Thenga Paal Kozhi (Chicken with Red Chiles and Coconut Milk)

We were tragically out of cilantro when making this and had to do our best with parsley, which isn't really similar at all, but it was still delicious. It requires some lead time because of the marinade and long simmering time, but is pretty low-effort to actually make.

Thenga Paal Kozhi

From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer (p. 139)

Ingredients

• ¼ C white vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
• 6 medium-sized cloves garlic
• 3 dried red Thai or cayenne chiles
• 1 whole chicken, skin removed, cut into eighths; or ~1.5kg bone-in chicken breasts and/or thighs
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• ¾ C coconut milk
• 1 ~400mL tin diced tomato
• ¼ C finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Puree vinegar, salt, turmeric, onion, garlic, and chiles in a blender.
2. Coat the chicken pieces in the marinade and refrigerate, covered, for 30-120 minutes. Do not marinate overnight.
3. Once marinated, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add the chicken and marinade, meat side down. Cook until some of the marinade boils off and the meat is browned, 5-7 minutes.
5. Flip the chicken and brown the other side.
6. Pour in the coconut milk and tomatoes. Lift the chicken slightly to let it coat the underside and stir together.
7. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, basting the chicken every 3-4 minutes, until cooked through.
8. Remove and buffer the chicken. Stir cilantro into the sauce and boil uncovered until it thickens to the desired consistency.
9. Serve the chicken bone-in or disassembled, as you prefer, covered or tossed with the sauce.

Meen Thenga Paal Kari (Fish and Coconut Milk Curry)

Hooray for discount fish! We found some tarakihi fillets reduced for quick sale at the grocery store and tossed them into this amazing curry. It was fantastic! Definitely a new favourite.

Photo goes here.

Meen Thenga Paal Kari

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 450g halibut, tarakihi, or gurnard fillets
• 2 Tbsp. mustard oil, divided
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp. skinned split black lentils (mapte beans/white lentils/urad dal)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. sambhar masala
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 12 large fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 1/2 c. diced tomato

Directions

1. Rub the turmeric into the fish, cover, and chill for 30-60 minutes.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they've stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
4. Add the lentils and cook until lightly browned (15-30 seconds).
5. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (5-10 minutes).
6. Add the coconut milk, cilantro, sambhar masala, salt, and curry leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens (5-10 minutes longer).
7. Stir in the tomato and cook until heated through (2-3 minutes).
8. Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a large pan.
9. Add the fish to the pan and sear on both sides.
10. Pour the sauce over the fish, cover, and poach until fish is just cooked through.
11. Serve immediately.

Makkai Parangikai Kari (Corn Curry)

This curry is meant to be made with corn and white pumpkin, but Iyer suggests the using the inner rind of a watermelon as an alternative to the pumpkin, so I decided to give that a go. We had lots of watermelon that needed to be used anyway, so I figured that saved me going out and trying to find another ingredient.

Makkai Parangikai Kari

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1/4 tsp. cardamom seeds (from green pods)
• 2 fresh green¹ Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, stems removed
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 2 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 450g white pumpkin (or inner watermelon rind), peeled and seeded and cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 12 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 1 c. water

Directions

1. Combine ginger, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, chilies, and salt in a molcajete and grind/pound to form a pulpy paste.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they have stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
4. Add the coconut milk.
5. Stir in the paste from the molcajete, then remove from heat and allow mixture to sit for a minute or so.
6. Add the corn, pumpkin (or watermelon rind), cilantro, curry leaves, and water.
7. Return to heat and bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are fork tender (~15 minutes).
9. Serve topped with your favourite chutney. (I like sonth/tamarind-date chutney.)

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¹ I had a few leftover fresh red finger chilies on hand, so I just used those instead here. It changed the colour of the curry (making it more pinkish than green), but was very similar otherwise. ^Back

I really liked the pears with this pudding. And the coconut was nice. Although I didn't feel it came through as strongly as I would have liked. The pudding was also very thick. I ended up thinning mine out with milk before eating it. It was good though. We all enjoyed it. I just wonder if it might be improved by using slightly more liquid or less rice during the preparation. That said, adding the milk after the fact also worked fine, so it wasn't a big deal either way. Although, now that I think about it... we also ran out of pears well before we ran out of pudding, so maybe less rice would be the way to go. That way there'd be a better pudding-to-pear ratio and the pudding would hopefully have a somewhat looser consistency. Something to try for next time.

