Galia Melon Curry with Beans and Cheese

This dish met with mixed reviews when I served it the other day. I rather liked it, but my friend was not quite convinced. It was inspired by a recipe I found in ‘the modern vegetarian’ by Maria Elia. Unfortunately I didn’t have the majority of the ingredients she suggested, so I made my own variation instead. While being a bit spicy, it is at the same time made milder by the fruitiness of the melon. The curry was very quick and easy to make, and was a bit different from most other curries that I've made before.

Serves 2

1 medium shallot

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves

½ red chilli, deseeded

50g asparagus

50g sugar snap peas

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

a pinch of cayenne pepper

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

500g galia melon

150g broadbeans

125g mozzarella cheese

freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

Serve with 150g long grain rice, cooked according to the instructions on the packet

Warm the olive oil in a wide pan, and finely chop the shallot. Add the shallot to the oil and sweat it until it is soft and golden. Finely chop the garlic and add to the shallot. Deseed and finally chop the chilli, or keep the seeds if you fancy something a bit hotter. Add it to the onions, and then slice the asparagus plus sugar snap peas into 1.5cm long bits. Add them to the pan. Measure out the spices and add to the pan. Stir well and leave on medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.

Whizz half of the melon in an electric mixer until smooth, and add to the pan. Chop the other half of the melon into 1.5cm cubes and also add to the pan. Add the broad beans and leave until all ingredients are warmed through.

Finally tear or chop the mozzarella into chunks and add to the curry. You want to do this immediately before serving, so that it doesn’t melt too much.