Vegetable Curry (Vegetarian)

Vegetable curry is a great meal option for people with diabetes

A meal that’s full of vegetables like pumpkin, cauliflower, chickpeas, and potatoes contains a good amount of fibre, so it can help you to stay full and feel satisfied for hours.¹ This is especially important when it comes to meals for people with diabetes because consuming fibre can improve blood sugar management and contribute to other positive factors related to heart health, including cholesterol levels and body weight.²

Along with fiber and other nutrients, you’ll get tons of flavour from ingredients like onion, garlic and red pepper.

Vegetable Curry Recipe

While this vegetarian recipe is very filling when eaten on its own, vegetable curry is traditionally served with basmati rice. Instead of basmati rice, brown rice is a better option for people with diabetes because it has more fibre, while white rice has a higher glycaemic index and glycaemic load, which means it raises blood sugar levels after a meal.^3,4 It’s a medium- to low-glycaemic food that releases energy slowly, so you don’t need to worry about a spike in your blood sugar levels.

For the best flavour, it’s helpful to use fresh spices in your vegetable curry. Before you start cooking, check to see how old your ground spices are, and if they happen to be more than a couple of years old, consider replacing them.

Per serving

Calories: 180 kcal, protein: 8 g, fat: 4 g, carbohydrates: 25 g, fibre: 7 g, salt: 281 mg, cholesterol: 3 mg

Serves 6

• 1 tsp vegetable or olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp crushed ginger
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed chili, optional
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 120 ml water
• 1 large potato, cubed, skin on
• 480 g pumpkin, cubed
• 240 g cauliflower florets
• 420 g canned chickpeas, drained
• 1 can tomatoes (400 g), drained
• 1 red pepper, thickly sliced
• 4 baby courgettes, thickly sliced
• 85 g fresh coriander leaves

Creamy sauce

• 1 tsp "light" margarine
• 1/2 vegetable stock cube, dissolved in 240 ml boiling water
• 120 ml low-fat evaporated milk
• 4 tsp flour

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft.
2. Add spices and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add water, potatoes, pumpkin, cauliflower, tomatoes, and chickpeas.
4. Simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add the red pepper and baby courgette, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
6. In the meantime, you can make the creamy sauce.
7. Melt the margarine in a small saucepan. When hot, add the stock, water, and milk.
8. In a glass bowl, mix the flour to a smooth paste with 3 tbsp water.
9. When the milk mixture is hot, pour half of it onto the flour paste and stir well.
10. Pour the combined flour and milk back into the saucepan with the other half of the milk mixture and bring to a boil while stirring. Cook until thick and creamy. Add the sauce to the curried vegetables.
11. Add the fresh coriander and mix gently.
12. Serve over brown rice (optional). 

This vegetable curry recipe can be made up to 3 days in advance and served hot or cold like a "salad" making it the perfect lunch or dinner, whether you’re at home or on the go. 

The recipe and photo are taken from the low GI, low-fat recipe book by registered dietitians Gabi Steenkamp and Liesbet Delport, Eating for Sustained Energy 1.⁵

The nutritional values for each recipe are estimates only and may vary depending on brand of ingredients used and natural biological variations in the composition of natural foods. 

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