Coconut Rice Pudding with Gingered Pears

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kate Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 1 c. basmati rice¹
• 1 c. half-and-half (10% MF), divided
• 3 c. milk
• 1 (~440mL) can coconut milk
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
• 2 pears, peeled and chopped
• 1"/2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Directions

1. Combine rice, 1/2 c. of the half-and-half, milk, coconut milk, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is very tender (~30 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and spread coconut out on a lined baking sheet.
4. Toast coconut in oven until golden (3-5 minutes). Set aside to cool.
5. Toss pears with ginger and brown sugar and set aside for at least 20 minutes to macerate.
6. Stir remaining 1/2 c. of the half-and-half into the pudding.
7. Serve topped with pears and toasted coconut.

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¹ The original recipe called for 1 1/2 c. of rice, but, as noted above, this seemed like a bit too much, so I've scaled it back here. ^Back

We made this for dinner recently and, while not a favourite, it was tasty. The Kidlet even ate the squash, which she has been averse to lately. It may have helped that we had a surplus of chicken and made it with 750g instead of the 500g called for, so the chicken-to-squash ratio was enhanced.

Thai Pumpkin & Chicken Curry

Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan (p. 270)

Ingredients

• one 750g baking pumpkin or butternut squash, halved, seeded, peeled, and cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 shallots
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 400mL coconut milk
• 1 tbsp red Thai curry paste
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• juice of one lime
• 2 tsp firmly packed brown sugar
• 2+1 tbsp oil, divided
• 500g boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 tbsp sliced fresh thai basil (or 1 tbsp lightly dried basil)

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the pumpkin and cook until just tender, 6-7 minutes. Drain.
2. Combine shallots, garlic, curry paste, and 2 tbsp of water in a blender, and process until smooth.
3. Whisk together coconut milk, fish sauce, lime, and brown sugar in a bowl.
4. In a large, steep-sided skillet, heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add chicken and sear until browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and buffer.
6. Reduce heat to medium and add remaining oil.
7. Add the curry paste mixture and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 10-20 seconds.
8. Stir in the coconut milk mixture and bring to a boil.
9. Add chicken and pumpkin, reduce heat, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the pumpkin is tender.
10. Top with basil and serve over rice.

I've almost finished working my way through all the smoothie bowl recipes in the Breakfast Bible. I made this mixed berry one yesterday and tried a variation on the tropical fruit smoothie bowl this morning.

I liked this one, but the smoothie came out very soupy. The Kidlet actually prefers that, but, if I'm going to be trying to decant it into a bowl and top it with things, I prefer a slightly thicker base. If nothing else, it allows the toppings to actually sit on top rather than immediately sinking below the surface.

To be fair, the recipe does call for freezing the banana before blending, which I forgot to do. But I still think it would have been too thin. Maybe feezing both the banana and the coconut milk would do the trick?

I also didn't have any almond milk and didn't want to go out and get a carton just for this recipe.¹ Instead of almond milk, I opted for oat milk with a bit of almond butter stirred in.² And since the Kidlet doesn't like pomegranate anymore, I swapped out the pomegranate arils for some fresh blueberries.

Mixed Fruit Smoothie Bowls

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 c. oat milk
• 1 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 1 c. lite coconut milk, frozen in cubes
• 1 c. frozen mixed berries
• 1 banana, frozen
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. almond butter (optional)
• 1/2 c. fresh raspberries
• 1/4 c. pomegranate arils (or 1/2 c. fresh blueberries)
• 2 Tbsp. shredded coconut⁴
• 2 Tbsp. wheat germ, toasted

Directions

1. Combine the oat milk, yogurt, frozen coconut milk, frozen berries, frozen banana, honey, and almond butter in a blender and purée until smooth.
2. Divide the smoothie between 4 bowls.
3. Top each with ~2 Tbsp. of raspberries, 1 Tbsp. of pomegranate arils (or 2 Tbsp. of blueberries), 1/2 Tbsp. of coconut, and 1/2 Tbsp. of toasted wheat germ.

