Gut-healing korma

I love this recipe. It takes me home and wraps me up in a warm blanket. Most kormas tend to be super rich with lots of cream added – which doesn’t help your gut bacteria thrive. I’ve replaced the cream with ground almonds and yoghurt. It’s better for your gut bugs, yet still deliciously creamy. The herbs and spices are the hero ingredients in this recipe as each one contains different phytonutrients that nourish your microbiome. You get more than 10 plant points here – your gut is celebrating!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, coarsely grated
• 2 garlic cloves, whole (optional)
• 2-3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
• ¼ tsp chilli powder
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 chicken breasts, sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tbsp ground almonds
• 400ml chicken bone broth (see below) or fresh chicken stock (or use a low-sodium stock cube)
• 200g seasonal greens, finely shredded
• 100g natural yoghurt
• large handful of fresh coriander, chopped (optional)

METHOD

1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes, then add the garlic, if using, and ginger and fry for 5 minutes more until soft and fragrant.
2. Add the spices, fenugreek seeds, chilli powder and tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the chicken.
3. Stir in the ground almonds and broth and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced.
4. Add the greens and yoghurt and cook gently until the greens are just wilted. Remove the garlic, if using, and serve scattered with fresh coriander, if you like.

Tips: If you want to speed things up, you could use 2 tbsp korma curry paste instead of the spices. The curry can also be frozen in portions for up to three months, so double up this recipe to batch cook and freeze half (defrost fully before reheating). Serve with brown or red rice or on a bed of steamed vegies if you’re cutting out starchy carbs at dinner.

Serves 4-6

Chicken bone broth

INGREDIENTS

• bones of a roast chicken, broken into bits
• 2.5 litres cold water
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• pinch of sea salt

METHOD

1. Put all the ingredients in a pan, bring to a boil, then reduce to a bare simmer and cook gently for 2½ hours.
2. Strain through a fine sieve and allow to cool before using or freezing.

Makes about 1.8 litres

This is an edited extract from Food for Menopause by Dr Linia Patel, published by Murdoch Books, $39.99.