Tag: curry

Asian flavors · Curry · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Soup

Curried lentil soup with yoghurt and cilantro

Belinda

The perfect weather for warming, filling soup in front of the fire!

serves 4       220 cals per person

1 tbsp canola oil
1 cup chopped onion (you can use the frozen pre-chopped onions too)
1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1&1/2 tbsp curry powder
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (Cayenne pepper)
3 cups chicken broth
1&1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1lb package of vacuum packed steamed lentils (most markets sell these now)
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/3 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup 2% reduced-fat Greek yoghurt

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add the oil, swirl to coat and add the onion. Saute the onion for about 5 mins, add the garlic and ginger and saute for about 1 minute.

Add the curry powder and red pepper cooking for another 30 seconds stirring constantly.

Add the chicken broth, vinegar and lentils. Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil
Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Place half the lentil mixture in a blender. Remove the center piece of the blender, secure the lid on the blender and place a clean towel over the opening on the lid. Blend until smooth. This prevents the lid exploding off the top due to the increased build-up of steam in the blender.

Add the blended mixture, spinach, salt and pepper back to the original pan of soup and stir until the spinach wilts.

Stir in 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro and serve. Top each serving with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and sprinkled cilantro.

Asian flavors · Fish · Pasta

Spaghetti with Singapore prawns sauce

Belinda

This is fairly spicy, depending on how much Thai curry paste you put in.
I love it with spaghetti. This would use 1lb cooked spaghetti for 4 people.

1&1/2lbs raw, deveined prawns, (not too large)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 oz mushrooms, sliced,
4 tbsp chopped green onions
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 heaped tsp grated fresh ginger
1&1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1&1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp red Thai curry paste
pinch of five spice powder
10 fl oz coconut milk
salt and pepper

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan, put in the mushrooms, green onions, garlic and ginger for a couple of minutes.

Add the hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, red curry paste and five spice powder and stir well.

The add the coconut milk, a little more salt and pepper and the prawns.

Simmer gently for a few minutes until the prawns have turned pink and serve on a bed of spaghetti, rice or rice noodles.

This sauce can be doubled or trebled, but watch the red Thai curry paste amount. You shouldn’t double that necessarily!

Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead · Egg based · Vegetable-related

Provencal Golden Zucchini Galette

Belinda

Serves 4 – 6

Tasting this transports you immediately to the South of France, sitting outside at a large table with many bottles of Rose, great bread, salads and the sun streaming down.
I have made this recipe so many times, often for house concerts and it’s just as good hot as it is room temperature.
It works incredibly well on a buffet table and the light curry flavor is very important as it gives that certain “Je ne c’est quoi”
I have also doubled, tripled and quadrupled this recipe for large gatherings and it’s still fabulous.

1lb zucchini
2 tsp fine sea salt
2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (Don’t cheat and use ready grated Parmesan)
1 tsp curry powder

Preheat the oven to 375F,
Using the coarse grating blade on a food processor, coarsely grate the zucchini.
Transfer the zucchini to a colander, sprinkle with 1 tsp of the salt and let sit to drain for 30 minutes.
Rinse the zucchini under cold running water, the put a good sized mound of it on an absorbent dish towel, gather it up and squeeze the heck out of it so there is lots of juice running out. Repeat until you’ve done all the zucchini and set it aside in a bowl.
This is an important stage as the galette will be too “runny” with juice it you don’t do this and it won’t set properly.

Place the eggs in a large bowl and beat lightly with a fork.
Add the breadcrumbs, cheese, curry powder and final tsp of salt.
Add the zucchini and stir to thoroughly coat the zucchini with the batter.
Place in a butter-greased baking dish and even out with the back of a spatula.
Place in the center of the oven and bake until golden and firm to the touch in the middle, about 30- 40 minutes.
At this point you can keep it warm in a warming drawer until ready to serve or it’s even nice at room temp.

Asian flavors · Fish · Gluten Free

Broiled salmon with cucumber raita

Belinda

Beautiful, light, unusual and easy!

Serves 4

2 tsp curry powder
4 tsp whole grain mustard
4 salmon fillets about 6 oz each, skinned (preferably wild)
1 large English cucumber. peeled, seeded and diced small
1 cup red onion, diced the same size as the cucumber (small)
1/2 cup plain thick yoghurt. (Not low fat)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Coat the salmon fillets in the mustard and sprinkle on 1 tsp of the curry powder then season with salt and pepper. Set aside until the raita is made.

Diced cucumber

In a bowl, stir together the remaining tsp of curry powder, cumin,cucumber, red onion, yoghurt, cilantro and mint. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover and refrigerate until serving. (About 1 hour so the flavors can blend)

Cucumber raita

Put the salmon fillets under a broiler and broil until just done but don’t over cook.
Serve with the raita either over the salmon or under the salmon

NB   You can also poach the salmon then chill it, making the dish a cold one, but I like the salmon hot.

