Homemade Curry Time!

As I’ve hinted in some of the other posts, we LOVE a good curry.  Usually, Nick is in charge of whipping one up, but recently I gave it a shot and created this very tasty veggie delight based on a recipe I saw by Jamie Oliver.  I must say, I was quite proud of myself!  Here’s my recipe, but feel free to experiment with any type of vegetable.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 large eggplant

1 vine-ripened tomato

1 medium yellow onion

1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)

3-4 cloves of fresh garlic

2 heaping (and I mean heaping) tablespoons of Patak’s Madras Curry Paste

1 yellow bell pepper

Splash of good quality balsamic (optional, but adds something special)

1 small bunch of fresh cilantro

1 ½ cup of quartered button mushrooms

1 cup of Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Medley (dry)

1 14.5 oz. can of garbanzo beans

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pat of unsalted butter

Step 1, The Prep:  Chop/cube all of your vegetables into 1-inch bits (or whatever size you desire).  For the onion, dice half and roughly  chop the other half – keeping the two halves separate (you’ll see why later).  Mince the garlic and 6-7 springs of cilantro – including the stems.  Soak the rice in a shallow bowl.

Step 2, The Base:  Heat the olive oil and the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.  Add the DICED onions (reserving the chopped for later), garlic and cilantro.  Cook until translucent, making sure not to burn the garlic.

Step 3, The Veggies: Add the eggplant cubes and brown for about 10 minutes.  Then add the mushrooms, peppers, garbanzo beans and curry paste – mixing and making sure to coat all of the veggies. 

Step 4, The “Sauce”: After about five minutes of cooking that down, add the chopped fresh tomato, the can of diced tomatoes and about ¾ can of water to the pot and mix.  Bring that all to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 10-15 minutes.

Step 5, The Rice: After 15 minutes, drain and rinse the rice and add it to the pot.  Cook an additional 20 minutes, covered.

Step 6, The Finishing Touch:  Remove the lid and add a splash of good balsamic and the remaining chopped onions.  Cook for a final 10 minutes, or until the rice is fully cooked.

Step 7, To Serve:  Spoon a generous helping into a shallow bowl, add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt to the top and sprinkle with fresh cilantro leaves.  Enjoy!