A Curry Base to Build Upon
Ingredients
- Olive Oil
- Garlic (3 cloves)
- Ginger (2” squared piece)
- Medium Onion (red, white, or yellow)
- Medium russet or yellow potato
- Large Carrot
- Two large celery stalks
- One can Coconut Milk (shaken very well)
- Thai Chili peppers (optional)
- Spices
- Brown mustard seeds
- Fenugreek
- Cumin
- Cardamom
- Turmeric
- Saffron
- Salt and Pepper
- Chili powder
A brief history of my curry base
The first time I went for Indian food, the kind from India, I fell in love with curry. Only later did I come to understand that this is actually a British dish that was inspired by spices and flavors from India, but is not actually an Indian dish. That is okay though, because it is still delicious!
The first time I made curry myself was from a recipe in the Vegetarian epicure and from there I have read and watched many other adaptations to come up with this recipe.
This recipe is really simple but packs a ton of flavor and is perfect for adding your favorite protiens and other veggies.
Preparation
First you want a good course chop on your onion. You don’t want this to cook too quickly so about half to one inch square pieces work best.
Next is your carrot and celery. I really like to cut these a bit thick and on the bias as it will hold up to a long simmer without getting mushy and it looks really pretty.
Now, peel then chop your potato into 3/8 to 1/2 inch cubes.
Chop the garlic and ginger into small pieces but not minced, pressed, or ground.
If you have whole fenugreek, cumin, and cardamom (which you should), it is best to toast these and bring out the hidden flavors. Since we are just making a small amount you can do this in a small, unoiled skillet. Place your skillet over medium high heat and add a pinch of each spice, be sure to take the cardamom seeds out of the pod. Once you can smell the spices dump them into a mortar and pestle and grind them into powder. Once these are ground you can add the other powdered spices, not the saffron, and blend them together.
Let’s get cooking!
Start with a large skillet, I really prefer cast iron but stainless will do as well. Do not use a non-stick skillet!
Set your skillet over a medium heat and let it get to temperature.
One reason I love cast iron is that I always store it with a light coat of oil on it. Once this oil just barely smokes I know my pan is ready.
Add just enough olive oil the coat the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pan. Add a pinch of brown mustard seeds to the oil. The mustard seeds add a very small amount of flavor but what they are there for is a timer as once they start popping we know our oil is at the right temperature.
When the brown mustard seeds start popping, carefully drop the onion into the pan and mix it around to get a good coating of oil on them. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and allow to sweat, not saute, until slightly soft.
Move the onion to the sides of the pan so the very center of the pan is bare. Now, add the carrot and celery to the center of the pan then sprinkle well with salt and pepper. Let these cook for a couple of minutes, mix everything together, and let this sweat for a few minutes.
Now, add the garlic and ginger on top of the other veggies. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on them and give them a minute or two before mixing them in. Let this cook for another minute or two.
Sprinkle your toasted and ground spice mixture all over the top of the veggies. Let this cook for a minute and then mix everything together.
After letting the spices and veggies cook for another minute or two, take a pinch of saffron and rub it between your fingers over the pan and let the strands drop in. If you want to use chili peppers add those in and then gently dump the can of coconut milk into the pan.
Stir everything together and reduce heat to a simmer. After about five minutes taste the broth and adjust the seasoning, mostly that just means add more salt and pepper if needed.
Keep stirring now and then and tasting to make sure your seasoning is good, you should really start to notice the other spices coming through. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes.
If the sauce starts to get too thick add just a little bit of vegetable broth to thin it out and let it simmer for a little longer.
I don’t always have chilies on hand, but I always have a tub of Gochujang so many times when I want to spice this up I will add a spoonful and mix it in.
Finishing Up
This curry base can be made ahead of time and used for other dishes, or make a big batch to add some protiens and eat right away with friends and family.
Some great protiens to use are Tofu, Soy Curls, Tempeh, Garbanzo Beans, Lentils, and other plant-based protiens. You can prepare these in another pan, or I like to just push everything to the sides of the pan and saute them in the center area. Either way, you want to add your protien and other ingredients before adding the ground spices and coconut milk as you will want them to absorb as much curry flavor as possible during the simmering process.
Server your curry over rice, noodles, or just in a bowl with a piece of Naan.
Hope you enjoy this and my other recipes.