Easy Vegetable Curry

Well, we are now doing social distancing.

I am on voluntary self-isolation as I did not feel good a few days ago. I thought I was coming down with something and felt like I had slight fever and a sore throat. So I self-isolate. There is a family member who is in the over 70s category and has to self-isolate for 12 weeks, that is according to the government. So I am doing my part.

I have not been really shopping for necessities and food. This is because we have quite a lot of food around. There are a lot of dried goods and staples around. The only think that needs to be bought frequently is fresh vegetables and fruits.

I bought some vegetables while I was in Leicester doing the Vegan event. So in this ‘hard’ times, I am trying not to waste. I have scraps of vegetables left over from cooking other dishes and decide to make a vegetable curry from all the remaining vegetables. Ah, I also have a chance to use up the bits of bean curd sheets left behind from making meat rolls. What a good idea!

Here is my ‘guestimate‘ recipe. This is because I am using whatever is available. So the quantity varies. The sensible thing to do is to check and taste as you go.

Ingredients:

I  left-over cauliflower

1 small egg plant or aubergine

1 small head ( actually orange sized) cabbage.

I leek

1 potato ( I have one that is going soft)

Any vegetables that you may have in your fridge.

Remnants of left-over bean curd sheets – deep fried

200-300 ml canned coconut milk

3 Tbsp curry powder (more or less, it’s up to you)

Lemon grass powder or 1 stalk lemon grass – smashed

Curry leaves – I used dried, 1 Tbsp

1 Tbsp vegetable stock granules or a cube

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 Tbsp cooking oil.

To make into a paste:

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic,

2cm knob fresh ginger, skin scrapped and chopped

( Notice the little cabbage? Well I bought this for Chinese New Year for the Yee Sang. I ate it several times, putting it in my noodle soup. This is the remainder. So, it has has been more than 8 weeks!. The moral of the story is..you need not throw away vegetables if it is out of date. Use visual check.)

Method:

1. Wash and drain all the vegetable.
2. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Use the tender leaves near the florets as well as it is very sweet and tender.
3. Chop the leeks and other vegetables that you have.
4. Cut the aubergine into batons or cubes, in similar size to the rest of the vegetables. Soak in salted water to prevent it going brown.
5. Peel the potato and chop it.

For the paste:

Put all the ingredients in a chopper and whizz it till fine. Add some water if need be. Then add in the curry powder and lemon grass powder if using.

Whizz to a thick paste, adjusting the water.

To cook:

1. Heat the oil in a pan or pot. 
2. Add in the paste and stir-fry till fragrant.
3. Put in the fresh lemon grass if used.
4. Follow it by the potato or vegetables that take longer to cook. Stir.
5. Add in the rest of the vegetables, the bean curd sheets and the stock granules and  stir to combine.
6. Add in some water to almost  up to the vegetables level  and bring to the boil.
7. Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes.
8. Add in the coconut milk, stir and bring to the boil. Simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft, but not mushy.
9. Season with salt and some black pepper.
10. Garnish with chopped coriander or parsley, if you have,
11. Serve with rice. Add another protein dish if you wish.

Enjoy!

Penang Lassie.

P.S.

If you wish to add some chicken or meat to the curry, feel free to do so.

Note:

The bean curd sheet can be used as it is without deep frying. I prefer to deep fry it as it give it a more spongy texture and therefore more surface area for the sauce to stick to it. That means it is nicer to eat. You can omit it if you do not have. Or, you can use tofu.

To deep fry:

1. Heat up some oil in a pan. You can test the temperature by dipping a chopstick or wooden skewer in it. If it you see tiny bubbles, then the oil is ready.
2. Place a few pieces of the cut sheet into the hot oil. It will sizzle and puff up.
3. Quickly turn over to cook the other side. when it stops sizzling, remove with the chopsticks or tongs and leave it on the sieve over a bowl. 
4. Then remove and place on kitchen towels.

Here are some photos.

Do you have some left over items or anything that you have on hand that you want some ideas on how to cook it? Let me know and I will try to help.

Keep happy and safe!!