The Science of Spice

124 Spice Profiles

Inspired by the peanut soups and stews of West

Africa, this recipe foregos the usual fiery Scotch

bonnet chillies for a twist from South Africa’s

Eastern Cape – a Durban curry masala spice blend.

The heat comes mainly from the cayenne pepper,

so use less for a milder kick. For a hearty soup,

simply add more water at the end of cooking.

WEST AFRICAN

PEANUT CURRY WITH

DURBAN MASALA

1

For the Durban masala, grind the whole spices and combine with

the cayenne pepper and ginger. Set aside.

2

Prepare the peanut butter by blending it with a cup of water in a

food processer. Once it is smooth, pour into a pan and stir in the

remaining water. Simmer on a low heat for about 15 minutes, until oil

starts to gather on the surface.

3

Chop the carrots and parsnips into 2–3cm (1in) chunks. Heat

1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pan. Add the vegetables and fry over

a medium–high heat for 10–15 minutes, only stirring occasionally, until

the sides brown and caramelize. Remove from the pan and set aside.

4

Heat the remaining oil in the pan and add the onions and spices.

Sauté over a medium heat for a few minutes, then add the tomato

purée and chopped tomatoes. Increase the heat to the maximum, add

the mushrooms, and fry for 3 minutes.

5

Add the vegetable stock, peanut sauce, and vegetables to the pan.

Chop the aubergines (if using) into 2–3cm (1in) chunks and add.

Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the vegetables

are tender.

6

Check for seasoning and add salt or pepper. Remove any large

whole spices and serve the dish with sticky rice. Alternatively, to

serve as a soup, add water and bring back to the boil.

Serves 6–8

Prep time 20 mins

Cooking time 25–35 mins

For the Durban masala blend

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

½ tsp fenugreek seeds

seeds of 5 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

5 cloves

1 tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp ground ginger

For the curry

4 tbsp unsweetened peanut butter

500ml (16fl oz) water

2 tbsp oil

3 large carrots, peeled

2 parsnips, peeled

1 swede or turnip, about 500g

(1lb 2oz)

4 baby aubergines or white garden

egg aubergines (optional)

1 medium onion, diced

400g (14oz) mushrooms, wild,

cultivated, or mixed

1 tbsp tomato purée

2 ripe tomatoes, finely diced

500ml (16fl oz) vegetable stock

salt and pepper to taste

SPICE

IDEAS

Blend your own

masala: swap in black

cardamom or grains of

Selim, for smokiness,

or replace ginger or

coriander with woody,

balsamic mace.

Dry fry the whole

spices to create new

toasted pyrazine

flavours, but take care,

as they can dominate.

Add fresh spices to the

frying vegetables for a

deeper base flavour:

the pungency of garlic

and ginger will mellow

and sweeten with

prolonged cooking.

124-125_Recipe_Peanut_Curry.indd 124 04/06/2018 15:48