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¹ Especially since I find myself feeling increasingly concerned about the environmental aspects of growing almonds. I still eat them in moderation, but almond milk seems particularly water-intensive and wasteful. ^Back
2 Which I know is probably not much better than just using almond milk, but... what can I say? I already had a jar of almond butter in the fridge. I haven't had a chance to look into it, but hopefully almond butter is at least slightly less bad water and waste-wise than almond milk. That said, you still have all the ecological impact from the actual almond farming, so... it's probably not great either way.^{3 Back
3} Thinking about this stuff makes me sad and frustrated. I wish everything wasn't so complicated and I wish that it was easier to figure out the consequences of my choices. ^Back
4 I picked up some toasted coconut slices on sale a few days ago, so I just used that here. Either one will work just fine. ^Back

This curry contains an unusual combination of vegetables: sweet potato, celery root, and delicata squash. Sweet potato and squash are not that surprising, but it never would have occurred to me to put celery root in a curry before this recipe! It works pretty well though. It's not going to become a new favourite or anything, but it was nice to try something a bit different.

Winter Vegetable Red Curry

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredinets

• 2 tsp. coconut oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6mm piece of ginger, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
• 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 sweet potato (~225g), peeled and cubed
• ~250g celery root, peeled and cubed
• 3 c. coconut milk
• 1 delicata squash (200-250g), seeded and cubed
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Melt oil over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for ~1 minute.
3. Add the curry paste and cook for another minute or so.
4. Add the fish sauce, sweet potato, and celery root and stir to combine.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, add coconut milk, and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Add the squash and cook until vegetables are tender (10-15 minutes longer).
7. Stir in the lime zest, remove from heat, and stir in the lime juice.
8. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with rice.

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Variants

Vegetarian/Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. coconut oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6mm piece of ginger, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
• 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce substitute
• 1 sweet potato (~225g), peeled and cubed
• ~250g celery root, peeled and cubed
• 3 c. coconut milk
• 1 delicata squash (200-250g), seeded and cubed
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

I've been working through the waffle recipes in the book in order (more-or-less¹). So the fact that this was "next up" and I already had an open can of coconut milk in the fridge worked out pretty well. (I mean, I ended up not having enough coconut milk in the fridge, so then I had to open up a new can anyway, but at least the "timer" is effectively reset now.)

These waffles were really nice. The coconut flavour was mild, but did, indeed, come through. And they had a light texture that fell somewhere between fluffiness of a buttermilk waffle and the creaminess of a Belgian waffle.

The exterior crisped up nicely (which the Kidlet appreciated), but I did find that I had to turn the heat on the waffle iron up slightly higher than I typically use for most other waffles. I also left the waffles in for ~30 seconds beyond when the waffle iron said they were done. Having made those adjustments though, they came out great!

Coconut Waffles

Slightly adapted from Waffles: Sweet, Savory, Simple by Dawn Yanagihara

Ingredients

• 2/3 c. unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
• 180g (~1 1/3 c.) all-purpose flour
• 60g (~5 Tbsp.) sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 c. coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter², melted

Directions

1. Preheat your waffle iron. If it has adjustable temperature, set it a little higher than you normally would. (eg. I normally cook most waffles on "4" on my waffle iron, but I found that these ones cooked better when it was set to "5".)
2. Combine the coconut, flour, sugar, and salt.
3. Sift in the baking powder and mix well.
4. In a large measuring cup, beat the egg yolks with the vanilla and coconut milk.
5. Whisk in the butter (or coconut oil).
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until just combined.
7. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
8. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
9. Pour a portion of batter into the preheated waffle iron, close, and cook, leaving the waffles in the iron for 15-30 seconds longer than indicated. Repeat until all batter has been used.
10. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to stand for 30-60 seconds before serving.
11. Serve plain or with you favourite compote, syrup, or fresh fruit. (Bananas work particularly well.) Alternatively, reduce the sugar in the batter slightly and serve with ice cream, caramel sauce, whipped coconut cream, and/or lime curd for dessert.

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¹ I had to skip over the malt waffles for now because I haven't been able to get any non-diatastic malt powder yet. And, of course, all the various sauces and compound butters and whatnot appear in their own chapter at the end of the book, so I've been doing those out of order as well. But, other than that, I've been making all the actual waffle recipes in the order in which they appear in the book. ^Back
2 I made these with butter this time, but I think it would be nice to try making them with melted coconut oil. It probably wouldn't make much of a difference, but it'd be interesting ot see. ²

I snagged some snow peas on sale the other day so this simple Asian-inspired noodle dish made sense as an easy dinner option.

