Coconut curry with vegetables

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 4 green cardamom pods
• Cinnamon stick 2.5 cm long.
• 1 whole clove
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1.5 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili pepper or hot paprika
• 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
• 3 small plum tomatoes, diced
• 250 g potatoes, peeled and cut into 4 cm pieces.
• 1 can (400g) canned coconut milk (full fat)
• 1 small Chinese eggplant, cut into 2.5cm pieces
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 serrano pepper, halved (optional)
• 1 cup green beans, halved
• Cooked basmati rice, for serving
• Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Preparation:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large wok over medium-high heat. Add the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, and cloves and cook, stirring, until all the spices are toasted, about 20 seconds.
2. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, chili powder, and turmeric; cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until the spices are toasted, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until they burst, 4-5 minutes. Add 1 1/4 cups water and the coconut milk. Add the potatoes, eggplant, cauliflower, and serrano pepper, and season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Add the green beans and simmer, uncovered, until tender, 5 minutes. Thin the curry with water if necessary. Remove the serrano pepper and season the curry with salt to taste.
5. Serve the coconut curry with warm basmati rice, garnished with fresh coriander.
   
   Note
   
   Toasting spices is an important step to release their flavors. Be sure to remove all whole spices before serving.