Curry (and Dal) in a Hurry
I’ve been on an Indian kick since our trip to England and I’ve added a few go-to recipes to my repertoire. Even better, you can make the bases ahead of time, pop them in the freezer and defrost for a lazy Monday dinner.
Curry Base Sauce An hour simmering on the stove and you’ve got three containers of sauce for three different dinners. Pictured: the chicken pathia from the same blog. I skipped the red coloring (ew!) and used just one chicken breast. I also used the sauce with shrimp using this recipe as a starting point I sauteed a sliced onion, two chilies and the shrimp then added the curry base. And finally, vegetable curry.
In my Indian food frenzy I bought about two pounds of red lentils at the co-op, then found an even better deal online (yeah prime shipping!) and decided I should buy some more. So, I have about 8 pounds of red lentils in my cupboard now. Good thing this garlicky red lentil dal is so good and freezes well. I added some fried tofu. It also makes a good dip if you simmer it until thick.
wow B! These recipes sound and look so delicious. I am definitely going to have to give these a try. Freezer-ready food for me anyway, no one else in this house will eat curry. Do you have a good method for making the fried tofu? What great photos – I might be pursuaded to cook again. Presently, I’m obsessed with gardening and nothing is mature enough to eat. Though I did buy two different packs of microgreen seeds yesterday. It’s a super-quick crop though admittedly not very filling.
Thanks H! So here is my tofu frying method, it’s not particularly advanced (I don’t flour before frying) but the outside does get crunchy which is what I like. So, slice a block of tofu into 3-4 slabs, press each between a paper towel. Then cut the tofu into cubes about 1/2-3/4″. We use half a block (7 oz?) for curry, stir fry etc. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a pan on medium heat. When a cube sizzles on contact it’s hot enough. Throw it all in and stir frequently. I think the key is to keep the heat low enough that the tofu doesn’t burn before it gets browned. It takes a while so you have to be patient and stir often. Once it’s uniformly brown (10-15 minutes? one glass of wine?) I fish out the tofu and put on a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt right away and voila.