This afternoon,
over a precious cup of coffee (traded for kombucha, which is a fair deal) on her sunny porch, a friend and I mulled over
simplicity. We talked about how at
times appreciating moments or things for their happy essence requires a
conscious effort to be present, to stop evaluating them for what we think might
be lacking. I’ve noticed I do this
when I cook, sampling my food for what it isn’t instead of what it is. Are the spices balanced? Could it use a
bit of coriander, perhaps, or more cumin?
This is exactly
what drove my worry as I scoured the grocery store for a few cheap spices. As simple as they were, the curry
recipes I brought back from Sri Lanka required more spices than I could find and afford. Without curry
leaves, and chiles in every form, I originally thought austerity might
necessitate a compromise in flavour.
Not so. With a bit of practice, I’ve found a
method of currying that satisfies not only my grumbly belly, but also my desire
for something rich, something special and something that harkens back to a
very, very sweet time.
Too true to the
story (for those that know it), the photos I took of the steamy, rich yam curry
I made for lunch yesterday vanished into mealtime history. Touché.
Basic “White”
Curry
2 cups Vegetable
Matter, which could be…
Squash
or Tubers (potato, yam, pumpkin), roughly chopped in 1 inch dice
Root
Veggies (carrots, beets), julienned
Green
Beans, relatively whole
Fruit
(pineapple, green banana), roughly chopped in 1 inch dice
…any
other, chopped accordingly
½ cup coconut
milk
½ cup water
(or thereabouts, to not-quite-cover)
1 fresh
whole chile, green for a little heat, red for more
½ tsp curry
powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp coarse
ground black pepper
¼ tsp turmeric
Throw
contents in a small pot. Turn on
medium high heat to bring to a boil.
Add water if needed (the mix should be thin and soupy). Lower to a simmer for 10 minutes or
until vegetables are tender.
Adjust coconut milk if needed.
Pour over rice. Don’t
overanalyze. Enjoy in its simplest
form.
Feeds
two not-so-hungry people or, in my case, one starving bike commuter.
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