Probably not unlike most people, when it comes to a midweek meal I’m looking for something quick, easy, and relatively healthy. And this turkey curry really does tick all the boxes.
You see when you’re working full time, or even part time, stressing over what’s for dinner, is one stress too many. Instead of focusing on the job at hand your mind starts to wander and that little voice in your head interrupts you, nagging at you, asking questions such as, “have you got all the ingredients” or “did you take the meat out of the freezer”? You frantically try to calculate what time you’ll need to stop work in order to make sure you eat before 8pm without eating into your Apéro time.
When you live in rural France you’ll realise how precious your daily apéro time is. It’s that wonderful time around 5pm when we down tools, grab some snacks, a bottle of chilled rose, or whatever takes your fancy, and unwind for an hour or so before dinner.
The French really value their quality of life and this is one tradition I’ve been happy to partake in.
Now it so happens I’m actually really organised when it comes to food and mealtimes. Every Saturday I pull out my recipe books, draw up a weekly menu and meticulously write down all the ingredients required for every dish.
Not only that I list each day of the week, what the dish is, the book the recipe is in and the page number. I told you I was anal about this stuff.
This little process saves me hours in wasted time sitting there wondering about all of the above. Armed with my trusty weekly menu, which my friends find hilarious, I’m able to happily concentrate on writing articles like this one instead of worrying about what’s for dinner.
And this fabulous little turkey curry can often be found under Wednesday on my weekly menu. It has so much going for it because it’s quick and easy, unlike my Lamb Rogan Josh recipe, is healthy because there isn’t a jar of anything in sight, and can be prepped in 10 minutes flat.
As I’ve mentioned before, here where I live in the beautiful Charente getting your hands on ready made Indian sauces isn’t easy. It’s forced me into making my own, which truth be told I rather enjoy.
However, some of these pastes can be a little time consuming, which is fine if you’re having people over for dinner and have set aside the time to do it, but isn’t so good mid week when your goal is fast and healthy.
INGREDIENTS
Recipe for four people
750g diced turkey breast (poitrine de dinde)
3 tsp of Squeezy Garlic (usually in a tube called Garlic Puree)
3 tsp of Crushed Ginger (gingembre)
1 Onion chopped (oignon)
3 Vine Tomatoes chopped (tomates)
1 Red Pepper Diced (poivron rouge)
350g of Mushrooms halved (champignons)
Fresh Coriander (coriandre)
100g of Spinach (épinard)
4 tbsp Tomato Puree
1 tsp Turmeric (curcuma)
1 tsp Cumin Seeds (graines de cumin)
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Chilli Powder (whatever strength you prefer poudre de piment)
Salt & Pepper to season (sel et poivre)
INSTRUCTIONS
Now I told you this was a quick and easy turkey curry and I promise I wasn’t lying. This meal is best done first thing in the morning and left in a slow cooker for 6-7 hours.
All you need to do is dice and chop your onions and tomatoes, throw the whole lot into the slow cooker, apart from the spinach and coriander, and then stir to make sure everything is coated, covered and mixed. Put your slow cooker on low and leave.
If you want to do this a little quicker then pop our slow cooker on high for approximately 3 hours.
30 mins before you want to serve, add your spinach and put in a handful of the coriander popping the lid back on. Don’t forget to give it a good stir to mix the spinach in. If your curry is looking a little watery simply take the lid off and leave it for 30 minutes or so to allow it to soak up the excess juices.
I like to serve this in a bowl with a side helping of garlic and coriander Naan bread. LeClerc has started stocking Naan bread if you look in the international aisle. Otherwise, head to the British Corner Store and you’ll find a good selection there. But it’s just as good with basmati rice or even a couple of hunks of French baguette.
As always I’d love to know what you think of this simple turkey curry recipe. It really is so easy you can’t go wrong and like with most homemade curries you’re in charge of how hot and spicy you want to make it.
Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook to show me your own version of this dish and let me know of any little additions you make or changes in the vegetables you use.
À bientôt et merci beaucoup!
Life in Rural France