Fearne Cotton's Sri Lankan vegetable curry recipe

Fearne Cotton's Sri Lankan vegetable curry is 292 calories per portion and is perfect for batch cooking. 

Fearne understands how important it is to nourish yourself and your family with healthy but delicious meals, even when you’re short on time. This easy recipe takes 45 minutes to prepare and cook, making it a great mid-week option. 

Please note that the nutrition has been calculated with the fish but does not include the side portion of brown rice. 

Ingredients 

• 1½ tbsp coconut or sunflower oil
• 10 fresh curry leaves (optional)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 5cm piece of root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1½ tbsp mild curry powder
• ½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 16 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 x 400ml cans full-fat coconut milk
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into bite-sized chunks
• 200g skinless and boneless cod or sea bass fillets, cut into bite size pieces (optional)
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced, to serve
• Cooked brown rice, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the curry leaves (if using) and fry for 2–3 minutes until the leaves begin to crisp up and brown.
2. Add the onion and ginger and sauté gently for 5 minutes, until the onion has softened, then add the garlic and fry for a further minute until aromatic.
3. Add the spices, tomatoes, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Fry for a further 2 minutes until aromatic, then add the coconut milk, carrots and green pepper.
4. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 20–25 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through and the sauce has reduced down a little.
5. If you are using fish, add it to the curry for the last 5 minutes of cooking time, until just cooked through.
6. Serve with the spring onion scattered over the top and rice alongside.

Top tips for making Fearne Cotton's Sri Lankan vegetable curry 

Fearne has recommended serving the curry with brown rice but you can use noodles if you prefer. 

Jessica Ransom

“Fresh curry leaves will elevate the flavour of this curry and are well-worth seeking out. If you have any left over, freeze them and use straight from the freezer in future recipes.”

Cook Happy, Cook Healthy by Fearne Cotton (Orion, £10.99) - View at Amazon

With chapters for breakfast, drinks, snacks, lunch, speedy dinners and much more, this book is full of recipes you’ll love, no matter the cooking occasion. 

If you fancy some more celeb cooking inspo, check out this Gordon Ramsay vegetable curry. You might also like this Joe Wicks chickpea curry or our split pea and vegetable curry is a hearty but healthy choice. Joe Wicks' halloumi and cashew curry is perfect if you’re in a hurry as it only takes 10 minutes. If you have more time, try Wagamama's katsu curry recipe instead.