Curry Up

Sean pressed me to try Indian food. I know 'Toosa and Ickie have always praised it's merit, but I had seen lots of orange colored goop on chicken and was not impressed. We went to a local restaurant and really liked it. However, Indian food just shuts you down for the rest of the day. I mean, you have to really recover from it; even if you want dessert, don't even think about trying it.

I love vegetables and vegetarian cooking because I don't have to clean anything that used to have a face. Since our marriage, I have often avoided meat and Sean hasn't complained, so while we are not rabbits, we can still enjoy lots of food without animals. We also had a Cooks Illustrated subscription for awhile (thanks, Heidi) and have made several of their recipes. Many of them have wandered into Pretentious Salad, as you well know. So, continuing the tradition, here is their version of Vegetable Curry. It doesn't take too long, even for C. I., so I call it Curry in a Hurry.

They offer two varieties, and we have now had both of them as of last night. In an effort to be fair and balanced, I thought it was only right that I make both kinds before submitting them for your kitchens. The first one we had was the version with sweet potatoes, eggplant and green beans; this we loved, even though KK forgot the green beans. It makes a whole bunch, so we had it on night #1 with rice, and night #2 with quinoa (my favorite grain of all time). It was even better the second day, as the flavors had really jived with each other and the quinoa was absolutely far better than the plain rice. Healthier, too.

Last night we made the version with cauliflower, potatoes and peas. It was definitely more photogenic, so that is the one in the picture. Although we had it with quinoa, I forgot to cook it in mostly chicken broth so it lacked a bit of flavor, and Sean didn't drain his properly. Tonight, we dine on leftovers with properly kicked-up quinoa.

A note to quinoa: Quinoa, I absolutely love your soft, nuttiness. Quinoa, due to your incredibly balanced set of amino acids, you complete me. You blow my mind that you are so healthy and yet I still long for you... Everyone should love you. And you're so easy to cook, with your one part to water's two, and even sometimes even broth instead (you're so open-minded). And, best of all, you are nothing like brown rice. There, I've said too much. Way, way too much.

I'll try to make sense of the two varieties below, but just know that there is a version with cauliflower, potatoes and peas, and then there is a version with sweet potatoes, eggplant and green beans. They both have all the other ingredients.

Vegetable Curry in a Hurry for the Masses

2 T sweet/mild curry powder
1 1/2 t garam masala (can't find it? see below)
4 T. vegetable oil
2 medium onions chopped fine, about 2 c. (or less, like me)
Version 1:
12 oz Red Bliss potatoes, scrubbed and 1/2 in. dice, about 2 c.
1/2 medium head cauliflower, trimmed into 1 in. florets (about 4 c.)
8 oz frozen peas
or Version 2:
12 oz peeled sweet potatoes, diced 1/2 in pieces
1 medium eggplant, 1/2 inch dice
1 1/2 c green beans cut in 1 inch pieces
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 T finely grated fresh ginger
1-1/2 serrano chiles, or other red chile you can handle, minced
1 T tomato paste
14.5 oz can dived or crushed tomatoes
1 1/4 cups water
15 oz can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk

Condiments:
whole milk yogurt or sour cream
Mango chutney, purchased
other relishes that are Indian from the store
chopped cilantro (my idea)

Toast curry powder and garam masala in a small skillet over medium high heat until fragrant and slightly darkened (about 1 minute). Remove from skillet and set aside.

Heat 3 T. oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat until shimmering. Add potatoes and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized and potatoes are golden brown on the edges. (I don't have a Dutch oven, so I use a Calphalon One which is sort of non-stick. Just cook till they're soft, about 10 minutes.)

(Start your quinoa or rice a-cookin' at this point)

Reduce heat to medium. Clear the center of the pan and add remaining 1 T of oil, garlic, ginger, chile and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add cauliflower (or eggplant) and cook 2 minutes longer until coated with spices.

Add tomatoes, water, chickpeas and 1 t. salt; increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Stir/scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen browned bits. Add green beans for Version 2. Cover and reduce to medium. Simmer briskly, stirring occasionally until veggies are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in peas for Version 1, adjust seasoning with salt and serve over quinoa or rice immediately.


If you can't find garam masala, you can substitute 2 t ground coriander, 1/2 t ground black pepper, 1/4 t ground cardamom and 1/4 t ground cinnamon. But let's face it, that's a lot of different spices to buy. Just find it.