Think of this vegan dinner as your traditional cape malay chicken all dressed up for a yummy protein party. This vegan curry uses all the authentic Cape Malay herbs and spices that an aromatic chicken curry are made of, with loads of added extra protein in the form of peas, chickpeas and plant-based soya protein.
Below I’ll be sharing the full recipe for making this easy vegan curry from scratch in 30 minutes, as well as a 15-minute cheat version, too…
For this recipe, I used soya chicken shreds found in the frozen section of my local Indian spice shop. These soya shreds can be prepared from frozen and are great to have on hand.
To give them an extra boost of flavour, I like to soak the frozen shreds in a cup or two of boiled water, with a tablespoon of vegan chicken stock for 5 – 10 minutes. I start this process just before I begin peeling my potatoes and chopping the onions. Soon these shreds will be soft, tasty and ready to fool any meat eater.
SUPERFAST 15-MINUTE VERSION (BEGINNER VEGANS)
Guys, you can totally make the cheat version of this vegan cape malay chicken curry in 15 minutes with the following ingredients:
- 300 – 500g Soya Chicken / Quorn vegan savoury chicken pieces
- 1 x Cook in Cape Malay Curry Sauce (the Woolies version is 100% vegan)
- 1 x onion
- 1 x cup of frozen peas
- 2 x potatoes
- 1 x tin of beans (chickpea or butterbean, etc)
- Simply parboil your peeled and quartered potatoes (or microwave them)
- Fry up your onion till translucent
- Add your plant-based chicken, cook in sauce, beans and parboiled potatoes
- Cook for a further 5 – 10 minutes – until the potatoes are to your liking
- Stir in a cup of frozen peas, and warm through
- Serve!
Seriously, it doesn’t get easier than that – which I love for mid-week dinner emergencies. Of course, if you have about 15 minutes extra, you can pretty much make the entire curry from scratch – and it’s really easy to do.
FANCY-PANTS CAPE MALAY CURRY VERSION (STILL UNDER 30 MINUTES)
- 300 – 500g Soya Chicken / Quorn vegan savoury chicken pieces
- 1 tin of tomatoes
- 1 tin of beans (kidney, butterbeans, chickpeas)
- 2 peeled + quartered potatoes, par-cooked (microwave is fastest)
- 2 cups of peas (green, frozen)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup water, if needed
- 1 tablespoon Mrs Balls chutney (or sub with a tablespoon of sugar)
- 1 tablesooon of vinegar
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup coriander / cilantro to garnish
CURRY PASTE:
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon of ginger and garlic paste combined
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
- 6 – 8 curry leaves (optional)
DRY SPICES:
- 3 cardamom pods
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 2 teaspoons masala curry powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
METHOD
- Start by parboiling or microwaving your peeled and quartered potatoes.
- Add chopped onion, ginger, garlic, chili and optional curry leaves to a blender / food processor to make a paste.
- Add paste to a saucepan with a tablespoon of vegetable oil, cook for about 3 minutes untill fragrant.
- Stir in the dry spices – cardamom, cinnamon sticks, masala curry powder, turmeric and cumin – and cook for another 3 – 5 minutes.
- Add the soya chicken or Quorn, coating thoroughly with the mixture.
- Add a tin of tomatoes (whole or diced) to the blender / processor to form a smooth liquid, then add to pot with a tablespoon of white spirit or apple cider vinegar. Add the chutney (or sugar), par-cooked potatoes and beans. Cook for another 10 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.
- Before serving stir in green peas to heat through, season with salt and sprinkle with freshly chopped cilantro.
- 300 - 500g Soya Chicken / Quorn vegan savoury chicken pieces
- 1 tin of tomatoes
- 1 tin of beans (kidney, butterbeans, chickpeas)
- 2 peeled + quartered potatoes, par-cooked (microwave is fastest)
- 2 cups of peas (green, frozen)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup water, if needed
- 1 tablespoon Mrs Balls chutney (or sub with a tablespoon of sugar)
- 1 tablesooon of vinegar
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup coriander / cilantro to garnish
- CURRY PASTE:
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon of ginger and garlic paste combined
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
- 6 – 8 curry leaves (optional)
- DRY SPICES:
- 3 cardamom pods
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 2 teaspoons masala curry powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Start by parboiling or microwaving your peeled and quartered potatoes.
- Add chopped onion, ginger, garlic, chili and optional curry leaves to a blender / food processor to make a paste.
- Add paste to a saucepan with a tablespoon of vegetable oil, cook for about 3 minutes untill fragrant.
- Stir in the dry spices – cardamom, cinnamon sticks, masala curry powder, turmeric and cumin – and cook for another 3 – 5 minutes.
- Add the soya chicken or Quorn, coating thoroughly with the mixture.
- Add a tin of tomatoes (whole or diced) to the blender / processor to form a smooth liquid, then add to pot with a tablespoon of white spirit or apple cider vinegar. Add the chutney (or sugar), par-cooked potatoes and beans. Cook for another 10 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.
- Before serving stir in green peas to heat through, season with salt and sprinkle with freshly chopped cilantro.
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