The Infamous Apple Curry (2024)

Published: Oct 5, 2018 · Updated: Jan 17, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links · We donate 10% of our profits to support good causes.

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Our apple curry is creamy, mildly spicy and subtly, but pleasingly sweet. This savoury apple recipe proves that apples aren’t just for sweet dishes!

This recipe fondly became known as The Infamous Apple Curry. It got legendary status when we first created it in our campervan, inspired by a desire to use up an excess of apples. Whilst cooking we worried that it wouldn’t work out, but as soon as we tried it, we loved it!

This curry is also one of the dishes that sparked the start of Vegan on Board, so it’s got a special place in our hearts!

Since then we’ve served it to hundreds of people. Some were a little suspicious of apples in a curry at first, but then they were pleasantly surprised, and asked for the recipe!

In various world cuisines like Indian, Sri Lankan, Japanese or African, apples in a curry are more common than in European cooking. So, we don’t claim to have invented the apple curry. But this is our own unique take on it, and we hope you enjoy it!

Ingredient tips

Here’s what you’ll find in our apple curry recipe. It’s easy to adapt and make your own, so don’t worry if you haven’t got everything.

Apples - You can use any variety of apple. Cooking apples go a bit softer/mushier, and eating apples will have a more firm texture.
Veggies - This curry is a great way to use up an abundance of seasonal vegetables. We’re using potato, courgette/zucchini and squash.
Onions and garlic - Because every curry is better with them!
Coconut oil - For frying. extra virgin coconut oil also adds a nice flavour.
Curry powder, garam masala and tandoori masala -Spices are at the heart of any curry!
Coconut milk or soy cream - For a nice creamy sauce.
Peanut butter - This helps thicken up the sauce and adds a nice nutty richness. You could also use blended cashews, or some sunflower seed butter for a nut free version. Alternatively, whole toasted nuts adds a nice crunch.
Cooked adzuki beans - These small, nutty and slightly sweet red beans are a great way to add protein to the dish. If you’ve not had adzuki beans before, we recommend trying them.

Variations and substitutions

This recipe can be easily adapted to suit whatever vegetables you have available. Just try to keep the ratio of apples to vegetables at around 1:1 for the real apple effect.

If you want more heat to this curry, then increase the amount of spices or add some fresh chillies.

Instead of the adzuki beans, you can use chickpeas or other pulses.

For some extra flavour you could use roasted potatoes or squash/pumpkin and add them to the pan later.

We’ve cooked versions of the recipe with both coconut milk and soy based cream, and they both work well. Choose whichever you prefer.

This Apple Curry has taught us a great lesson in cooking: Be brave, be curious, try unusual things! Be bold and imaginative! Try something that has never been done before (as far as you know)!

You might sometimes take a bad turn in a recipe, yes. But never stop experimenting! Now, go and cook that apple curry!

📖 Recipe

Infamous Apple Curry

4.97 from 27 votes

This unusual apple curry surprises with its natural subtly sweet flavour. If you've never tried apples in a savoury dish, now is the time!

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Makes: 6 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Anglo-Indian

Ingredients

▢ 3 tbsp coconut oil
▢ 2 onions diced
▢ 4 cloves garlic minced
▢ 6 cups (650 g) apples cubed
▢ 1 ½ cups (200 g) potatoes cubed
▢ 1 ½ cups (200 g) courgette / zucchini cubed
▢ 1 ½ cups (200 g) squash, butternut or hokkaido cubed
▢ 3 tsp curry powder
▢ 2 tsp garam masala
▢ 2 tsp tandoori masala substitute 1 tsp garam masala + 1 tsp paprika
▢ 1 cup (240 ml) coconut milk or soy cream for cooking
▢ 1 ½ cups (350 ml) water
▢ 1 tsp salt
▢ 1 tbsp peanut butter
▢ 1 can (240 g) adzuki beans canned or cooked

Instructions

In a large frying pan or sauce pan, melt the coconut oil on medium-high heat. Add the onions and fry them until starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
Then add the garlic and the spices: curry powder, the garam masala and tandoori masala. Stir quickly to keep them from catching while cooking for another minute.
Add all the apples and vegetable cubes. Stir well to coat with the spices. Cook for another 2 minutes, and stir often and keep things from catching.
Add the coconut milk or soy cream, water, salt and peanut butter. Stir to combine and bring to a boil, still on medium-high heat.
Reduce heat to low-medium, let simmer for about 15 min, or until the potatoes and squash are tender. Stir occasionally.
Some types of apples might stay intact, while others might fall apart while cooking. Don't worry, either is fine!
Towards the end, stir in the aduki beans and keep simmering to heat through for at least 3 more minutes. Done!
Allowing the curry to cool for a 10 minutes before serving allows the flavours and the subtle sweetness of the apples to come out.
Serve with rice, naan, popadoms and mango chutney, or our delicious red lentil flatbreads.

Notes

Substitutions:

Vegetables: You can substitute any of the vegetables with whatever you like. Sweet potato makes a good squash replacement. We like to keep it local and seasonal! Keep about a 1:1 ratio of apples to vegetables.
Coconut fat: Vegetable oil, such as sunflower or canola (rapeseed).
Spices: This calls for individualisation of your own Apple Curry. Use your favourite spice blends! Use any of the named spice mixes in place of the other. To replace tandoori masala for its red-orange color, also add a bit of paprika or mild chili powder.

Nutrition

This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.

Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment to let us know! Share a photo and tag @veganonboard - we love to see what you make!

Have you ever tried apples in a savoury dish? Let us know, in the comments below! 🙂