Saagwala Curry with Warrigal Greens

For the Saagwala Sauce

oil or ghee 2 tablespoons

onions 2, sliced

ground cumin 1 tablespoon

ground chilli ½ – 1 teaspoons (more to taste)

ground cloves ¼ teaspoon

garam masala 1 teaspoon

ground turmeric ½ teaspoon

garlic 3-5 cloves, minced

ginger 2 inches, grated

warrigal greens, leaves only, 300-400g

green chilli 1 large, chopped

crushed tomatoes 1 x 400g can (or equivalent quantity of passata)

lemon juice of 1 (or use 2 tablespoons sorrel puree^*1)

cream, coconut cream or natural yoghurt 2-3 tablespoons (optional)

To serve

naan bread 2-4 (or rice for GF)

raita^*2 (optional)

To make the sauce

Heat oil or ghee in a large frying pan. Fry onions until golden, about 5 minutes. Add spices, garlic and ginger and fry a further 2 minutes.

Drop washed leaves into boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Rinse under cold tap and discard water. Squeeze out remaining excess water and puree the leaves with green chilli, tomatoes, cooked onions and spices (food processor or stick blender).

Return Warrigal mixture to the pan, add sorrel puree (if using) and simmer on medium heat, about 5 minutes. Season with lemon juice (if using) and add salt and pepper.

You can add chick peas, fried paneer cheese, Quorn (as above), or similar (or fry some seasoned chicken, add the sauce and cook the chicken in it until tender). Just before serving, drizzle cream over curry. Serve curry with naan bread and raita.

^*1 Sorrel disintegrates when cooked, which makes it awesome for soups and sauces. It pairs with the flavours of onion, leek, potato, egg, cream, sour cream, peas, chicken, and butter. To make a simple sorrel puree, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone recommends the following:  Using 4 cups or about 5 ounces of sorrel leaves, if the leaves are large or coarse, pull the stems down the entire length of the leaves and discard them [do not omit this step]. Coarsely chop the leaves. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the leaves with a few tablespoons water and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Add more water, as needed, so that they don’t fry. Season with a pinch of salt, puree (if desired) and store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Makes about 1/4 cup. Use over a period of several weeks. More about sorrel http://www.manorfarmherbs.co.uk/herbinfo/red_vein_sorrel

^*2To make the raita, mix 3 chopped tomatoes with ½ chopped cucumber (seeds removed), ½ small finely chopped red onion, a handful of chopped mint leaves, and 1 cup natural unsweetened yoghurt.