When I wrote this post last week, many of you asked about the panang curry I made. I figured I should teach you my secret to making really easy curries. So easy in fact, that it almost feels like I’m cheating every time I make them. (But if they weren’t so simple, curry meals just wouldn’t be eaten very much in our house.)
When Steve and I hit up our favorite Asian grocery store, we like to stock up on canned curry pastes, usually made by Maesri brand. They make all kinds of curry pastes, and there are directions printed right on the label. However, rather than follow the directions step by step, I prefer to make curries my own way. I’ll give you a basic idea, since I don’t usually make these following a recipe.
First, choose your vegetables, and protein, if you want one. Cut up all of your veggies and protein source into slices or chunks, and place them on the side.
Heat up your wok or frying pan, and add two cans of coconut milk and the curry paste. If you’re worried about the heat of the curry (some of these are loaded with chili), then start by adding a quarter or half of the paste. Let the sauce heat up, then add your veggies and protein in, adding the items that take the longest to cook first. We typically use onions, carrots, and potatoes, so those always go in first; then I’ll add things like zucchini or summer squash, peppers, beans or fish, and lastly greens.
Try them out and experiment to see which flavors you like, and what complements each flavor. While certain items go really well with certain curries (like sweeter vegetables go well with masaman curry), you can pretty much add anything to any one. A few summers ago a friend of ours came back from Boston with a huge sea bass, and left it for us to freeze. After broiling the bass, we decided to put some of the cooked fish into a curry (using the steps above), and it was delicious and flavorful, with the taste of curry embedded in every bite.
Have you ever made a curry, either from scratch or using curry paste?
When I wrote this post last week, many of you asked about the panang curry I made. I figured I should teach you my secret to making really easy curries. So easy in fact, that it almost feels like I’m cheating every time I make them. (But if they weren’t so simple, curry meals just wouldn’t be eaten very much in our house.)
When Steve and I hit up our favorite Asian grocery store, we like to stock up on canned curry pastes, usually made by Maesri brand. They make all kinds of curry pastes, and there are directions printed right on the label. However, rather than follow the directions step by step, I prefer to make curries my own way. I’ll give you a basic idea, since I don’t usually make these following a recipe.
First, choose your vegetables, and protein, if you want one. Cut up all of your veggies and protein source into slices or chunks, and place them on the side.
Heat up your wok or frying pan, and add two cans of coconut milk and the curry paste. If you’re worried about the heat of the curry (some of these are loaded with chili), then start by adding a quarter or half of the paste. Let the sauce heat up, then add your veggies and protein in, adding the items that take the longest to cook first. We typically use onions, carrots, and potatoes, so those always go in first; then I’ll add things like zucchini or summer squash, peppers, beans or fish, and lastly greens.
Try them out and experiment to see which flavors you like, and what complements each flavor. While certain items go really well with certain curries (like sweeter vegetables go well with masaman curry), you can pretty much add anything to any one. A few summers ago a friend of ours came back from Boston with a huge sea bass, and left it for us to freeze. After broiling the bass, we decided to put some of the cooked fish into a curry (using the steps above), and it was delicious and flavorful, with the taste of curry embedded in every bite.
Have you ever made a curry, either from scratch or using curry paste?