Coconut curry by Tony Wright

Tony Wright's the Digital Marketing Officer at Fairtrade Foundation.

With great excitement last night, I rushed home via the supermarket to check out the all new Fairtrade certified boston beans that went on sale. After flicking through a few cook books to see what I could do, I decided I'd stick by my own curry recipe of coconut curry, but this time round, throw the new Fairtrade product category into the mix.

An easy and straight forward recipe, this coconut curry's a great way to enjoy a great range of Fairtrade products all at once. From the gentle crunch of Fairtrade cashew nuts suggested by my colleague Emma, to the creamy coconut sauce, it's filled with nutrients and if you can muster the self control, is perfect for the next day's lunch.

Ingredients

Curry base:  cooking onion, garlic cloves, Fairtrade tumeric, garam masala, chilli powder, grounded coriander, cumin, chopped tomatoes, coconut milk.

Vegetables: butter beans, baby potatoes, Fairtrade boston beans, Fairtrade Mango chutney, Fairtrade cashew nuts, vine tomatoes, courgette, fresh corriander, Fairtrade basmati rice.

Firstly, take a tea spoon of each spice and blend them on a small dish. Add a little chilli powder if you prefer curries hot. Warm a frying pan slightly and place the spices onto the heat for half a minute so they toast, infusing their flavours.

Chop and begin steaming the vegetables in a pan of a little water. Don't add the quartered tomatoes until later if you prefer them to be less soft.

Dice the onion and garlic and fry in a saucepan with a little vegetable oil. Wait until the onions have turned golden brown and add the toasted spices, moving the contents of the pan around steadily to coat the onion and garlic with as much spice as possible.

Continue for a few minutes, then add a can of chopped tomatoes, constantly mixing as the contents become a flavoursome, thick paste. Add the steamed vegetables, including the liquid that remains in their dish, stirring them into the curry sauce.

Continue cooking the vegetables, continuing to stir regularly. If you haven't already, now pop the diced tomatoes into the mix along with a handful of cashew nuts. Stir in half a can of coconut milk and leave the curry to keep on bubbling so the vegetables continue to soften and soak in all the flavour.

Dice the fresh coriander and sprinkle into the curry pot before continuing to stir. Keep cooking whilst the contents becomes thicker and less runny depending on your preferred consistency. Use some of the remaining coconut milk if you need.

Boil the rice, place it on a plate, spoon the curry on top and make sure you serve the dish with lots of sauce. Place a little Fairtrade mango chutney on the side of the place as a dip for those tasty beans. Pour yourself a glass of Fairtrade orange juice (or two if you got carried away with the chilli) and enjoy.

Find out more about Fairtrade vegetables and locate your nearest stockist.