I opted to quickly fry my tofu before adding the sauce, but the original recipe calls for adding the sauce to the pan/wok first and then simmering the tofu in it. Either is a perfectly acceptable option.

I just used tofu and snow peas in my rendition of these noodles, which is exactly what the recipe called for. But I felt they could have done with a few more veggies, so I've written them up with optional onion and bell peppers here. I can vouch for this turning out a perfectly serviceable dish even without the extra veg, but I do with it would have been nicer and tasted a little more balanced with them in. I also added some lime zest, green onion, and parsley to mine (although cilantro would have been preferable). I quite liked these additions and would definitely make it that way in the future.

Noodles with Tofu and Peanut Sauce

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 170g snow peas
• 180g dried Chinese egg noodles (or 250g fresh)
• 1 Tbsp. canola or peanut oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced lengthwise (optional)
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced (optional)
• 450g extra-firm tofu, cubed and patted dry
• 1/2 c. coconut milk
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp. red Thai curry paste¹
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 c. vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. lime zest
• 1-2 green onions, chopped
• 2-3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the snow peas.
2. Cook for 1 minute, then strain out the peas (reserving the hot water).
3. Shock the peas in cold water, drain, and set aside.
4. Return the pot with the cooking water to the heat and bring back up to a boil.
5. Add the noodles and cook for 1 minute (or until desired doneness).
6. Drain and shock in cold water to stop cooking. Drain again and set aside.
7. Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
8. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
9. Add the onion (if using), bell pepper (if using), and tofu and stir-fry for a couple minutes.
10. Add the coconut milk, peanut butter, curry paste, sugar, broth, light soy, and dark soy and reduce heat to medium-low.
11. Simmer for ~5 minutes.
12. Stir in lime juice, lime zest, and green onions.
13. Add noodles and snow peas and toss to combine.
14. Cook until heated through (2-3 minutes).
15. Sprinkle with cilantro (if using) and serve.

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¹ For a different taste, try experimenting with different types of curry/chile paste: green, yellow, Paneng, gouchujang, doubanjiang (豆瓣酱)... so many possibilities! ^Back

I thought this looked like a nice veggie curry. I like that the inclusion of tofu gives it a bit of protein, although I think it would've been nice with a few more different kinds of vegetables in. I added an onion, but I think carrot and/or bell pepper would have been nice too.

Vietnamese-Style Eggplant-Tofu Curry

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola or peanut oil
• 680g Asian eggplant, cubed
• 1 onion, sliced lengthwise
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. red curry paste
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 (420mL) can coconut milk
• 1 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp. lime zest
• 375g extra-firm tofu, cubed
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Thai basil (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add eggplant and stir-fry until slightly browned (~4 minutes).
3. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for another minute or so.
4. Add the curry paste, fish sauce, coconut milk, chicken stock, and tofu and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Add green onions, cilantro, basil (if using), and lime juice.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with rice.

This curry is an interesting combination of Anglo-Indian and Thai flavours. I associate the mix of lemongrass, coconut milk, and fish sauce with Thai cuisine and would have expected them to be combined with a Thai curry paste. This recipe takes a different route by adding a large amount of Madras-style curry powder -- an Indian-inspired British spice blend -- instead. It made for a nice, if unusual, result.

I mostly followed the recipe here. My only slight deviation was to swap out the skinless, bone-in chicken thighs for skinless, boneless chicken breasts. I also sliced the breasts in half lengthwise in order to speed up cooking time. I'm pretty happy with the results this produced. The final curry was a bit soupy, but very nice when served over a bit of brown rice.

Chicken and Coconut Milk Curry

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1.25kg skinless boneless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 shallots, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. Madras-style curry powder
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 stalks lemongrass, cut into 2cm chunks (white part only)
• 3cm piece of fresh ginger, sliced
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 1 (400mL) can coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into large dice
• 1 (~350g) sweet potato, peeled and cut into large dice
• 3 Tbsp. Thai basil, chiffonade

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add chicken and cook for ~4 minutes per side. (You may have to work in batches.)
3. Remove chicken and set aside, then add garlic and shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add curry powder, sugar, pepper, lemongrass, and ginger and cook for 30-60 seconds.
5. Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, and fish sauce and bring to a boil.
6. Add carrots, sweet potato, and chicken and reduce heat to medium-low.
7. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until veggies are fork tender and chicken is cooked through.
8. Stir in basil and serve over rice.

