You Can Curry Anything

When I was in college, I smugly looked down my nose at most of the students who frequented the dorm kitchens.  I had been cooking in the Old Southern meat and three tradition since I could reach the stove, and most of these girls had...um...not.  Ever.  I first realized this when, while hanging out in the kitchen with a friend or two, a girl put some water to cook her dinner in a big metal pot, then asked me if I thought it would fit in the microwave.  If you don't get why I nearly fainted, this blog may not be for you.  (Hint: it has nothing to do with the size of the large METAL pot.)  The other was when I found scorch/melt marks on the bottom of my microwave plastic cookware, which I had left in a marked box in the kitchen.  With competition like this, my future beloved had nothing to worry about from me in the kitchen department.  I could make a mean biscuit and gravy, anything Italian, and fry chicken like there's no tomorrow. 

Then I asked my boyfriend what his favorite meal was, and all my pride came crashing down around me. 

Curry. 

What?  I'd never even tried curry.  Specifically, he likes spicy Indian and Nepali curry, it was what he ate every meal growing up.  There are apparently spinach, vegetable, meat, and potato curries, too.  This isn't some side dish, it's a way of life kind of food, like my Southern meat and three.  To me, this was devastating.  I had no idea there were other mindsets about serving food, eating food, preparing food, besides the one I had grown up with.  So, I soon began experimenting. 

In order to offer him curry for his birthday, I had to buy pre-packaged stuff under careful supervision and prepare it according to package directions.  This was akin to being bottle fed again on the humiliation scale.  I visited an Indian restaurant for the first time and tasted a few different things, all of which made my face want to explode.  But I liked it.  I tasted his mom's curry and got a few lessons from her.  She said that everyone's curry was different, so like varying my mom's biscuit recipe, I could get a feel for curry and learn, with just a few spices of my own. 

And I did.  It took me a little while, a lot of feedback, and a ruined shirt or two, but I can make a pretty kick-butt potato curry, chicken and veggie curry, and palak paneer (spinach and cheese curry).  I can make them mild or super spicy, and all very flavorful.  And you can, too.  Here's how: 

The simplest way to make curry involves garam masala, turmeric, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Add hot chilis or crushed red pepper to heat it up, garnish with cheese and/or yogurt or sour cream to cool it down.  If you know there is no way you will have access to a health food store or Indian grocery store or Asian market in the near future, garam masala can be made from easy-to-find spices here: http://indianfood.about.com/od/masalarecipes/r/garammasala.htm.  It smells wonderful and is a tasty addition to tea or baked apples, as well as sprinkled on roasted meat and vegetables for an Indian flair without the mess of curry.  

Indian Spices are key, but they don't make the curry.  I've heard that they were used first to disguise the flavor of rotting meat, since India isn't exactly known for quality.  But honestly, the better your ingredients, the better your curry.  I strongly suggest using fresh vegetables at the very least, organic if you can afford it.  Someone familiar with fresh food can taste a difference.  A good olive oil also helps, at least extra virgin if not first cold pressed. 

1. Chop your veggies, begin with an onion and a clove or two of minced garlic, sautee in the bottom of your curry pot (a decent sized soup pot) in about 1/3 cup of olive oil.  (some good ones are: broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, potatoes, and pretty much anything taking up space in your refrigerator)

2. Go ahead and cook any meat in the pot now, but remove it before you add the vegetables. 

3. Add a teaspoon of salt now.  Add the other veggies when the onion turns translucent.  Cook until barely tender. 

4. Add a can or about a pint fresh/home canned of crushed tomatoes.  For more heat, use Rotel tomatoes.  If the mixture is not soupy and thin, add another.  If it still isn't soupy, add water or chicken broth until it becomes soupy.  Add back any meat you removed earlier. 

5. Add about 1/4 cup garam masala and 1/8 cup turmeric (yes, it's a lot.  It's supposed to be.)  Add pepper or red peppers depending on how much heat you can take.  Let simmer until it thickens to chili thickness.  Serve hot over rice (especially Basmati rice) with optional Naan (bread) and sour cream or yogurt and cheese to garnish.