Tag Archives: curries

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Sweet potato curry

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Sweet potato, the starchy sweet tasting root vegetable, is a powerful nutritional pack. In one medium spud, there is over 400 percent of your daily vitamin A requirement. Sweet potatoes are considered low on the glycemic index scale, and recent research suggests they may reduce episodes of low blood sugar and insulin resistance in people with diabetes.

Sweet potatoes are a rich source of fibre as well as containing a good array of vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, selenium, and they’re a good source of most of our B vitamins and vitamin C. One of the key nutritional benefits of sweet potato is that they’re high in an antioxidant known as beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A once consumed. Sweet potatoes are high in fibre, which has been shown to promote a healthy digestive system.

Though sweet potatoes are an excellent addition to a balanced diet, they contain oxalates which bind calcium and other minerals. Too many oxalates in the diet may cause kidney stones and so should be eaten in moderation by those who have existing kidney stones or are at high risk of developing them.

Ingredients:

4 medium sized sweet potatoes, cooked, skinned and cubed

1 big tomato cut into small pieces

Some curry leaves

1 tbsp oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

1/3 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp sambar powder

1 tsp tamarind pulp or ½ tsp dried mango powder

Salt to taste

Jaggery or sugar to taste (optional)

1 ½ cups water

Instruction:

  • Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds, curry leaves and chopped tomatoes.
  • Stir on medium heat and when tender, add all the masala powders, mix well and add water, salt, sugar and tamarind or dried mango powder.
  • When it boils, add the sweet potato pieces and simmer for five minutes.
  • It is an awesome accompaniment for chapatis and steamed rice.

 

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Sri Lankan Raw Jackfruit Curry

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In Sri Lanka we had rotti and tender jackfruit dry sabzi from a road side shack. My husband liked it very much. Yesterday he asked me to make the same preparation as there was tender jackfruit at home.

Since I had watched our Sri Lankan host while cooking at her house, I have a basic idea of Sri Lankan cooking. So I ventured to prepare it, with some trepidation. And I was so happy when I got a five star rating from my better half!

Ingredients:

2 cups of skinned, pressure cooked (for 4 minutes), and shredded tender jackfruit
1 large onion thinly sliced
1 twig of curry leaves
2 dried red chillies, broken into two
2 tbsps of mustard oil
1 bay leaf
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
¼ tsp crushed pepper
¼ tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste

Instruction:

  • Heat the oil, when it starts smoking, add the bay leaf, jeera, fenugreek seeds, and crushed pepper
  • Add the sliced onion and curry leaves, reduce the flame and keep stirring.
  • When the onion lightly browns, add the shredded jackfruit, salt and red chilli powder.
  • Keep stirring till it turns brown and crispy.

 

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Jackfruit Curry

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So the fridge is empty and I go to buy veggies and there’s a, what? RAW JACKFRUIT!!!!! Like, wow!!
Now this just HAD to be made! Even better with a friend joining for lunch! So kathal-alu sabji in mustard oil and with coconut milk, a concoction that turned out very successful, paired with urad dal khichdi and scrambled eggs Gordon Ramsay style.

Ingredients:

4 cups of skinned, cleaned jackfruit cut into cubes
2 potatoes peeled and cubed
1 tbsp cashew nuts
1-2 cups Coconut milk
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
½ tsp crushed pepper
1 small onion sliced
2 green chillies
6 flakes of crushed garlic
½ tsp turmeric powder
1/3 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Mustard oil (or oil of your choice)
Salt to taste

Instruction:

– Fry cashewnuts in ghee till golden brown. Set aside.
– Pressure cook jackfruit with 1 cup water for 2 whistles, cool, open and drain.
– Heat ample mustard oil, fry chopped potatoes. Set the potatoes aside on a paper towel.
– Add a stick of cinnamon, coarsely crushed pepper, and a bay leaf into the hot mustard oil,
add onions, green chilies and crushed garlic .
– Add turmeric, chili, coriander powder.
– Add jackfruit, let cook for a few minutes, add the potatoes, let cook for some time – it
becomes soft and creamy this way.
– Add coconut milk, let simmer for a few seconds, add salt to taste, mix in cashews and serve!
Note: Can substitute cashews with prawns for a delightfully tasty non-veg version. Just fry them in the same oil after the potatoes and before the onions.

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Bali vegetable curry

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bali-veg-curry

I had Bali vegetable curry and rice for the first time at the Jimbaran beach. Sitting on the beach on a warm day and having this lunch was so soothing that I wanted to prepare it at home. And I succeeded in getting the exact taste. The flavor of this curry comes from garlic, galangal (which I brought from Bali), lime leaves, lemon grass bulb and stem portion, and of course coconut milk.

A wide variety of vegetables, sprouts and leaves can be added in this curry. You have to keep sautéing the vegetables starting with the one that needs maximum time to cook (like potatoes and carrots), gradually adding others one by one, and finally the leaves.