I, once again, found myself needing to come up with revised dinner plans at the last minute and, once again, I turned to a curry recipe to solve this. Shockingly, this curry is not a recipe out of 660 Curries! I was perusing the Dish of the Day cookbook and spotted this recipe and figured it would be a nice way to use up my last sweet potato.

I ended up adjusting the proportions slightly (adding more tomatoes and peas than the original recipe called for), but stayed pretty true to the original. And it turned out surprisingly well! I'm usually a bit wary of making curries from recipe authors other than Iyer, but this one turned out nicely. It wasn't an all-time favourite, but it made for a satisfying dinner. Especially with the addition of some brown rice and a few spicy turmeric pickles!

Chickpea & Sweet Potato Curry

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 fresh Thai or jalapeño chile, seeded and minced
• 1 Tbsp. Madras curry powder
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-cm dice
• 1 can (540mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or ~2 c. cooked chickpeas)
• 1 can (400mL) coconut milk
• 1 c. water
• 1 1/2 c. frozen peas
• 1 small can (~400mL) diced tomatoes

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium-low heat.
2. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and chile and cook until onion is transluscent (5-6 minutes).
3. Add the curry powder and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
4. Stir in the salt and pepper.
5. Immediately add the sweet potato, chickpeas, coconut milk, and water and stir to combine.
6. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until sweet potato is tender (~10 minutes).
8. Add the peas and tomatoes and cook until heated through (~5 minutes).
9. Serve over rice/pulao with hot pickles, chutney, and or cilantro.

This is a fastasic, easy-to-make soup. I've seen the combination of coconut and lime before, but the idea of using mandarin as the citrus element was new to me. It works quite well though! It makes for a nice, light meal or first course.

The original recipe called for a combination of enoki and oyster mushrooms. I didn't have either of those, but I did have some shiitake and cremini. I used those instead and I was quite happy with my results.

Coconut-Mandarin Soup with Mushrooms

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 c. chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 (430mL) can lite coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. mandarin orange zest
• 1/2 c. mandarin orange juice (from 3 mandarins)
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. Thai red curry paste
• 1 serrano chile¹, seeded and minced
• 2-3 c. chopped mushrooms (preferably a mix of enoki, oyster, shiitake, and/or cremini)
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh Thai basil
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 c. steamed rice

Directions

1. Combine the broth, coconut milk, orange zest, orange juice, fish sauce, red curry paste, and chile and bring to a boil.
2. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook for another 5-6 minutes.
3. Stir in basil, salt, and pepper.
4. Serve over steamed rice.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 1 c. vegetable broth
• 1 (430mL) can lite coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. mandarin orange zest
• 1/2 c. mandarin orange juice (from 3 mandarins)
• 1/2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. Thai red curry paste
• 1 serrano chile¹, seeded and minced
• 2-3 c. chopped mushrooms (preferably a mix of enoki, oyster, shiitake, and/or cremini)
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh Thai basil
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 c. steamed rice

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¹ I didn't add the chile to my soup since I was worried about making it too spicy for the Kidlet. I do think that it would have been nice though. I had actually intended to use a thinly sliced red Thai chile as a garnish that could be individually applied, but I forgot. ^Back

Kokum Moth Chi Dal (Creamy Moth Beans with Coconut Milk)

This is a nice accompaniment curry that isn't too hard to make.

Kokum Moth Chi Dal

660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer (p. 407)

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole moth beans
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• 4 pieces dried black kokum, ~2"×1"
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 8-10 fresh green Thai chiles, thinly sliced
• 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 large tomato, cored and finely chopped
• 1 C coconut milk
• ¾ tsp salt
• 10-12 curry leaves

Directions

1. Rinse the beans until the water runs clear; drain.
2. Put the beans in the pressure cooker, along with 3 C water, and bring to a boil, uncovered. Skim off and discard foam.
3. Stir in turmeric and kokum. Seal pressure cooker and cook for 10 minutes on high pressure, then let the pressure release naturally.
4. Heat ghee in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Add cumin and cook until it sizzles and turns reddish-brown, ~10 seconds.
6. Add chiles and garlic and stir-fry until garlic is lightly browned, ~1-2 minutes.
7. Add the tomato, coconut milk, salt, and curry leaves. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until the tomatoes appear saucelike but still slightly chunky.
8. Stir the sauce into the cooked beans. Bring to a simmer over medium heat cook, uncovered, until the curry thickens, ~10 minutes.
9. Remove the kokum before serving.

