229: Collard Curry

I saw this recipe from Saveur (need to check this site out more often- some really good stuff) and it fit a category I've been meaning to try: creamy curry. I tend to avoid these when I eat out- maybe I associate creamy with sweet, and I want light and spicy (and generally but not always tomato based)?

A few firsts in here: this initial super flavorful chili/ginger paste (which turned my food processor blade a healthy shade of turmeric, ha), first use of lemongrass.

The collards got nicely soft and sweet, the coconut milk adds a weight...but more hearty than heavy, if that makes sense. And that flavorful paste is so wonderfully spicy it balances everything out. I had to scale back due to my limited collard supply, but I made a full batch of paste, so I'll have to try it out with another veggie.

I ate a small batch when I first made it but always want leftovers- these things just get better with a day in the fridge.

Off-putting color combo, pairing with a mix of red and white quinoa. If you squint it looks a little like raw meat. Delicious though!

Dish 42: Cabbage Curry

I love Indian food and have wanted to experiment with it for a while, so I was super excited when this recipe came up in a search for what to do with cabbage. I decided to go all out and do coconut milk instead of yogurt. 

I didn't have asafoetida so I included one of my scallions to infuse some oniony flavor to the dish. I also used yellow mustard seeds instead of black and about half the salt called for. 

The results were decent. I tend to go for the tomatoey Indian dishes instead of creamy, so this was a bit heavy for me. Especially for summer. It also still tasted salty somehow- or maybe I'm not used to the turmeric. Something about the spices were off.

What happened? My heirloom cabbage (which was delicious and sweet on its own- cole slaw next time?) was smaller than a standard cabbage. Also the Internet tells me black mustard seeds are stronger than yellow. The cumin comes through, would've loved more mustard flavor. 

After a night in the fridge it definitely looked like the recipe pictures. 

And mixed with some quinoa for lunch was infinitely better. Next time I'll stick within my flavor wheelhouse next time (I want to try baingan bartha), so at least I know what I'm dealing with. 

The sauce is very fatty (1/2 cup oil + 1 1/2 cups coconut milk? Eek) so I'm trying to spread that out a bit. May tweak and use it in something else. We'll see.

Notes for improvement:

- Go to an Indian grocery store (you're in NYC after all)

- Taste and adjust

- When trying something new, pick a time when you're not working around someone else in the kitchen so you can focus
- Have more rice on hand