourself, garlic naan bread and mango chutney. Then pat yourselves on the back.

II: Ingredients for the Raita:

• 1 cup Greek yogurt

• 1 cup shredded and drained cucumber

• 1 clove garlic, grated

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1/4 tsp ground cumin

• fresh mint chopped or a teaspoon of Indian mint chutney

Methods: 
Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate until use.

III: Ingredients for the Garlic Naan:

• 3 cups flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp yeast

• 2 tsp sugar

• 1/2 cup warm water (or more if you need it) 

• 1/2 cup pressed yogurt ( labneh)

• 2 tbsp melted butter

• 1 large cove garlic, grated

Methods: 

Mix together the water, sugar and yeast in a medium-sized bowl. Let stand 5 minutes until bubbly. Stir in the yogurt, melted butter and garlic. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl, pour in the yogurt mixture  and stir well to form a soft dough. Knead 200 times (about 10 minutes), then place the dough in a warm spot, oiled and covered with damp tea towel. Allow the dough to rest for at least 1 hour until it is doubled in size. Then punch it down in the bowl. You can allow a second rise  and punch down if you wish. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll out into small oval discs. Pull gently to elongate each disc. Heat a large nonstick frying pan on the stove, then place the  naan in the hot pan for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles form in the dough. Turn over and cook about 2 minutes more. Crunchy dark spots on the naan are acceptable. Aim for crispy on outside, soft on inside. Brush with butter and keep warm in the oven until use. 

Make your own labneh (pressed yogurt) by placing a sieve lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl. Tie up the ends of the cheesecloth and let the yogurt drain overnight in the fridge. The next day you have a cheesecloth bag full of labneh.