Tag: vegan
Green Apple Curry
Green Apple Curry
Fruit in curries is very common in Sri Lankan cuisine. This green apple curry has the perfect balance of sweet, tart, savory, and spicy. This vegan curry will satisfy even the beefiest of carnivores; it’s that good.
Ingredients
- 2 Granny Smith apples cut into 8ths
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 jalapeños thinly sliced
- 5 dried red chilies
- 1 tbsp Sri Lankan curry powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilies
- 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/3 cup apple cider
Instructions
- Heat up the cooking oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the onions, jalapeños, red chilies, bay leaves, and mustard seeds for 4-5 minutes.
- Add in the curry powder, chili powder, and turmeric. Sauté gor 30 seconds.
- Add in the apples, garlic, brown sugar, and salt. Sauté for 10 minutes.
- Pour in the coconut milk and cider. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 5-10 minutes until the apples are softened.
- Season with salt to taste.
Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder
Sri Lankan roasted curry powder is the base of so many Sri Lankan curries. It is specifically used in curries that contain proteins like beef, pork, lamb, and chicken. It can also used in vegetarian curries. If you want to use the curry powder for fish and seafood, don’t toast any of the spices. Dry toasted spices are too strong for aquatic protein and will overpower the flavor.
Equipment
- Spice grinder
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp coriander seeds
- 3 tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp basmati rice
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 3 tsp whole cloves
- 2 tsp green cardamom seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
Instructions
- Dry toast the rice in a nonstick pan over medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients. Toast for 5 minutes; continuously moving the pan to keep the spices from burning. Let cool completely.
- Grind to a powder in a spice grinder.
Savory Sweet Potato Pancakes
Savory Sweet Potato Pancakes
These aren’t the traditional pancakes that you’re used to eating for breakfast. Chinese sweet potato pancakes are eaten as a savory appetizer and/or side dish. They get dipped in a simple soy/rice vinegar/sugar/sesame oil sauce. What’s unique about these pancakes is the use of glutenous rice flour. It gives them a chewy, slightly gummy texture; not cake-like whatsoever. If you want to make these a sweet flavored pancake, swap out the salt for sugar and leave out the green onions.
Ingredients
- 1 lb sweet potato peeled and cubed
- 1 1/2 cups glutenous rice flour
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- vegetable oil for frying
Dipping Sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Place the cubed sweet potatoes in a steamer and steam for 15 minutes until soft.
- Let the sweet potatoes cool. Mash with the back of a fork.
- Mix the sweet potatoes with the glutenous rice flour, green onions, and salt until a dough forms.
- Flour your hands and roll out the dough into 2” balls.
- Flatten with the palms of your hands.
- Heat up a 1/4 cup of vegetable oil on a griddle over medium heat. Add the pancakes to the griddle, making sure to not overcrowd.
- Cookfor 3 minutes a side.
- Heat all of the dipping sauce ingredients in a small sauté pan until the sugar dissolves.
Banana Coconut Milk Drink with Nata de Coco
Banana Coconut Milk with Nata de Coco
Every time I shop at my local Asian market, Dragonstar, I pick up these bottles of coconut milk drinks. They basically consist of coconut milk and water, sugar, some type of fruit, and these small, chewy coconut gel cubes called nata de coco. The nata de coco sit on the bottom and you chew them as you drink. Sounds a little weird to have chunks of something in your drink, but it grew on me; much like boba tea and basil seed drinks did. So I took it upon myself to learn how to make it.
Equipment
- immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups coconut water
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 small banana
- 1/4 cup nata de coco
Instructions
- Using an immersion blender, purée the banana with the coconut water, coconut milk, and sugar until smooth. Set aside.
- Cut each cube of the nata de cocointo 8 smaller cubes.
- Placd the nata de coco in the bottom of a glass.
- Pour the coconut milk drink over the nata de coco and serve.
