Ryan Riley’s recipe for joy: Cauliflower and potato coconut curry

Never underestimate the simple, restorative power of a curry. There’s something about a bowl of warmly spiced vegetables, rich sauce and steamed rice that soothes like little else. Especially when it comes together as quickly and with as much ease as this one. This cauliflower and potato coconut curry sings with freshness and zing, but still brings all the comfort you want from something spooned into a deep bowl and eaten slowly.

It begins with a fragrant base as most curries do, shallots, garlic, lime zest, ginger and chillies blitzed together with spices and oil until smooth. That paste is cooked low and slow for 20 minutes with a cinnamon stick until it smells sweet, rich, and deeply inviting. From there, it’s a simple layering up. Add the coconut milk and water first, then the potato, leave to soften gently before the cauliflower joins the pot.

Ten minutes more and everything is tender. A spoonful of peanut butter is stirred through right at the end, it’s not enough to overwhelm, but just enough to give the sauce a velvety depth. Coriander adds freshness, lime wedges bring brightness, and a scattering of red chilli on top gives optional heat.

It’s familiar but fresh, nourishing but lively. A dish to lift the spirits on tired days. Don’t you feel like we’re having more of those lately? It’s a reminder that a good curry doesn’t have to simmer for hours in order to taste like it did. Serve it with jasmine rice and a naan bread, a big spoon, and not a single apology.

Serves 2

4 shallots, finely diced

5 garlic cloves

1 lime, zested and quartered

2cm piece of ginger root, peeled

1 long red (Thai) chilli, destemmed, plus optional extra slivers to serve

1 long green (Thai) chilli, destemmed

1½ tablespoons garam masala

1 tablespoon medium curry powder

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 cinnamon stick (about 10cm long)

1 × 400g tin of full-fat coconut milk

1 large potato (I like Maris Piper), peeled and cut into 2cm pieces

1 cauliflower, florets separated

2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

100g coriander, finely chopped

salt

boiled jasmine rice, to serve

Put the shallots, garlic, lime zest, ginger, both chillies, garam masala, curry powder, oil, ground coriander and a sprinkle of salt into a food processor and blitz until completely smooth.

Place the mixture into a large saucepan and add the cinnamon stick. Give everything a stir to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and then place the pan over a low heat for about 20 minutes, until the mixture smells sweet and aromatic.

Remove the cinnamon stick and then add the coconut milk and about 100ml of water and stir to combine. Add the potato, simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes, then add the cauliflower. Stir well and simmer for another 10 minutes. Finally, stir in the peanut butter and mix well until the sauce is combined. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir half the chopped coriander through the curry, then ladle it into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining coriander to serve. Serve with boiled jasmine rice, the lime wedges for squeezing over, and sprinkled with slivers of extra red chilli, if you wish.