My husband’s grandparents, Shantha and Muthu Shamaiengar, immigrated to the U.S. in the 1950s, leaving India behind and making America home. Here they created a legacy of five children, eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
My husband grew up eating Indian food. I had never really had Indian food before we met, but I share his love for the rich, exotic flavors of Indian cuisine. I’ve tried to make some basic curry dishes, usually relying on bottled sauce.
Last week I made a curry sauce from scratch. Brian’s eyes lit up when he tasted it. Success! And the recipe was quite easy. You’ll want to first make the sauce, set it aside, and then sauté your meat and/or vegetables, finally adding the right amount of sauce to the pan for a brief simmer. Chicken, shrimp or even beef would work well. It’s up to you what to do with the sauce, but I’ve included my recipe below.
- 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
- 1 c. onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled, chopped
- 1 stalk lemongrass, coarsely chopped
- 1 tsp. grated ginger root, unpeeled
- 1 small apple (Granny Smith works well), peeled, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. curry powder
- 2.5 Tbsp. all purpose flour
- 2 cups fresh carrot juice (If you don’t have a juicer, Bolthouse Farms’ 100% Carrot Juice is equally good. Find it in the produce section at most grocery stores. Remember to shake the bottle first.)
- Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, lemongrass, and ginger; sauté until slightly softened but not brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add apple and curry powder; sauté until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
- Add remaining 2 Tbsp. oil, then flour and stir 1 to 2 minutes.
- Gradually pour in carrot juice; bring to boil, whisking constantly.
- Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered until sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Strain sauce through mesh strainer set over bowl, pressing on veggies to extract as much sauce as possible; discard solids in strainer.
Make the Curry a Meal
Again, you can decide how to use the sauce, but here’s what I did and it was quite tasty.
First, start your rice: White, long-grain Basmati rice works best with Indian dishes. (I used Rice Select’s Texmati white rice…takes about 20 minutes.) Let rice cook according to instructions.
Meanwhile, rinse and dry sauté pan. Add oil to pan and warm over medium heat. Cut two boneless chicken breasts into 1-inch chunks and add to pan. Coarsely chop ½ of a yellow onion and add to pan. Wash and pat dry two yellow summer squash (crookneck type, or try one squash and one zucchini), discarding the ends. Cut lengthwise into 1-inch pieces. Salt and pepper to taste. Saute until chicken is almost fully cooked. Add sliced tomatoes (cut into wedges). Saute another 3 to 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Add curry sauce and bring to a gentle simmer, about 5 minutes. Spoon over warm rice and garnish with a handful of fresh arugula if desired.