kale and chickpea curry recipe

My sister Jane gave me this good Oriental-tasting and healthy curry recipe. She discovered it while on a detox, but now cooks it all the time. It's one of my children's favourite meals. The mushrooms and chickpeas make it taste meaty. Serve with basmati rice and cucumber raita (see p.196 of Sarah's Garden Cookbook).

serves 8

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• A little vegetable oil
• 1 heaped tsp medium curry powder
• 25g grated fresh ginger
• 2 green chillies, or 1 red, finely chopped
• Salt and black pepper
• 250g chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked, or 2 x 400g tins
• 400ml tin of coconut milk
• 250g button mushrooms, halved
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 lemon grass sticks
• 15 medium cavolo nero leaves
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
• Large bunch of coriander

Fry the onion and garlic gently in the oil until soft. Add the curry powder, fresh ginger, chilli, salt and black pepper, and stir.

Next, add the cooked chickpeas, coconut milk, mushrooms, lime juice and lemon grass sticks, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the stems from the kale and chop the leaves into strips. Steam them for 5 minutes and then add them to the chickpea mixture. Add the soy and fish sauces.

Scatter with coarsely chopped coriander. This is best served warm, when all flavours seem to sing out.

This recipe features on p.401 of Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook