Curry dishes (vegetarian or otherwise) are delicious, nutritious, and absolutely bursting with flavors that will surprise your palate (I do SO love the sweet and spicy combo here)! And, while my foodies will cringe when they read this, the canned or jarred curry paste makes for a FAST weekday night go-to. Last night I made the curry recipe below for the Lady GaGa episode of Glee. I thought we needed a spicy curry to compliment such a spicy episode (Burt stole my heart with his amazing monologue)!Ingredients:
1 large red bell pepper
1 large yellow bell pepper
1 large yellow onion
1 cup canned chickpeas
1 medium sweet potato
2-3 medium summer squash
12 oz can of coconut milk (light version takes this from a 6 point recipe to a 3 point recipe. Holy bananas!)
4 oz can of Masaman Curry Paste (the yellow stuff!)
5 large handfuls of fresh spinach
1 and 1/4 cup cooked white rice
Sriracha (optional, but seriously...is this ever a bad thing?)
Pam to liberally coat your pan several times
This is the best brand of curry on the planet. There are different flavors and colors (mint, red, green), but this one was the one I used last night. You will need one can of this to pair with one can of coconut milk. I'll admit I used the full-fat coconut milk, because I was making a vegetarian version of this yellow curry. I wanted it to stick with me throughout all of the dancing I would inevitably doing during the episode, plus I was out of the light coconut milk that takes this recipe from 6 WW points per 1 and 2/3 cups serving to 3 points. Yes, the coconut milk is a fatty mess, I confess, but the flavor is out of this world. If you don't want to spend the points, no worries. The light version is still incredibly good.
Directions:
1) Chop all veggies to the same size, to help regulate the cooking time. I love long thin strips for this for so much more than small cubes, but it is totally up to you.
2) Liberally Pam your largest sauté pan.
3) Sauté your veggies until they are the desired firmness in this order: onion, bell pepper, sweet potato, chick peas, then summer squash.
4) In a separate bowl whisk together the entire can of curry paste (about 1/4 cup) with the can of coconut milk.
4) As soon as your veggies hit their desired firmness (a little al dente is best, since they will simmer at least ten minutes after), add the coconut curry milk mixture and stir gently until well combined.
5) Simmer uncovered for about ten minutes or until all vegetables are desired tenderness. Add some stock if the liquid evaporates before you are happy with the veggie tenderness.
Serve in 5 deep bowls over a generous handful of fresh spinach to wilt beneath the heat of the curry. Top with 1/4 cup white or brown rice (I prefer white in this particular dish with a drizzle of sriracha over the rice). Throw in some torn fresh basil if you really want to set this madness off. This entire dish comes in at 7 points, and you will be absolutely stuffed!
If you like a little meat in your supper, you will want to use the light coconut milk and incorporate a couple of shredded cooked chicken breasts. Substituting light coconut milk and adding 12 ounces of chicken keeps this dish at 6 points per serving.
My cheffy husband has some curry rules by which I am happy to abide, as they make for the best flavor combos in curry possible:
Match your veggies and proteins to the curry by color.
For example:
Yellow: sweet potato, squash, yellow onion, chick peas, and cauliflower.
Green: zucchini, spinach, green onion, and seafood (shrimp and scallops are the BEST!)
Red: Red meat or pork sliced super thin, red onion, red bell pepper, and red lentils
The fragrances and ingredients in the different curries come from some amazing ingredients. Green curry gets its color and smell primarily from lemongrass, fresh cilantro, and green chilies. Yellow curry gets its look and aroma from tumeric, ginger, coriader, and cumin. Red curry (the HOT stuff) gets its super spicy scent and ruddy appearance from cayenne and tomato.
Why not try them all?! This is a great way to try out some new vegetables on your picky kids and husbands, too (mine isn't picky, but I hear some are-LOL!). It is visually stunning, and the smell alone will have them circling the kitchen.
Pam to liberally coat your pan several times
This is the best brand of curry on the planet. There are different flavors and colors (mint, red, green), but this one was the one I used last night. You will need one can of this to pair with one can of coconut milk. I'll admit I used the full-fat coconut milk, because I was making a vegetarian version of this yellow curry. I wanted it to stick with me throughout all of the dancing I would inevitably doing during the episode, plus I was out of the light coconut milk that takes this recipe from 6 WW points per 1 and 2/3 cups serving to 3 points. Yes, the coconut milk is a fatty mess, I confess, but the flavor is out of this world. If you don't want to spend the points, no worries. The light version is still incredibly good.
Directions:
1) Chop all veggies to the same size, to help regulate the cooking time. I love long thin strips for this for so much more than small cubes, but it is totally up to you.
2) Liberally Pam your largest sauté pan.
3) Sauté your veggies until they are the desired firmness in this order: onion, bell pepper, sweet potato, chick peas, then summer squash.
4) In a separate bowl whisk together the entire can of curry paste (about 1/4 cup) with the can of coconut milk.
4) As soon as your veggies hit their desired firmness (a little al dente is best, since they will simmer at least ten minutes after), add the coconut curry milk mixture and stir gently until well combined.
5) Simmer uncovered for about ten minutes or until all vegetables are desired tenderness. Add some stock if the liquid evaporates before you are happy with the veggie tenderness.
Serve in 5 deep bowls over a generous handful of fresh spinach to wilt beneath the heat of the curry. Top with 1/4 cup white or brown rice (I prefer white in this particular dish with a drizzle of sriracha over the rice). Throw in some torn fresh basil if you really want to set this madness off. This entire dish comes in at 7 points, and you will be absolutely stuffed!
If you like a little meat in your supper, you will want to use the light coconut milk and incorporate a couple of shredded cooked chicken breasts. Substituting light coconut milk and adding 12 ounces of chicken keeps this dish at 6 points per serving.
My cheffy husband has some curry rules by which I am happy to abide, as they make for the best flavor combos in curry possible:
Match your veggies and proteins to the curry by color.
For example:
Yellow: sweet potato, squash, yellow onion, chick peas, and cauliflower.
Green: zucchini, spinach, green onion, and seafood (shrimp and scallops are the BEST!)
Red: Red meat or pork sliced super thin, red onion, red bell pepper, and red lentils
The fragrances and ingredients in the different curries come from some amazing ingredients. Green curry gets its color and smell primarily from lemongrass, fresh cilantro, and green chilies. Yellow curry gets its look and aroma from tumeric, ginger, coriader, and cumin. Red curry (the HOT stuff) gets its super spicy scent and ruddy appearance from cayenne and tomato.
Why not try them all?! This is a great way to try out some new vegetables on your picky kids and husbands, too (mine isn't picky, but I hear some are-LOL!). It is visually stunning, and the smell alone will have them circling the kitchen.
Sounds yummy!
ReplyDeleteI need to do a run to JUNGLE JIM'S please!!!
ReplyDeleteYour Mommy from Ohio
Though the red is my favorite, I cannot feed that to my entire family :). Instead, the green is great with chicken, peppers, and plenty of fresh basil. A little brown rice on the side and you have a respectable and low cal meal.
ReplyDeleteHere's a dumb question: will I find this curry paste with the Indian food or the Asian?
ReplyDeleteIt is typically in the Asian section, but if your market is even more segmented try the Thai or Indian section.
ReplyDelete