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Curry Information
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients and directions for this recipe
This Article is taken from
-The Herbalist, newsletter
-of the
Botanic Medicine Society.
-COPYRIGHT Dec 1988.
CURRIES
We consider curries native to India and do not realize how many
different types there are. There seems to be many misconceptions
about curries in general. Curry is a fashion of cooking: a process
whereby meats, fish, vegetables or even fruit are cooked in varying
combinations of ground herbs and spices, (known as curry pastes), to
produce a stew like dish. All dishes that are hot and spicy are not
curries, nor are all curries fiery hot. Curry powder is an amalgam of
some "Indian" spices best applied to the flavorings of curry dips and
dishes where a hint of curry influence is desired. In a Thai curry,
the proportion of solids to liquid is small. As they are always eaten
over large mounds of steamed rice, just a few solids suffice and the
flavour of the spicy, highly flavored gravy is extended by the bland
rice. Curry pastes should be a marvelous, aromatic mixture of freshly
ground herbs and spices. When preparing a curry paste, it is
preferable to first use a mortar and pestle with the hard fibrous
ingredients rather than including them with other ingredients in a
food processor or blender. The pounding of the pestle crushes the
husks and fibers releasing the oils and juices, whereas the processor
and blender merely cut the spices. For the modern kitchen cook with
no time to spare, a food processor in conjunction with an electric
spice or coffee type grinder can be used. This does not however
eliminate the requirement for a mortar and pestle. For mashing moist
herbs like lemon grass, garlic and shallots there is no substitute.
However, the whole dried spices (chilies, cloves), give out their
best aroma when pulverized by a good grinder. When you are preparing
a paste, single out the hard and dried spices and pound or grind them
first before proceeding further. RED CURRY PASTE. 14 medium, dried
red chilies, seeded or 1 tbs. ground red chili powder (cayenne). 2
shallots, minced. 1 tsp. caraway seeds or 1 tsp. ground caraway. 1
tbs. whole coriander seeds or 1 tbs. ground. 8 pieces galangal root
(Laos), chopped or powdered. 2 tbs coriander roots, minced. 1 tsp,
salt. 1 lime peel, finely chopped. 1 stalk lemon grass, minced. 1
tsp. whole black peppercorns or 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper.
1/2 tsp. kaffir lime powder (pew makrut) or substitute 1 bay leaf. 1
tbs. garlic, minced. 4 tbs. vegetable oil. Method. 1. Place the whole
dried spices (chilies, caraway, coriander, galangal root and
peppercorns) in an electric spice grinder or mortar and grind or
pound to a powder. Omit this step if ground spices are used. Empty
this powder into the food processor and add the remaining
ingredients, including the oil, and process or pound to a smooth,
even paste. Now that you've got this part together here comes the
recipe for the meal! THAI FRIED CURRIED RICE Serves 6 3 tbs.
safflower oil. 2 tbs. red curry paste. 8 oz. broccoli, steamed. 1 cup
cauliflower, steamed. 2 lbs. cooked long grain rice (2 cups). 2 tbs.
finely chopped shallots. 2 red chilies, seeded and finely chopped. 2
medium onions, finely chopped. 1 tbs. lemon or lime juice. 1 tbs.
soya sauce. Method 1. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and
stir the curry paste for 3 minutes. Add the steamed vegetables and
stir fry until well heated through. Add the rice, mix well and
continue to stir fry until heated through. Transfer to a serving
dish. 2. Sprinkle shallots over the top with chilies. 3. Sprinkle
with chopped onions, lemon juice and soya sauce before serving.
Shared by: Jim Anderson, Oct/94.
See also:
Previous recipe Curry In A Hurry
Next recipe Curry Kapitan
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