Coconut Curry with Carrots and Broccoli

Kerala, India is home to ishtoo, a curry awash in a coconut broth. The dish gave us the idea for this bright, gently spiced vegetable curry. Carrots and broccoli are the featured vegetables here, but you could substitute others with similar cooking times. For instance, diced potatoes or winter squash could take the place of the carrots; cauliflower florets or asparagus or green beans cut into 2-inch lengths or so could stand in for the broccoli; thawed green peas could be stirred in near the end of cooking. Curry leaves have a distinctive flavor, at once lemony and nutty. You can find them at most Indian grocery stores; any surplus can be transferred to a plastic freezer storage bag and frozen for several months. If you can’t find curry leaves, not to worry—the dish is plenty flavorful without. Serve basmati rice alongside to soak up the broth.