I was pleased to see an eggplant this week, which we haven't had in a while. We got more yellow squash, which is a pretty easy one to work with. And another new one -- Kabocha squash. I can't remember having this one before, but a quick google search indicates that it's a Japanese cousin to our pumpkin. My favorite way to do just about any squash is roasting (except for zucchini, which I love grilled). So, I'm thinking the Kabocha is destined for the oven, and maybe eventually paired with something else for a blended soup. When we finally get some good soup weather here, anyway!
Speaking of grilling, that's one of my favorite ways to do eggplant, as well. I was thinking of doing a grilled vegetable plate, using the eggplant, squash, some sweet potato (another bunch this week, so I'm swimming in those, too), and some red onion, with a basil-cucumber-garlic dressing. Maybe with a little blue cheese for just a bit of tang and creaminess. I haven't put this all together in a final version yet, but I'll post the pic and The How when (if) i get to do it.
I did get inspired to use some of those same vegetables in a curry this weekend. One of my favorite stores is Lee Lee's Oriental Supermarket. Lee Lee's is amazing -- it's like taking a mini Asian/Middle Eastern tour all under one roof. And the sheer size -- it's bigger than the Fry's I usually go to when I go to a big chain. At Lee Lee's, the shelved products are organized by country/region. There are aisles devoted to Japan, China, India, the Philippines, the Middle East, Korea, Thailand, Viet Nam, and many more. Just about every Asian country is represented. It's mind boggling.
So much so, in fact, that I spent nearly FIVE HOURS shopping in there on Saturday. (And another 2.5 hours on Monday!) I love going aisle-by-aisle and perusing all of the offerings, many of which I've never seen. There's just so much to see that I could never address it all in one blog post, so I won't even try. But just about anything you can think of in the Asian world of food, they've got it.
Plus, every time I go in there, I'm in the little minority as a white girl. Although recently, I have noticed quite a few more caucasians shopping in there. I guess the word is out! It was fun for me being one of the tallest people in the store, though. ; )
Anyway, back to my original subject -- after my trip to Lee Lee's, I was set to try making something curry. I got a variety of curry pastes to try -- I haven't yet been ambitious enough to try making my own curry bases, but I did find a link to Jamie Oliver's site, where he gives recipes for five basic curries. I've bookmarked it to try.
But, as I've never really made an actual curry before, I decided to just try the bases. And because I had all of these curry-friendly vegetables, I decided to make a vegetable korma curry. My favorite Indian restaurant across the way has a wonder korma curry, and I thought I'd give it a shot. It's actually quite easy when you start with a paste. I didn't take a pic of my final outcome and I didn't write down an actual recipe, but if you've ever been intimidated by trying a curry at home, don't be!
I just cut up the following into manageable eating pieces: sweet potato, Yukon gold potato, eggplant, yellow squash, onion and garlic. I started off by sauteing the onion and garlic in a saucepan until the onions were soft. Then I added the korma paste and fried for a minute or two. Note: Most curry spices and pastes need to be fried before you put them in the curry, in order to release the flavors. Normally, you are told to not fry dry spices because they could burn and taste funky, but the opposite is true for curry spices. So, fry them for a bit, just don't do it over high heat, and stir frequently to keep from burning.
Another product I've stocked up on from Lee Lee's is coconut milk. I love coconut milk-based curries, and the korma is one. So after the curry paste cooked for a bit, I added a can of coconut milk. Then I added the vegetables and let them simmer, covered, on low heat for about half an hour, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables were the texture I prefer (soft, but not mushy).
And because I just can never do anything the standard way, I decided to play with the flavor a bit. I fried about 1/2 of a small can of masaman curry (a Thai curry), then added that to the korma and vegetables and cooked. I was really pleased with the outcome! I hope India and Thailand will forgive me for blending their cuisines.
As I said, I bought several different curry bases, so I'll have fun playing around with them. When I get a little more curry-making experience under my belt, I'll post the recipes. But if you like curry, don't be afraid to try it at home using a curry paste -- couldn't be easier!
I have to say, my Bountiful Basket is inspiring me to cook a lot more at home, and to be creative in the kitchen. And Lee Lee's is inspiring me to attempt some different cuisines that I'd never thought about trying at home. (Up soon -- Vietnamese pho!) So, now you know what I do for fun!
Now, on to the good stuff:
This week's Bountiful Basket:
8 sweet potatoes
2 yellow squash
1 Kabocha squash
1 pint of grape tomatoes
1 head of romaine lettuce
1 eggplant
1 head of garlic
1 bunch of green onions
9 bananas
8 Fuji apples
5 navel oranges
5 pears
2 Oro Blanco (white) grapefruit
1 pineapple
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