Meen Thenga Paal Kari (Coconut Milk Fish Curry)

It's very late and I'm very tired, so I'm just going to do a super quick write-up for this one. It was quite nice though and reasonably easy to put together. I made some curry leaf rice to go with it and that, along with some leftover vegetable curry and lime pickles made for a nice dinner.

Meen Thenga Paal Kari

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 500g skinless halibut fillets¹
• 1-2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp. skinned split black lentils (mapte beans/urad dal)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. sambhar masala
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 12 fresh curry leaves
• 1 large tomato, chopped

Directions

1. Sprinkle the tumeric over both sides of the fish and set aside for ~30 minutes.,/li>
2. Heat half the oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add the mustard seeds and cook, covered, until the seeds have stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
4. Add the lentils and stir-fry for 20-30 seconds.
5. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is browned (~7 minutes).
6. Add the coconut milk, cilantro, sambhar masala, salt, and curry leaves and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until thickened (~10 minutes).
8. Add the tomato and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
9. Heat the remaining oil over medium heat.
10. Add the fish and sear on both sides (~2 minutes per side).
11. Pour the sauce over the fish, cover, and cook, basting as needed, until the fish is done (5-8 minutes).
12. Serve with rice and/or your favourite flatbread.

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¹ I used pollock instead. The fillets were much thinner than the 5cm that Iyer recommends for this dish, but I was still happy with my results. You may just need to adjust your cooking time slightly depending on how thick your fish is. ^Back

Kori Gassi (Mangalorean Chicken Curry)

I was originally planning on seeking out skinless, boneless chicken breasts at the grocery store on Monday to make a Cook's Country recipe. But when I saw that they had skinless, bone-in breasts available, I decided to rework my meal plan a bit to incorporate them.

This recipe is actually written for a whole, skinned, jointed chicken. And that also would have been delicious. But that requires me to skin and cut up a whole chicken. Which, while not a hugely onerous job, does add to the overhead of making the curry. So whenever I see skinless, bone-in chicken available (especially breasts since they're a nice low-fat option), I tend to jump on it.

If you're trying to watch your weight/fat intake, opt for "lite" coconut milk, chicken breasts, and use half the amount of oil called for here. (I did all of these things and still got a delicious curry out of it!)

Also, as per TF's complaint that the per-bite sauce:chicken ratio suffers with bone-in cuts: It might be interesting to experiment with using skinless, boneless chicken for this curry in the future. I suspect that cooking chunks of chicken for a shorter amount of time would work just as well. You might lose a little flavour due to the lack of bones simmering in the sauce. But it would be easier to eat... Possibly something to consider if I'm ever making this again.

Kori Gassi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. unsweetened dried coconut
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 Tbsp. white poppy seeds
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 4-6 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 7 tsp. oil, divided
• 1 large onion (or 1 1/2 medium onions), halved and sliced
• 6 large cloves garlic (or 9-12 smaller cloves), chopped
• 1/2 c. water, divided
• ~1.5kg skinless, bone-in chicken pieces
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1 tsp. tamarind concentrate
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 15 fresh curry leaves

Directions

1. Combine coconut, coriander, poppy seeds, mustard, fenugreek, peppercorns, and chilies in a bowl.
2. Add 1 tsp. of the oil and mix to coat.
3. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add the oiled spices.
4. Cook, stirring frequently, until coconut is reddish-brown (~2 minutes).
5. Transfer spices to blender jar.
6. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil to the hot pan.
7. Reduce heat to medium and add the onions and garlic.
8. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~20 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, pour 1/4 c. of the water into the blender with the spices and purée into a gritty paste.
10. With the blender running, drizzle in the remaining 1/4 c. of water and set aside.
11. Once the onion and garlic are nicely browned, push them to the sides of the pan and add the chicken pieces, meat-side-down.
12. Scoop the onion and garlic onto the chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes per side.
13. Transfer the chicken to a plate and pour the spice paste into the centre of the pan.
14. Pour the coconut milk into the blender, use it the swish out the jar, and then add it to the pan.
15. Stir in the tamarind, salt, and curry leaves and mix well.
16. Return the chicken to the pan, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low.
17. Cook, turning and basting every few minutes, until chicken is cooked through (~20 minutes).
18. Transfer chicken to a serving platter.
19. Increase heat to medium and vigorously simmer sauce until slightly thickened (~5 minutes).
20. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

I don't make scalloped potatoes very often. I like them, but we tend to eat more rice and pasta than potatoes anyway and if I am doing potatoes, I generally prefer to either try something completely new or go for the classic and mash them. So scalloped potatoes tend to get left by the wayside, despite being delicious.

