Asparagus Coconut Curry

This creamy asparagus coconut curry with sweet potatoes is probably the most aromatic meal you could make this spring.

This asparagus curry is the perfect spring recipe, a very suitable recipe for colder spring days... It is incredibly aromatic, and it will warm you up from inside. It uses seasonal vegetables like asparagus and peas.

I absolutely love asparagus. I admit that a coconut curry is not exactly the typical recipe for this amazing vegetable, but it is so good, you will be happy that you dared to make a curry with asparagus.

The flavors are incredible, and the textures as well. A creamy sauce and soft sweet potatoes, crunchy asparagus and peas, and lots of spices.

So let's start the season with an unconventional asparagus recipe. For more conventional ones, try this sauteed asparagus or this delicious creamy asparagus soup with milk.

Recipe ingredients

Buying and cleaning tips for asparagus

Buy:

• When buying asparagus, look for plump, vivid-colored spears.
• Check the tips; they should look perfect, not squashed in any way.
• Some parts of the heads might look either dry and wilted or a bit wet and soggy. Leave those be; they are not good, and you don't want to have to throw away some of the tips because they are not good. The tips are the best part.
• Check the thicker ends as well. They are drier than the rest, but they should not have splits.

Clean:

• Wash the asparagus spears under cold running water.
• Snap off their bottom parts, about 2 ½ cm/ 1 inch. You don't have to measure or anything; just snap the stalk, and it will break naturally where it is supposed to be breaking.
• When it comes to green asparagus, peeling it is not necessary. I only ever peel white asparagus.
• However, if the stalks are unusually thick, you might want to peel the lower part of it.
• Don't discard the tough stem parts. Use them to make vegetable stock; they have a lot of flavor.

• Coconut oil (or olive oil), sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, lime, ginger, garlic, and spices like garam masala, turmeric, and paprika powder.
• The curry is not very hot, but you can make it so by adding pure chili powder or red chili flakes to taste.

Garam masala mixture

• Bought garam masala is perfectly fine if you can get it.
• However, I don't always get to buy a good garam masala mixture, so I often make it myself. I found this recipe a while ago, and I find it great, I already made the double or triple batch several times as it keeps well for a few months.
• Toast 1 tablespoon coriander seeds + 1 tablespoon cumin seeds + 1 teaspoon peppercorns + 3 cloves + the seeds from 3-4 cardamom pods + a pinch fennel seeds + ½ teaspoon caraway seeds + 2 dried bay leaves + 1-2 dried chilies + a small piece of cinnamon + ½ teaspoon chunk of whole nutmeg.
• Let cool and grind with a spice grinder.
• Keep it in a jar in a dark place.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to make asparagus curry?

• Cook the onions until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add grated garlic, ginger, and all the spices. Stir shortly.
• Add coconut milk and vegetable stock, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• In the meantime, prepare the sweet potatoes and the carrots. Add to the curry and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are almost done.
• While they cook, clean and chop the asparagus. Keep the tips separated from the rest; they will only be added to the curry towards the end of the cooking time.
• Add the asparagus stalk pieces and continue cooking until the potatoes and carrots are soft. The asparagus should not be completely soft; it is always better when it still has a bite to it.
• Now add the asparagus tips and the defrosted peas, and simmer for 2-3 more minutes.
• Adjust the taste with lime juice and salt. Add lime juice gradually and to taste.

How to serve?

• Serve immediately with rice or any kind of Indian bread. Naan bread, for instance.
• The asparagus curry with coconut milk can be easily reheated. However, the asparagus might get softer in the process. It will still taste great, though.

More asparagus recipes

Recipe

Asparagus Coconut Curry

Creamy asparagus curry with coconut milk and sweet potatoes is a "must-cook" dish every spring. Probably the most aromatic and comforting way of serving asparagus.

5 from 5 votes

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Course: Asian and Indian Recipes

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 412kcal

Author: Adina

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Ingredients 

USEU

• ▢ 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• ▢ 1 onion
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves
• ▢ a large piece of ginger as big as a thumb
• ▢ 2 tablespoons garam masala Notes 1, 2
• ▢ 2 teaspoons paprika powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sugar
• ▢ 1 can coconut milk 400 ml/ 13.5 oz
• ▢ 2 ½ cups vegetable stock
• ▢ 1 large sweet potato
• ▢ 2 medium carrots
• ▢ 1 lb green asparagus
• ▢ 1 cup frozen peas defrosted, 165 g
• ▢ 1 lime
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher, more to taste

Instructions

• Chop the onion and set it aside. Grate the garlic and ginger and set them aside separately from the onions.

  1 onion + 3 garlic cloves + a large piece of ginger
• Saute: Heat the coconut oil in a large pot. Add the onions and cook until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, paprika powder, turmeric, and sugar, and stir for about half a minute.

  2 tablespoons coconut oil +2 tablespoons garam masala + 2 teaspoons paprika powder + 1 teaspoon ground turmeric + 1 teaspoon sugar
• Simmer: Pour in the coconut milk and the vegetable stock, bring everything to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.

  1 can coconut milk + 2 ½ cups vegetable stock
• Chop: In the meantime, peel and chop the sweet potato and carrots into cubes. Set aside. Remove the woody ends of the asparagus (freeze to use for a vegetable broth on another occasion) and cut the asparagus into mouth-sized pieces. Keep the asparagus heads separated; they will need a shorter cooking time.

  1 large sweet potato + 2 medium carrots + 1 lb green asparagus/ 450 g
• Cook: Add the sweet potato and carrots to the pot, bring to a boil again, and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until the potatoes are almost done (check; it depends on their size).

  Add the asparagus stalk pieces and cook for another 5 minutes or so until the potatoes are soft and the asparagus is cooked but still has a little bite.

  Next, add the peas and the asparagus tips and simmer for 2-3 more minutes.

  1 cup frozen peas/ 165 g
• Adjust: Add the juice of about half a lime and salt to taste. Taste again and adjust the taste with either more lime juice or some sugar according to your liking. I liked this to be a bit tangy, so I added a bit more lime juice. Serve with rice.

  1 lime + ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Notes

1. Garam masala: Bought garam masala is perfectly fine if you can get it.
2. Homemade garam masala: Toast 1 tablespoon coriander seeds + 1 tablespoon cumin seeds + 1 teaspoon peppercorns + 3 cloves + the seeds from 3-4 cardamom pods + a pinch fennel seeds + ½ teaspoon caraway seeds + 2 dried bay leaves + 1-2 dried chilies + a small piece of cinnamon + ½ teaspoon chunk of whole nutmeg. Let cool and grind with a spice grinder. Keep it in a jar in a dark place.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the dish | Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1017mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 11g

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