Curry, a word believed to be a 17th Century British creation based on the South-Indian word for sauce, kari, predates the name by about 4,000 years. Thousands of years of trade went into the various dishes that we now know by that word*. Today, curry is whatever you want it to be.
When I'm stuck for a last-minute meal idea I look around and see what's available and turn it into a delicious curry. This time out it was avocado, banana, coconut milk, garlic, red rice, mint leaves, green beans, orange bell pepper, mushrooms, extra-firm tofu, black soy sauce, red shiso and tatsoi leaves, shallot, rice vinegar, Vegemite, ghee and coconut oil, celery, lemongrass, lemon zest, juice, lime juice, grapefruit juice, zest, and ginger.
After rinsing and cooking some red cargo rice, I put the avocado, banana, coconut milk, garlic, black soy sauce, rice vinegar, mint leaves, red shiso leaves, Vegemite (for bonus umami), lemon zest, lemon juice, lime juice, grapefruit juice, grapefruit zest (I had some citrus to deal with), and peeled ginger into the Osterizer until smooth.
As I was doing this I had heated the ghee and coconut oil in my wok over medium-low heat and heated the sliced mushrooms, chopped celery, lemongrass, and a shallot. When everything in the wok was soft I poured in the curry and added cut green beans, and slices of orange bell pepper. After letting it all simmered it until the flavors had come together, I served it over the red rice and topped it with "soup spoon" tatsoi leaves along with orange and apple mint leaves.
You could spice it up, of course, but not if you're expecting my child to eat it. It's a bit of a kitchen sink approach but if you think about what you're putting in, and taste it frequently to adjust flavors, you'll have something easy to make that isn't blah. Making the most out of what's available is how the curries of the world came to be, after all.
Next time I might try a little of that pineapple in the freezer and maybe I'll add some turmeric. I'll let you know.
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Dinner! |
* According to the folks at Slate.
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