But, given that we had both potatoes and balchao masala on hand that needed to be used up, this seemed like the perfect dish for tonight. I don't think it will replace traditional scalloped potatoes for me, but it was quite good. And, even if I don't end up making this recipe again, I may try swapping out the milk in regular scalloped potatoes for coconut milk in the future. I liked the sauce it produced. (Although I may want to experiment with "lite" coconut milk next time; regular coconut milk is pretty calorically dense!)

Balchao Scalloped Potatoes

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 400mL coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp. balchao masala
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 450g potatoes, sliced
• 3-4 scallions, sliced
• 10 fresh curry leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and lightly grease a casserole dish.
2. Whisk the balchao masala and salt into the coconut milk.
3. Layer ~1/3 of the potatoes into the prepared dish and pour in ~1/3 of the coconut milk mixture, then sprinkle over ~1/3 of the scallions.
4. Repeat layers until all the potatoes, coconut milk, and scallions have been used up.
5. Place the curry leaves on top.
6. Bake, covered, for ~45 minutes.
7. Uncover and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

I found a bone-in leg of lamb on sale at the grocery store a few weeks ago. I nabbed it and stuck it in the freezer for later. I was initially planning on trying out a Cook's Country recipe with it. But then I spotted this recipe in the contemporary curries chapter of 660 Curries. Iyer notes that a beef roast makes a perfectly fine alternative to lamb here, but... I like lamb and I wanted to give it a try this way.

The roast is, as expected, delicious. I mean, it's lamb smeared with a spiced nut paste; what's not to like? But the sauce really stole the show. It was amazing! I think the long cooking time really brings out the best in everything.

Leg of Lamb with Onion-Coconut Sauce

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Lamb

• 1 (1.1-1.4kg) bone-in leg of lamb
• 1/4 c. plain yogurt
• 1/4 c. slivered almonds
• 1/4 c. raw cashews
• 1/4 c. raw shelled pistachios
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1-2 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies¹
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Sauce

• 1-2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. bottle masala
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 (400mL) can coconut milk²
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Make four or five 6-mm deep slashes in the meat and set it in a shallow baking pan.
2. Add the yogurt, almonds, cashews, pistachios, and ginger and garlic pastes to a blender and purée until smooth.
3. Pour the nut paste into a bowl and stir in the chilies and salt.
4. Slather the marinade over the lamb, being sure to coat it thoroughly.
5. Cover and chill overnight.
6. The next day, preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
7. Meanwhile, place a rack in a roasting pan (or on a rimmed baking sheet). Spray it with cooking spray and transfer the lamb to the prepared rack. Allow to sit at room temperature while the oven preheats. Reserve any marinade that doesn't cling to the lamb.
8. Roast the lamb at 220°C (425°F) until lightly browned on the outside (10-15 minutes).
9. Reduce temperature to 160°C (325°F) and cook for another 15 minutes.
10. Remove lamb from oven and baste with any reserved marinade. If the pan is dry, pour a little water in to help keep everything moist and prevent the drippings from burning.
11. Continue to roast until meat registers 57-60°C (135-140°F) in the thickest part (60-80 minutes). Check every 20 minutes or so to see if the pan needs more water or if the meat drippings are in danger of overflowing.
12. Meanwhile, heat the oil for the sauce over medium-high heat.
13. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry until caramel-brown (10-15 minutes).
14. Add the tomato paste, bottle masala, and salt and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the paste begins to look oily on the surface (1-2 minutes).
15. Add the water and deglaze the pan.
16. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil.
17. Reduce heat to medium and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced to just over half its original volume (20-25 minutes). Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.
18. Once lamb is done, remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes.
19. Slice the lamb and stir the cilantro into the sauce.
20. Serve the lamb, allowing diners to top with sauce at the table.

