Name: Vegetable curry (with chicken, if you want)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 5 cloves garlic; 1 (8cm) chunk peeled, fresh ginger; 1 tbsp water, plus more as needed; 60ml vegetable oil; 1/2 tsp coriander seeds; 1/4 tsp cumin seeds; 6 green cardamom pods; 4 whole allspice; 3 whole cloves; 1 (8cm) long cinnamon stick, broken in half; 1 bay leaf, preferably fresh; 1 medium yellow onion, sliced; 2 tsp Madras-style curry powder; 1/2 jalapeno, or more to taste; 120g whole, peeled, tinned tomatoes (with puree), roughly chopped; 800g mixed 2.5cm-cut vegetables, such as cauliflower, potatoes, French beans, or eggplant; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 (400g) tin unsweetened coconut milk; About 200g (2.5cm cubed) cooked chicken, preferably thigh or leg (optional); Coriander leaves, for garnish; Serving suggestion: Basmati rice and chutney