I've spent the vast majority of my life in either California or Texas, and while there's not a whole lot those two states have in common, you're rarely far from a Mexican restaurant in either of them. So when I studied abroad in England, where Mexican food is all but nonexistent, there were moments where I might have given my left arm for a decent taco. Even salsa was nowhere to be found in Grantham.
Instead, Britain's favorite borrowed cuisine is Indian food. Variants on South Asian dishes are so prevalent in England that Subway there sells a westernized, fast food version of chicken tikka (a dish that's somewhat similar to Tandoori chicken). The way Texans eat salsa, Brits eat chutney. And, of course, curries are everywhere. Once I had tried a few, I started to understand: good curries are packed with flavor and are incredibly rich without being overindulgent. Plus, with a huge variety of dishes, many of which are vegan and gluten free, Indian food is easily adaptable to any diet.
Unfortunately, because many Indian dishes can be intricate or require ingredients that aren't easily found in the states, I had yet to attempt making one. So when I found the Minimalist Baker's 30 minute coconut curry, which didn't call for anything that I couldn't pick up at HEB, I knew I had to try it. It also gave me the perfect opportunity to reference the New Horizons Pluto mission, and I never pass up chances to casually mention space. Space is super cool, y'all.
Anyways. Since the recipe was billed as being easy and adaptable, I decided to try adjusting it. I love broccoli and green peppers, so I used 2/3 cup of each, instead of 1/2 cup of one or the other. This nearly doubled the amount of veggies. I also took the recipe's suggestion to sub out one of the lite cans of coconut milk for the creamier full-fat version- which still puts a serving at less than 400 calories.
To add protein, the original post recommends serving with quinoa, but depending on your diet, tofu and chicken can easily be added as well. In fact, the recipe from which this one was adapted is a chicken curry.
The preparation was, as advertised, very simple: chop veggies. Saute all but the tomatoes and snow peas with salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger.
Once soft, add coconut milk, veggie stock, curry powder and cayenne. Throw in peas and tomatoes towards the end, and reseason to taste. I'd suggest making sure to not totally overwhelm the wonderful coconut flavor when seasoning.
The final product had tons of sauce, a little bit of heat from the cayenne, and a slight sweetness from the veggies and ginger, giving it a great, well-balanced flavor. The spices really stand out here, and mixed with the veggies and creamy coconut milk, this dish is a winner. I picked some of our basil for a garnish, and highly recommend it. The recipe suggests that cilantro, mint, and/or red pepper flakes are great, too.
As you can tell, it is nearly soupy, so if you prefer a thicker sauce, you might try either way more veggies or only using one can of coconut milk and half a cup of veggie stock, making sure to compensate by cutting down on the spices. This dish really is forgiving enough to allow for much more experimentation than I did here--it's easy to add more spices or liquids if it's not turning out as desired.
And one more bonus: it's just as great reheated a few days later.
You described the preparation process and your recipe adaptations really well! Is there a way that you can carry the New Horizons Pluto reference throughout the entire post? Since the reference occurred in only the title and one other place, the reference kind of seemed out of place. I thought that including your experiences in England worked well as an introduction.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very colorful dish. I had never heard of this dish before because I haven't had the luxury of going out of state, however, it was interesting to read about. I like that you experimented with the recipe and mentioned that there are other ways that it can be experimented with. I think adding the history behind the dish and describing what some of the ingredients were was really helpful!
ReplyDeleteThe background information you give about traveling abroad and how that led you to this recipe is a nice start. I think it makes the post feel personal, and I like that. Once you made the Pluto reference, I kept waiting to hear more about that. Maybe you could tie something in with it at the beginning and end. Is there anything that you think this would go well with, or is it really feeling on its own?
ReplyDeleteI like how you incorporated your personal experience with the choosing of what recipe to make. I think your pictures are very colorful. We can use any type of protein thats chicken related, right? or does it have to be from the ones you listed? overall this dish looks really good! good job on the recipe
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job in explaining why you picked this dish. I'm not sure where your recipe is which would be helpful. I may have missed it. I think the title needs to be centered to help with the visual appeal. Overall good job.
ReplyDeleteI've never had this type of curry, it sounds delicious! Your personal intro into the dish works really well, however, the Pluto reference falls short. It's hard to see how the reference is relevant on its own. You said there was a slight sweetness from the veggies. Could you describe how the vegetables add to the dish in more detail? Great post!
ReplyDeleteImmediately, I was drawn into your post. Your pictures are fantastic, and I like your introduction. I can relate to missing Mexican food while you're abroad! You might want to explain a bit more what exactly curries are. I can certainly attest to the fact that the Brits love their curries, but I think they may use this word in a way that might be unfamiliar to many Americans. This might just be me, but I wanted a bit more on why you personally chose to make a curry. While I like the part where you talk about Mexican food it felt a bit disconnected to me. You could connect it by saying you missed Mexican food while in England, but now that you're back in the States you're missing the curries. I really enjoyed this post!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! I myself am a big fan of curry as well and you did an excellent job at describing the flavors that any good curry should have. I was a little bit confused with your sentence that stated Mexican food was "all but nonexistent" in England. The sentence sounds like Mexican food is prevalent in England but I think you meant that it was not there at all. Other than that, using your experiences in England was a great intro and attention getter. I also can definitely appreciate the fact that you altered the recipe and discussed your alterations. One other thing I would look over is when you mentioned the Pluto mission. Though I agree that space discussions are cool, I think it was a little unclear as to how this gave you a great opportunity to mention the topic. Overall it looks like the dish turned out great!
ReplyDelete