Sunny Zucchini Curry

I was looking for a curry recipe to use up some of the lovely yellow squash & zucchini we have growing and came across this style of curry on a blog called yummyoyummy. According to the original author, it's a Kerali style dish, and it is certainly very easy to prepare. I changed the cooking process slightly, and added in the leek which is much better than onion in this dish. If you can use yellow squash/zukes here, the end colour will be a beautiful light chartreuse. Servings are a bit of a guess, I think you would serve this alongside a few other things, would be enough for 4 in that case.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  oil (coconut oil works great here)
• 1  leek, sliced (slice lengthways then in thin half moons, sub onion if need be)
• 2  garlic cloves, minced (or try garlic scapes if you have some!)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1⁄4 teaspoon chili powder (or more to your taste)
• 1  fresh green chile, slit & deseeded
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2  zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch (yellow ones are best here)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cumin seed, whole
• 1⁄2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 2  tablespoons  plain  soy cream (or yogurt or coconut milk)

Directions

1. Begin by heating the oil over medium and then adding in the leek. Allow it to cook for a few minutes and become tender, turning that beautiful shade of bright green. Add in the garlic and let that cook for a few minutes.
2. Next add the turmeric, chili powder, fresh green chili and salt. Let that cook for just a few minutes then add in the zucchini.
3. Add just enough water to the pot to nearly cover the zucchini, about 1/2 an inch below. Cover loosely and let that cook until the zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, grind up the coconut flakes and cumin. A coffee grinder that you use for spices works best. You want it to be quite fine, even paste like.
5. Once the zukes are cooked, stir in the coconut/cumin mixture - mix it in well. Turn off/move off the heat and then add in a few tbsp of creamer (or yogurt or coconut milk). Adjust seasoning.
6. Cover loosely and let sit. The coconut needs some time to become tender -- otherwise it could feel chewy. It may seem thin at first, but it will thicken up a bit. You can always leave it to sit on the back burner for a while and reheat gently prior to serving if you like.