Chetna's end-of-summer veg curry

Make this versatile summer curry with seasonal veg – you can swap out any of the veg in the recipe with almost any you have lurking in your fridge

Ingredients

• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 5.5 tsp coriander seeds
• 5 cardamom pods
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 0.25 tsp chilli powder
• 3 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 2 red onions , roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves , grated
• 2.5 cm piece of ginger , peeled and grated
• 0.5 - 1 green chilli (depending on how spicy you like it)
• 350 g butternut squash , chopped into 2cm chunks
• 1 tomato , roughly chopped
• 1 medium potato (about 150g), cut into ½cm-thick half-moons
• 1 red pepper , cut into roughly ½cm-thick pieces
• 75 g fine beans , cut into 3cm pieces
• 1 courgette or 300g marrow, cut into 2cm chunks
• 200 g full-fat natural yogurt
• 20 g fresh herbs (such as coriander, dill, chives and mint), chopped

Steps

1. To make the masala spice mix, heat a large, dry pan over a low heat and toast the cumin and coriander seeds, the cardamom and cloves for 2 mins until fragrant. Remove the cardamom seeds from the pods, then transfer with the rest of the mix a spice blender and blitz to a powder (or use a pestle and mortar). Stir in the turmeric and chilli powder until combined.
2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and toast the mustard seeds until popping. Add the onions and cook for 8-10 mins until golden and softened. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, and cook for 1 min more.
3. Tip in the squash, tomatoes, potatoes and 6 tbsp water. Cover and cook for 15-20 mins until the squash and potatoes are tender, adding a splash more water if the pan becomes dry.
4. Add the spice mix and remaining veg, season and mix well. Cook for another 8-10 mins until the veg is cooked through but still has a bite. Once cool, will keep frozen for two months. Defrost thoroughly and reheat until piping hot. Stir in the yogurt and warm through gently – don’t boil, or the yogurt will split. Taste for seasoning, scatter over the herbs and serve.