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¹ The original recipe calls for 2 tsp. I scaled this back slightly for the sake of the Kidlet. I used 1/2 Tbsp. this time and that seemed to be okay. Might try the full amount next time. Also, if you don't have Kashmiri chilies, you can substitute a mixture of 1 part ground cayenne to 3 parts sweet paprika. ^Back
2 We used regular coconut milk this time around because we had a can that was getting close to its expiry. That said, you could probably shave quite a few calories by swapping the regular coconut milk out for lite. ^Back

I haven't made very many curries out of the "contemporary" chapter of 660 Curries. Usually I find something I like in one of the earlier chapters and never make it that far. But I decided to start leafing through from the back the other day and spotted this pasta. The mention of dill in the title caught my eye since we still have a bunch to use up.

I actually doubled the dill and halved the oil called for and I think that worked out quite well! And the fact that I'd just happened to pick up a package of dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes a couple of days ago was extra-serindipitous.

Pasta with Cashew-Dill Cream Sauce

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 225g short pasta (penne, rotini, cavitapi, etc.)
• 1/2 c. dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 c. raw cashews
• 3-5 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 c. half-and-half (or whole milk for the calorie-conscious)
• 6-7 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 c. firmly packed fresh spinach
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh dill

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the pasta.
2. Boil pasta until al dente, reserve 1 c. of the cooking water, and drain the rest.
3. Rinse the pasta with cold water and set aside.
4. Pour the reserved pasta cooking water over the tomatoes and set aside for 15 minutes.
5. Once the tomatoes have softened, slice them thin and set aside.
6. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
7. Add the cashews and chilies and stir-fry until nuts are nicely browned and chilies have blackened.
8. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to blender.
9. Pour 1/2 c. of the half-and-half (or milk) into the blender and purée until smooth.
10. Return oil to heat, add the garlic, and cook until lightly browned.
11. Add a handful of spinach and cook until wilted. Continue adding spinach a handful at a time until all spinach has been added.
12. Add the contents of the blender to the pan.
13. Pour the remaining 1/2 c. of half-and-half¹ into the blender and swish it around to clean it out. Pour this into the pan as well.
14. Add the pasta, sundried tomatoes, salt, and dill and cook until warmed through (3-5 minutes).

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 225g short pasta (penne, rotini, cavitapi, etc.)
• 1/2 c. dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 c. raw cashews
• 3-5 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 6-7 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 c. firmly packed fresh spinach
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh dill

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¹ I think it might be interesting to try replacing the second 1/2 c. of cream with 1/2 c. of the reserved pasta water instead. (The same water that was used for soaking the tomatoes in.) It should have some good thickening power, will be nicely flavoured from the tomatoes, and will be lower fat than the cream. ^Back

Ube Halaya (Purple Yam Jam)

I had a bunch of grated ube left after my ube waffle experiemnts the other day, so I decided to go looking for ideas of what to make with it. I contemplated various cakes and puddings but, after consulting with TF, we opted for ube halaya as it's delicious on its own and also an ingredient in many other ube-based desserts.

I ran across a few different variants on the basic theme of ube, sugar, and milk (either dairy, coconut, or both). Most included coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk. Some also included evaporated milk, granulated sugar, and/or brown sugar. And a few called for grated cheddar.

Most of the pictures of homemade ube halaya that I've seen show it being quite thick. As in, moldable and sliceable. I got tired of cooking and stirring mine, so I stopped it before it got that thick. Mine came out more like Nutella or tahini than butter or membrillo.

Ube Halaya

Slightly adapted from Decorated Treats

Ingredients

• 300g thawed frozen grated ube
• 1 tsp. ube extract
• 150g sweetened condensed milk
• 150g coconut milk
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 45g unsalted butter

Directions

1. Combine the ube, ube extract, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut milk and mix well.
2. Cook over medium-low heat¹, stirring constantly, for 30 minutes.
3. Mix in the salt and butter and continue cooking and stirring for another 10-15 minutes.
4. The original recipe called for cooling the jam with the lid on, periodically wiping away condensation before transfering to the fridge for storage. I didn't do this; hopefully my jam won't suffer for the missed step.

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¹ The original recipe called for cooking it over low heat, but after 35 minutes at low, the mixture still wasn't thickening up as much as I'd hoped, so I nudged it up to medium-low. After another 20 minutes at low, it still wasn't sliceably thick, but I was tired of standing over the pot, so I called it. I'm hoping that if I put it on medium-low from the get-go next time, I can get it to a reasonable consistency within the original 40 minute timeframe given. ^Back