Ingredients:

 

  • 1 Potato, 1 carrot, ½ cup green peas, ½ cup cauliflower pieces , 1 capsicum, ½ cup cut cabbage, 2 tbsps sprouts, ½ cup cut spring onion
  • 1 inch piece of galangal cut into small pieces
  • 6 flakes of garlic cut into pieces
  • 3 pieces of 2 inch size lemon grass bulb and stem
  • 2 lime leaves cut fine

ingredients

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 ½ cups of coconut milk

Instructions

 

  • Heat the oil, add galangal and garlic. Sauté for some time and add lemon grass and lime leaves.
  • Start adding vegetables one by one- potato, carrot, green peas, cauliflower, capsicum, cabbage, sprouts, and finally the cut spring onion.
  • Add salt and coconut milk, stir well.
  • Cover and cook for about 6 minutes.
  • Serve with rice.
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Thai Coconut Curry

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Thai Coconut Curry
Steamed Barramundi fillet with Thai Coconut Curry, Basmati rice and sauteed vegetables

I love South East Asian food. Something about the flavors of lemon grass, Thai basil, Kafir lime, galangal, the wonderful leaves…. oh and how can I forget the coconut milk! Recently when I was searching for recipes, I came across this one. I was actually in the mood to eat Thai red curry, and was only looking for interesting options, but this one swept me off my feet. I just HAD to make it!

So I sent my guy scurrying down to get the stuff. And boy what a delight this was. I write this recipe more because I want to have it on hand at all times than any desire to share. Use the sauce as an accompaniment to vegetarian or non vegetarian meals. I served it on top of a Barramundi fillet.

Makes enough for 4
Time taken: 30 min

Ingredients

1 tbsp dark sesame oil
2 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped scallions or spring onions
1 tsp garam masala or curry powder
2 tsp red curry paste
1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp palm sugar
2 tsp Asian fish sauce (I used oyster sauce)
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander or cilantro
Salt

Instructions

Heat oil in a wok, add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add bell pepper and scallions; cook for another couple of minutes.

Stir in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin; cook 1 minute.

Add soy sauce, sugar, Asian fish sauce, and coconut milk; bring to a simmer (do not boil).

Remove from heat; stir in cilantro or basil if using.

Serve.

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Simple Kadala Curry (Black Chickpea Curry)

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Kadala curry served over idiappam
Kadala curry served over idiappam

Having grown up in a family with North-Indian as well as South-Indian influence, I always associated Kerala food with simple, easy to digest food. It was only recently when I visited some Mallu friends that I realised that Kerala food can also be very, very sharp and loaded with spices. To me, this was the way Kerala made kadala curry. Now I know that there is a much more complicated version similar to the Punjabi chole that is served with appams in many a Mallu household. Having grown up with this version, I’d say I’m biased. To me, nothing beats this simple, soothing kadala curry and the bliss it brings when paired with a soft appam. Enjoy.

Serves 4
Time taken: 25 min (Overnight Soaking Required)

Ingredients:
2 cups black gram (kadala/ black channa)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1″ piece of ginger
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp coriander powder
2 sprigs Curry leaves
½ cup coconut milk (optional)

Method:

  • Soak the black gram overnight and pressure-cook for 10 minutes with salt and enough water. (If you like your kadala soft you may add a pinch of baking soda before cooking)
  • Take 2 tbsp of the cooked black gram, mash lightly and put it back into the curry.
  • Heat coconut oil in a pan and add mustard.
  • When the mustard begins to splutter, add the onion, garlic, ginger and curry leaves and stir on medium flame until soft.
  • Add the spices and stir well.
  • Add the cooked black gram and coconut milk.
  • Serve.

Goes well with: Appams and Puttu

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Thai Peanut Curry

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Thai Peanut Curry

I’m sure this sort of dish exists already, but this one is something I just whipped up on a whim. I love peanut butter, and I felt like adding it to the curry. And voila, what a yummy dish it turned out to be. Just like the Thai red curry, this is a super quick dish as well.

Time Taken: 20 min
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup sliced halved zucchini
½ cup sliced halved carrots
1 cup broccoli florets
½ cup halved baby corn
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
½ cup water chestnuts (optional)
a handful of kafir lime, lemongrass & Thai basil leaves (optional)

1 can (14 oz/ 400 gm) or 2 cups coconut milk
2-3 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 tbsp chopped galangal (substitute: ginger)
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp sesame oil
Salt to taste, a pinch of sugar

Method

Heat the oil and sauté the galangal/ginger and garlic for a minute.

Add the vegetables in the order of time required for cooking. So that means the carrots go in first, the baby corn and zucchini after a couple of minutes, then broccoli and water chestnuts, and lastly mushrooms and leaves. Cover and cook until nearly done, 3-5 minutes.

Mix the peanut butter, ¼ cup coconut milk, Thai curry paste and add it to the vegetables.

Add the rest of the coconut milk, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, take off the heat and serve.

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Kerala Vegetable/ Egg Stew

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vegetable stew
Egg and vegetable stew with idiappam (string hoppers)

Stew is one of the most soothing, calming dishes I know of. Pairing it with a rice based item like idiappam or appam takes it to another level altogether, although it is also fine with chappatis.

