You know how it goes. You get home tired, grumpy and hungry, yet hankering for something a little tastier than beans on toast (again!). This was me last night, when I got in from work and was fully prepared to dive into my travelling savings and treat myself to a takeaway, whilst lying in bed watching back to back episodes of Grand Designs.

But, reminding myself that the £10 I could spend for one curry takeaway at home, could set me up for several (far more authentic) ones whilst in India, I opted for fast track concoction. And this yummy dish is what I came up with in less than 30 minutes (including distracted glances at Kevin Cloud’s gushing over an eco build in Wales..). As always, I used up whatever I had at home and I encourage you to experiment and do the same, but it gives you an idea of what you can knock up in no time!

Nutty Tofu Coconut Curry with Barley and Cumin Kale Crisps

Ingredients

For the Curry

• 1 packet of organic hard tofu
• 1 tbsp of cashew or peanuts
• ½ courgette into chunks
• Handful of baby sweet corn cut into small chunks
• ¼ red onion thinly sliced
• 2 cups of water
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 tbsp. hard pressed coconut
• 1 tsp. each of cumin seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, chilli powder and dried curry leaves
• 2 tsp. medium curry powder

For the Barley

• 3 cups of water
• 1 cup of dried barley

For the Kale chips

• 1 tsp. coconut oil
• ½ bag of uncooked kale
• 1 tsp. Cumin seeds
• Sprinkle of salt

 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C

2. Begin by adding the barley and water to a pan and bringing to boil (this can take up to 20 minutes depending on your barley) Stir regularly throughout

3. In a separate pan, heat the coconut oil with the cumin and mustard seeds and add the onion and veggie as soon as the seeds begin popping. Add the rest of your spiced here.

4. Once the onions and veg begin to brown a little, add the water and crumble in the coconut. Stir gently until it had all dissolved.

5. Once the barley has softened and is almost cooked, add your tofu and peanuts to the curry mix and gently stir to make sure all the tofu is covered.

6. Whilst the tofu is cooking, heat a tsp. of coconut oil on a baking tray until melted and spread the kale evening, making sure is gently coated with oil. Sprinkle with your cumin seeds and season as you like, before baking on the top of the oven for about 10 minutes (or until it’s as crispy as you like it!)

7. Once all elements are ready, simply drain your barley and layer enough a big old helping of curry and top with the crispy kale. Delicious, quick and a lazy girls dream!