Turmeric curry
We have been watching a show on TV about eating better while saving money. One of the things they talked about was using frozen fish fillets in dishes to get your protein up and we do have fish occasionally. Linda pulled this (originally fish) recipe up and we both like it, but the thing is that it is very flexible it works well with fish, veggies or even chicken. Also, the spice paste can be made from fresh stuff if you have it from the garden or jar/dry stores from your pantry or, I guess, some mixture of the two. Anyway, we have had it a few times now and it always goes over well, especially with rice and/or homemade naan!
INGREDIENTS
Spice paste (fresh)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 small green chillies, chopped
1 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh turmeric
Spice paste (Pantry)
4 teaspoons of crushed jar garlic
2 – 3 teaspoons crushed jar chillies
1 tablespoon chopped jar ginger
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
Spice mix
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
12 curry leaves
Other stuff
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, finely chopped
400ml can coconut milk
1 cup (250ml) veg stock
600g Fish, chicken or veggies
METHOD
1. If you are making the fresh spice paste, use a mortar and pestle to pound the garlic, chilli, ginger and turmeric to a paste. If you are using the pantry spice paste, place ingredients into a bowl and mix to combine.
2. Heat oil in a frypan (I use one 290mm across) over medium heat, add the onion and cook until softened (3-4 min). Add in the spice paste and cook, stirring for a few minutes until fragrant. Add in spice powder and curry leaves cook while stirring for a minute or two. Add coconut milk and stock, reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened. Add in protein/Veg –
a. Fish – If frozen, thaw overnight cut into 4cm pieces and add to sauce, cook for 4 minutes or until just cooked
b. Chicken – Cut chicken into 3-4 cm pieces, fry for 5 to 10 minutes then add to sauce, cook until cooked through.
c. Veggies – steam hard veggies (potato, sweet potato, carrot etc) until almost done, add to sauce with softer veg (cauliflower, broccoli, beans peas etc) and cook until done.
4. Serve curry with rice, naan or both.