It is wonderful on those days when you’ve eaten something too heavy or spicy and want something to help the body come back to balance. It is soothing, but filling at the same time.

Time taken: 20 min
Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1 big potato, peeled and cubed
1 carrot, peeled and cubed
1 cup cauliflower florets
½ cup peas
½ cup sweet corn (optional)
4 eggs, hardboiled (optional)
1 500 ml can coconut milk
2 tsp chopped ginger
1-2 green chilies, chopped
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp coconut oil
salt to taste

Method

Heat coconut oil in a wok, and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the ginger, chilies and the curry leaves.

Add the potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, baby corn and peas.

Add salt, mix, then cover and cook. Stir occasionally and add a little water if it starts to stick to the bottom.

Check to see if the potatoes are cooked – they should be easy to poke through with a knife. Once they are done, add the coconut milk and bring to a boil.

Cut the eggs into pieces and add to the curry.

Take off the heat and adjust the salt if necessary.

Serve hot.

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Thai Red Curry

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Serve with brown rice for a healthy meal

It was during my visit to Thailand many, many years ago, that I fell in love with Thai curry. We ate it everyday, and when I got back to India, I figured a way to make it. We didn’t get curry pastes in those days, OR the recipes online, and I had to manage with substitutes.

And then it became popular and Thai restaurants sprung up all over the city. My favorite Thai curries have been at the Nobel House in Jayanagar 4th block, and in Yo China!. Making it at home is also very simple, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money every time you have a craving. I make it with whatever I have at home. So if you’re missing a few vegetables in the list, just increase the quantity of the others.

If you have a lemon bush at home, add those leaves to the curry, it adds magic. If you don’t, well, just sow the seeds of the next lemon you cut, and you’ll have a little bush in no time 😉 trust me, it’s worth it!

Time taken: 20 min
Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 cup sliced halved zucchini
½ cup sliced halved carrots
1 cup broccoli florets
½ cup halved baby corn
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
½ cup red bell pepper chopped in squares
½ cup water chestnuts (optional)
a handful of kafir lime, lemongrass & Thai basil leaves (optional)

1 can (14 oz/ 400gm) or 2 cups coconut milk
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp chopped galangal (substitute: ginger)
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp sesame oil
Salt to taste, a pinch of sugar

Method

Heat the oil and sauté the galangal/ginger and garlic for a minute.

Throw the vegetables in, in the order of time required for cooking. So that means the carrots go in first, the baby corn, zucchini and bell pepper after a couple of minutes, then broccoli and water chestnuts, and lastly mushrooms and leaves. Cover and cook until nearly done, 3-5 minutes.

Mix the cornflour, ¼ cup coconut milk, Thai curry paste and add it to the vegetables.

Add the rest of the coconut milk, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, take off the heat and serve.

Variation

For Thai chicken or prawn curry, substitute broccoli, baby corn and mushrooms with ½ kg prawns or skinless, boneless chicken. Also add 1 tbsp fish sauce along with the curry paste.

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Rajma Masala

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Rajma Masala with Jeera Rice
Rajma Masala with Jeera Rice

Rajma masala with jeera rice is one of my favorite combinations, and I haven’t met anyone so far who doesn’t like this dish. It is just so wholesome – tasty, nutritious, healthy.

Some recipes don’t call for grinding the masala. Now this, I have found, really pulls down the quality of the dish. I tried very hard to work around it initially, because I was too lazy to do all the grinding, but I have found that the difference is just too much to skip this critical step.

Time taken: 50 min (Overnight soaking required)
Serves 4

Ingredients

1½ cups rajma or kidney beans
4 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
2 tbsp chopped ginger
2 tbsp chopped garlic
2 green chilies

½ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
½ tsp lal mirch or red chili powder
2 tsp dhania or coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp kasuri methi or crushed dry fenugreek leaves

1 badi elaichi or black cardamom
1 tej patta or bay leaf
2 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
2 tbsp ghee (or mustard oil in the winters)
Salt to taste

Method

Soak the rajma overnight, atleast 8-10 hours. Drain.

Pressure cook the rajma with salt and 4-5 cups of water, for 15-20 minutes. When the pressure has come to normal, open and check if it is cooked through, or simmer for a few more minutes. (If you’re cooking without a pressure cooker, cook the rajma for about 1 to 1.5 hours). Drain the rajma and reserve the water.

While the rajma is cooking, heat 1 tbsp ghee and add the jeera or cumin seeds. Add the onions and cook until soft.

Now add the ginger, garlic, chilies and tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy. Take off the heat.

Once cool, grind this into a fine paste.

Heat the remaining ghee in the same pan and add the bay leaf and black cardamom. Add the onion-tomato puree and cook on medium heat with constant stirring, until the paste starts to release ghee. The sides of the pan start to glisten when this starts happening.

Add the spice powders – turmeric, chili, coriander and garam masala.

Add the cooked rajma to this paste, and add 2 cups of the reserved water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 min without a lid.

Check the consistency of the curry and add more water if required. Adjust the salt if needed.

Garnish with cream or coriander leaves, depending on whether you want it rich or spicy. Serve hot with parathas, rice or jeera rice.