Food is becoming increasingly expensive here where I live. But it is funny how some things still remain relatively cheap. I bought a head of cauliflower and a head of broccoli for R50 (about $3). It was enough food for three days for three people! That equates to about 9 plates of food. The chicken was leftover from a big braai (similar to BBQ). Nothing goes to waste.

In this recipe, I will show you how I make a broccoli cauliflower chicken coconut curry. This has become a staple food for me when we braai (BBQ) chicken. It is such a simple recipe yet is incredibly delicious. Please read along to see just how easy it is and how you can make it for yourself. (Excluding the chicken, this is a vegan curry.)

Ingredients:

For this recipe, I used:

• 1 head of broccoli,
• 1 head of cauliflower,
• 2 onions,
• a couple of celery stalks,
• rice with lemon,
• coconut cream, and
• leftover chicken.

For the spices, I used:

• cumin,
• smoked paprika,
• fenugreek,
• coriander,
• ginger,
• turmeric,
• general curry blend,
• garlic powder, and
• mustard powder.

I also used a handful of whole spices:

• cumin,
• yellow mustard, and
• brown mustard.

Method

This is really a simple recipe. The chopping of the ingredients into smaller pieces takes the longest time. But in the end, it is all worth it.

I begin by frying the onions, broccoli and cauliflower stalks, and celery in some oil.

I also add the whole spices at this stage. Watch out to not let the spices burn.

I add the chicken at this stage then. You can opt to leave out the chicken, this will make the dish vegan.

When everything is about 75% cooked, I add the ground spices. You can really not add too few spices. I actually added some more. It looks like a lot of spices, but again you cannot add too few.

When everything is cooking nicely, the broccoli and cauliflower will release a fair amount of water. Cook some of the water off.

This accumulated water is where all the flavor is. All the spices will have mixed in with it. Reduce it a bit and then add the coconut cream.

The curry is done! To add some extra flavor to the rice, simply mix in some lemon juice and lemon zest. This will make for an awesome flavor addition to the heavy coconut cream curry.

Dish Up

Now you can place it in any fancy way you like. This is truly an awesome weekday dish. I love to make it with any leftovers I can find my hands on. Plus, it is totally vegan when you take the chicken out of the equation.

I really hope you will make this for yourself. A simple dish but one with awesome amounts of flavor. Life is too short not to eat nice food. Plus, this is one of those dishes that is still cheap (in my country) to make. Food prices are getting out of hand, but with this dish, you can still make something tasty without paying too much.

If you buy your spices and rice in bulk from Indian or Malay shops, you can get them at a good price. We have a very nice Cape Malay shop close to where I live and I buy my spices and rice here.

The addition of spices in your culinary language will make you a pro in the kitchen. Explore and don't be scared to try new things!

All of the photographs are my own and the recipe is also my own. I have made this recipe to suit my own taste but also to utilize any of the leftovers in the fridge. Do try it and please let me know how it went. Happy cooking! Stay safe.