Tomato & Coconut Curry

- taken on iPhone

It has been far too long since my last blog entry. I have been cooking – honest – just terribly lax in writing up the proceedings, though as so many people are reading these pages(and thanks to every one of you, it’s most humbling)  I had to share tonight’s triumph of Sri Lankan-style Coconut curry. This was really simple to prepare & was a taste bud tickler.

The scrappy image above, snapped on my mobile phone, certainly doesn’t do it justice.

Here goes:

Serves 2 -4

- To make the Spice Mix

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons of dried bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne
• 1 teaspoon of dried coriander
• ½ teaspoon of ground fenugreek
• 1 teaspoon of powdered cardamom
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 & ½ teaspoons of cumin

1. Combine all ingredients (if possible pulse in a food processor until evenly mixed & ground)
2. Set aside until ready to use, as per the method below.

- For the Curry

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of vegetable or sunflower oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 3 cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated (or processed in a blender)
• 400 grams (or 1 tin) of thick coconut milk (low fat if possible)
• 400 grams tin of chopped tomatoes, chopped into a puree (can also use passata)
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 head of broccoli, divided into small to medium florets
• 1 teaspoon of arrow root (optional)
• 3 large bell peppers (colour is up to you), sliced
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• Juice of half a lemon, or one full small lemon

Method

1. Heat Oil in a large pan, when heated add the onion and saute until translucent (around 5 minutes). Add garlic and ginger, combine well and saute for a further two minutes.
2. Add the pre-prepared spice mix and cook for another minute. Ensure to mix the spices continuously to ensure they don’t stick to the pan.
3. Add the pureed tomatoes and mix until spices are evenly distributed, then add the coconut milk. Mix throughly.
4. Stir in potatoes and allow to cook for 3-5 mins before adding Broccoli.
5. Add Veg stock & simmer on a medium to low heat for around 15 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so.
6. Add Chopped Peppers and cook for a further 15 minutes, stirring occasionally – also add arrowroot at this stage, if using.
7. Once the potatoes & broccoli are cooked through, remove from the heat & stir in the lemon juice.
8. Serve hot.

I served this curry with whole grain rice but Basmati would be a more appropriate accompaniment.

Tofu Vindaloo

It has taken me a while to write this one up, so my knowledge of the trial & error methods employed are a little sketchy, however it was rather lovely, so here are the basics:

Ingredients

• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (peeled & chopped)
• 2 small red chillies (seeded & finely chopped)
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• splash vinegar
• 400g extra firm Tofu (drained & diced)
• 1 courgette, diced
• 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 medium carrot, halved & sliced
• 1 cup frozen green peas

• Parsley to garnish (optional)

Method

Vegan Tofu Vindaloo

 

1. Combine garlic, chillies, 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil + all herbs and spices (except pepper) in a food processor, until smooth, set aside.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil in a frying pan or skillet over a medium heat, add diced Tofu and cook (turning regularly) until golden brown on all sides (takes 7 – 8 mins), transfer to a bowl (lined with kitchen paper, if available) and set aside.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a medium to large pan over a medium heat, add onion & carrot and cook for 2 – 3 minutes then add courgette & cauliflower, cover the pan and cook for a further 4 – 5 minutes.
4. Uncover and add spice paste mix with the vegetables and stir for 1 minute, then stir in tomatoes and peas and bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer until vegetables are tender (10 – 12 minutes).
5. Add tofu and cook for a further 10 minutes (if curry is too thick add a dash of water and mix through)
6. Serve with optional garnish of fresh Parsley or Coriander leaves & an olive.

For a less spicy version remove the chillies and instead add 1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne & 1/4 teaspoon of dry mustard to the spice paste mix.

Chick Pea and Potato Curried Stew

Chickpea and Potato curried stew w/Mrs Unis' Chapati

2 posts in one day, I must have time on my hands. This evening’s dinner was another with a middle-eastern flavour and was thrown together from what we had hanging around the cupboards. I was listening to some bastard pop mash ups courtesy of Go Home Productions‘ Mark Viddler while I cooked, if you’re interested.

This is a hearty stew and is equally good reheated, keep a close eye while cooking and keep the heat low as the stew can burn to the bottom of the pot, I had a close call with this one. Otherwise this is an easy dish to prepare & one you can have with either a light bread or rice + a big glass of water to catch the burn from the hot pepper.

Chick Pea & Potato Curried Stew

Serves 2 – 4

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups Vegetable Stock
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 tins cooked chickpeas
• 1 can chopped tomatoes,
• 1 large green bell pepper
• 1/2 minced jalapeño pepper,
• 5 medium sized potatoes diced (peeled or unpeeled)
• 1 medium chopped white onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon mixed herbs

Method

1. Cook onion in oil in a large saucepan until translucent
2. Combine all other ingredients and add to the pot, pouring Vegetable Stock on last & keeping back 1/4 of the mixed herbs
3. Cook over a medium heat stirring to mix
4. Take 1/5 of the broth of the stew as it cooks, leave it to cool & give a few pulses in a blender to thicken then and add back to the pot (if you are very careful you could use a hand blender in the pot as the stew cooks, but I’m far too clumsy for such activities)
5. Simmer on a med to low heat for 35 minutes or until potato is cooked through (keep a regular check to ensure the mixture doesn’t burn to the pan.
6. Serve, sprinkling remaining herbs as garnish, eat with rice or bread (we had shop bought Chapatis)

This has a bit of a spice to it, but the Jalapeño can be excluded, if preferred. Keep an eye during cooking as chick peas can burn to the pan.

Mrs Unis Chapatis, Vegan & made in Edinburgh

Stew in the pot