All-Purpose Coconut Curry

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The chef Meherwan Irani is a prolific chef-restaurateur (and the founder of his own small-batch spice shop, Spicewalla ), but at home, he cooks just like everyone else. He loves making freezer-friendly, big-batch recipes like this aromatic coconut-milk curry, which he repurposes in a variety of easy dinners throughout […]

Click here to view original web page at www.bonappetit.com


AllPurpose Coconut Curry

The chef Meherwan Irani is a prolific chef-restaurateur (and the founder of his own small-batch spice shop, Spicewalla), but at home, he cooks just like everyone else. He loves making freezer-friendly, big-batch recipes like this aromatic coconut-milk curry, which he repurposes in a variety of easy dinners throughout the week. This recipe makes about six cups curry, which is enough to make one batch each of Irani’s Yellow Curry Chicken With Vegetables, Fish Curry, and Butternut Squash and Green Bean Stew (each recipe uses two cups). Irani suggests freezing the curry in two-cup portions so you can easily defrost only what you need.

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Ingredients

Makes about 6 cups

1

10

6

2

6–8

1

2

2

1

2

2

Preparation

Pulse ginger and garlic in a food processor, adding a few drops of oil if needed to help blend smoothly, until a coarse paste forms. (Alternatively, you can finely grate ginger and garlic with a Microplane.)

Step 2

Heat oil in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Add a few mustard seeds to the pot. When seeds start to wiggle and pop, reduce heat to medium and add curry leaves (if using), asafetida (if using), and remaining mustard seeds. Cover pot and cook spices, swirling, until mustard seeds start popping more gradually, about 30 seconds. Uncover pot and return heat to medium-high. Add ginger-and-garlic paste and cook, stirring constantly, until beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add red onions and a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring often and reducing heat if needed to prevent burning, until onions are golden brown and jammy, 10–12 minutes.

Stir in turmeric, then tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes are glossy and darkened in color and oil starts to separate around edges of pot, 7–9 minutes.

Step 4

Add coconut milk and broth and stir to combine; season with salt. Bring curry to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook another 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes to prevent sticking and burning. Taste curry and season with more salt if needed.

Do ahead: Curry can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool, then transfer to an airtight container and chill, or freeze up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator before using.

  • I worked hard on this...to the point where I did not have canned crushed tomatoes..so I crushed and and reduced. Onions turned jamny but never browned. I carried on. I now have a lovely HUGE pot (yay) of very soup like sauce. I wait to see how it is when it cools. But. needing tips and suggestions

  • You could try blending a few curry leaves with Tomatoes, Garlic Ginger Chillies and coriander leaves as added just tantalizing flavor to your curry dish made with Onions or if making veggy dishes with only tomatoes. The result is simply amazing to your taste buds.

  • I thought using coconut milk was for Thai sauces. Is it traditional to use in Indian dishes?

  • Response to anonymous comment: A small cheese grater can be used as a microplane (a microplane is just a super fine grater). Also you can use a blender in replacement of a food processor. Hope that helps! �

  • This was fantastic. I wasn't expecting it as the curry seemed a little runny, but I added stir fried prawns to it, and it was soo good.

  • I don't have a food processor and have never heard of a Microplane, but surely there's a way of getting the right consistency for people who have only the ordinary equipment. This sounds like a sauce I'd love to make and have on hand, so help, please!

  • This recipe turned out amazing! I used it tonight to make his curry chicken without any veg. Delicious. Will try with cod later this week. What a find!

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