I f you’ve ever had Sri Lankan “rice and curry” for lunch, you’ll know the term is a misnomer. It’s not just one curry, but at least three and up to five that are served for lunch every day. How, you might wonder, is it possible to cook so many things in time for lunch? One of the answers is that Sri Lankan vegetable curries are fast and furious.
Ingredients hit thin, metal saucepans in quick succession and are brought up to a Vesuvius-level boil, only to come out tasting surprisingly heavenly and delicate about 15 minutes later. The courgette is the perfect vegetable for such treatment: it’s tender , fresh and in need of a little spicing up. Courgette and white bean curry The fresh curry leaves add a lot here – you can get them in some big supermarkets, specialist south Asian food shops and online.
If you have any curry leaves and green chillies left over, bag and freeze them for next time. Prep 15 min Cook 15 min Serves 4 5 tbsp rapeseed oil 20 fresh curry leaves , or frozen ones 2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp black mustard seeds 1 medium brown onion , peeled and finely diced 4 garlic cloves , peeled and sliced paper-thin 2 green finger chillies , stalks discarded, flesh sliced lengthways 500g courgettes , halved lengthwise and cut into irregular pieces 1 tsp ground turmeric 11⁄2 tsp fine sea salt 1⁄4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper 800g tinned coconut milk (ie, 2 standard tins) 800g tinned cannellini beans (ie, 2 standard tins), drained and rinsed 40g fresh cor.
