Indian Coconut Curry

I don’t make curries often as I am frequently upset with the lack of flavor and dimension. I recently purchased this book, Sameen Rushdie’s Indian Cookery, and I have tested one of her recipes and it is wonderful. It has a nice depth of flavor, richness and spicy kick that I enjoy. I have made this recipe vegan, but you can easily add any protein - beef, lamb, or chicken - and be equally satisfied. I am really looking forward to cooking more from this book and will let you know if any other recipes become my favorite.

Mary Manezes’ Lamb in Coconut Milk, adapted for vegan diet

Ingredients

14 ounces (normal size can) +1/4 cup coconut milk (can use light coconut milk or coconut cream and adjust to liking)

1 large onion sliced

1 inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 tsp of kosher salt

5 whole red dried chiles - I used Chile de Arbol

1/4 tsp dried cloves

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp of cumin (recipe called for white cumin, but I didn’t have that)

3-4 garlic cloves

2-3 tbsp of tamarind juice or lemon - i used lemon

1 tsp white poppy seeds - I only had black, it was fine

a few mint leaves - I used 7

a few coriander leaves - I used around 8

2 small potatoes, washed, peeled and chopped

1 package of firm tofu - 14oz, drained, press out water and cube

2 serrano chiles, If you are not used to spice, start with 1/2 a chile and add more if want more heat, could also use jalapenos

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp turmeric

pepper to taste

Combine tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, garlic, all spices, chiles (red and green), salt, pepper, mint and coriander leaves, ginger root, lemon or tamarind juice into a food processor and blend for 2 minutes. Mixture will look like a salsa and smell like a melange of spices. Heat a medium saucepan with 1-2 tablespoons of neutral oil over a medium heat. Add curry mixture and cook 5-8 minutes, or until spices have cooked well. Take off heat and set aside.

Heat a clean pan with neutral oil, 1-2 tablespoons, add potatoes and season with a little pepper and salt. Add tofu after 10 minutes, let tofu and potatoes cook on low-medium heat for another 20 minutes or until excess water from tofu has evaporated and has some browning on the sides. Add curry mixture and let all of the ingredients simmer anywhere from 15-30 more minutes. I like to let the curry simmer for the longer time to reduce the sauce a little and develop flavor. Serve with rice, flatbread and some more coriander. Like most sauces, the flavor deepens the second day.