Coconut Milk Garam Masala Curry with Turkey

This quick and easy Garam Masala Curry is made with tender turkey breast, fresh ginger, garlic and curry spices (a mix of garam masala, cumin, coriander and turmeric) simmered together with vine-ripened tomatoes and coconut milk to give this dish an aromatic flavor that is equally appeals to curry newbies and seasoned lovers. It’s great over whole grain rice for a complete meal AND is a simple enough recipe to make any night of the week!

Garam Masala Curry with Turkey

A medium-spicy Garam Masala Curry suitable for the whole family

Okay, when I say whole family, I mean teenagers – with developed taste buds. Though, there are 10 years who love a little spice. Everyone has different spice and heat tolerance. This curry isn’t overly spicy as my sole intent in creating this dish was to produce something the whole family could eat which didn’t involve pasta or Bolognese sauce. And I tell you, I have gotten really great at creating a Bolognese for spaghetti or lasagna that is 60% vegetables disguised as meat. Minced sweet potato has been a really saver there, together with carrots and red pepper. This curry, however clearly has meat in it. I had no chance of convincing teenagers to try a curry dish packed with vegetables, let alone things like legumes. So I vowed that once every month or two I would actually do something Elle Republic–ish for the whole family. And admittedly as much as I love my salads and vegetarian dishes, I do like a good turkey or chicken curry from time to time.

Puten-Curry mit Garam Masala, Kokos, Spinat Rezept

Garam Masala spice mix

Garam masala has a very particular spice profile. It has a peppery base and lots of warming spices, such as cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom. It is important to realize that garam masala spice mixes can vary. For this recipe, I use a garam masala spice found at my local organic food store. It’s from Lebensbaum and it always turns out lovely. I recommend experimenting with different brands to see what you like best. If you are a fan of garam masala, check out my chicken garam masala curry. It’s a little different than this one, and also delicious!
Garam Masala Curry with Turkey, Spinach and Coconut Milk

I kept this recipe quite saucy, as I like to have the rice soak up all the flavors. And I also like to have this option in case I opt for more add-ins (like adding potatoes or other types of vegetables, even roasted ones are a nice addition!). This also helps, if you want to stretch out the recipe for another serving.

Coconut Milk Garam Masala Curry with Turkey
3.93 from 42 votes
Print

Coconut Milk Garam Masala Curry

Simple to make, this is a delicious Garam Masala Curry with aromatic spices, coconut milk, tomatoes, spinach and turkey. Makes a great midweek meal!
Course Main Course
Category Curry, Indian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 410 kcal
Autor Elle

Ingredients

For the curry spice mix:

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala spice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the curry:

  • 500-600 g turkey breast (sustainably raised/organic), cut into bite-size pieces
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, diced (500 g)
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth (125 ml)
  • 1 x 400 ml can organic coconut milk
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 100 g baby spinach
  • Fresh cilantro leaves, to garnish

For serving:

  • Whole grain basmati or short-grain brown rice

Method

  1. In a small bowl, stir together the turmeric, garam masala, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a large deep non-stick skillet (or wok), heat the coconut oil over medium to medium high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened and golden brown (about 5-7 minutes). Then add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring for one minute.
  3. Add the tomato paste and spice mix and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds more. Then add the diced tomatoes and cook, stirring, for one minute.
  4. Now add the turkey and stir well to coat with the spices. Let cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the broth to the pan, cover with a lid, reduce heat to medium low, and let cook 10-15 minutes, until turkey is cooked through and tender.

  5. Remove the lid and stir in the coconut milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes more. Taste and season with a little pepper and more salt, if desired. Add the spinach and stir until wilted, about 1 minute.
  6. Serve into bowls with rice and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Make it vegan: skip the turkey breast and add cauliflower florets, a can of organic chickpeas and peas instead of spinach. Potatoes, cauliflower and peas is also a great combo!
  • Whole grain basmati rice cooks in about the same time as this dish so you can start preparing it as you start cooking. Short grain brown rice takes a little longer, so if using start cooking it as you before you start the prep work for this Garam Masala Curry recipe.

Did you try this recipe?

Then tag @ellerepublic on Instagram and hashtag it #ellerepublic

How did you like it?

Please let me know how this Coconut Milk Garam Masala Curry with Turkey recipe turned out for you! I would love to hear how you liked it. Simply rate it with the stars above ⭐or leave me a comment and rate it below.

Did you make any changes to this recipe?

If you have tips for other readers, let me know! It helps me and other readers so much. Sharing is Caring :-).

This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase through my link, Amazon will pay me a commission for it. This doesn’t cost you anything additional and the price remains the same. More about advertisements on Elle Republic.

6 COMMENTS

  1. Delicious curry! Easy to make and a crowd pleaser. I made enough for 6 people and had one serving leftover. I left out the chicken and roasted some root veggies and a pumpkin separately.

    • Thanks Clara! Love that you made with curry recipe with roasted vegetables. I will definitely give that a try myself! 🙂

  2. I made a vegan version of this curry with tofu, sweet potato, red bell pepper, peas and spinach. It turned out really really good ( and even better the day after)! Will definitely make this again!

  3. the curry is really tasty and perfect for this who want something not spicy but flavoursome. the main drawback is that it is very very watery. i had to leave it to simmer for a long time and had to add 4 tspn of cornflour slurry.

    • Hi Jess, thanks for your feedback! I think it could be due to the difference in ingredients. I only use organic full-fat coconut milk which is quite creamy. Otherwise, it could be that the tomatoes were very watery. You could try it with a can of pure chopped tomatoes next time (instead of the tomatoes and tomato paste) and see how that works out. Or did the turkey give off a lot of moisture? I remember when I was living in Canada that sometimes the poultry would give off a lot of water when cooked, so I only buy organic from a trusted butcher here in Germany. Sorry, that I can’t be of further help. Though, glad to hear that it tasted great nonetheless. 🙂

LEAVE A REPLY

Comment Rating




Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here