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Sauces

Two delicious Asian fusion sauces for fish, chicken or pasta

Belinda

Chilli-lime cream sauce

This sauce is terrific with either grilled fish or pasta. Thanks to Bon Appetite magazine back in 2005.
Makes about 2/3 cup

1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tbsp minced shallot
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp *chili-garlic sauce
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a heavy saucepan.
Boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes or so.
Add the cream and boil until reduced by half, about 3-4 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low, mix in the chili-garlic sauce. Add the butter, one piece at a time, whisking just until melted before adding the next piece. Warm through without boiling and serve.

* Chili-garlic sauce is available in the Asian section of the supermarket or at Asian supermarkets

Coconut-Curry Butter Sauce

A mixture of South Indian and Asian fusion flavors. Lovely with salmon.

3/4 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup Premium unsweetened coconut milk
2 tbsp Indian curry powder
2 bay leaves
3 -4 whole cloves
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, but keep chilled
Kosher salt to taste

In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the sauce except for the butter and salt.
Bring to a light boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the sauce reduces to 1/2 cup.
Turn the heat down to low, then whisk in the butter until it is incorporated into the sauce.
DO NOT let the sauce boil at this point or it will curdle horribly!
Season to taste and serve

Curry · Fish · Gluten Free

Salmon with coconut sauce on a bed of curried onions and peas

Belinda1 Comment

This may not be the most beautiful picture, but the actual dish was tremendously flavorful and interesting with the different spices.
Although the onions I put underneath the salmon aren’t in this picture, it’s well worth doing instead of rice.

Serves 2

Ingredients
4 -6 tbsp genuine coconut oil, divided  (The healthiest oil there is, available from Wholefoods))
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cardamon seeds
1 tsp brown mustard seeds

1 tbsp ground coriander, plus 1/2 tsp to season the salmon
1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes. (a good quality tinned one is okay)
1 cup coconut milk
salt and ground pepper to season
2 (6 ounce) fillets of wild salmon, skinned

For the onion dish
1-2 tbsp coconut oil
4 large onions
1 cup frozen petit pois, boiled till cooked
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp medium curry powder
1/2 tsp cardamon seeds
salt and pepper

For the sauce
Put 2 tbsp coconut oil into a large skillet over low-med heat then add the ginger.
Saute for 30 seconds and then add the fennel seeds, cardamon seeds, brown mustard seeds and ground coriander and cook for 10 seconds.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, stirring well. Pour in the coconut milk and simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if necessary.

For the onions
Slice the onions fairly thickly. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet to low-med and add the onions, stir frequently and add the turmeric, curry powder, cardamon seeds, and salt and pepper.
Slowly caramelize the onions, stirring for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the peas or petit pois and add them to the onions mixture in the last 5 minutes of the onions’ cooking. The dish will have a nice deep yellow color and be very flavorful with the cardamon seeds.

For the salmon
Sprinkle the 1/2 tsp ground coriander, salt and pepper on both sides of the salmon fillets. Heat the remaining coconut oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When it is hot, sear the salmon fillets on each side for 7 – 8 minutes total or until they are just cooked through.

Plating
Put a large spoonful of the onion mixture on a plate, lay a piece of salmon across them and ladle the sauce over the salmon.

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Grains

Curried rice with lentils

Belinda

A great Mark Bittman recipe.  Serves 4 – 6

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp curry powder
3/4 cup red lentils
1 cup long grain white rice
3 cups chicken stock
salt, pepper to taste
1- 2 tbsp melted butter
Chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish

Put the oil in a large, heavy pan with a tight lid and heat for one minute.
Add the onion and saute for 3- 5 minutes, until starting to brown on the edges.
Add curry powder and saute 1 minute, then add stock and bring to the boil. Add the lentils and rice, bring back to a boil, then lower heat to a steady simmer and cover.
Cook for 20 minutes or until rice is done and lentils are tender. (Bittman says if the liquid is not all absorbed, boil off the excess, but I didn’t have to)
Season with salt and pepper then stir in the melted butter just before serving. Garnish with the chopped parsley or cilantro or you can stir it through at the last minute

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Nuts · Salad · Vegan · Vegetable-related

Curried cauliflower with currants and pinenuts (CleanCuisine)

Belinda

This recipe is really unusual and full of flavor.
Serves 6-8


Dressing
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 
1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp Madras curry powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil

Cauliflower
2lbs cauliflower florets
2 tbsp kosher salt
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (I used about 1/2 cup at most)
3/4 cup dried currants
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 small red onion, finely chopped

Method for the dressing

 In a large bowl, mix the rice vinegar and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
Whisk in the curry powder, salt and pepper.
Very slowly, drizzle the oilve oil and whisk into the vinegar mixture until incorporated. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. Set the dressing aside.

Method for the cauliflower

Blanch the cauliflower in salted boiling water. Drain and add pine nuts, currants, sunflower seeds and onions. Pour the dressing over the salad, tossing lightly to mix thoroughly. Chill for 1 -2 hours before serving. (I didn’t have time to chill it for that long when I made it and it was still great warm)

Plating
Mound the salad onto a plate in a compact pile and decorate with a few cilantro leaves