Wednesday, April 28, 2010

ALMOST INDIAN CURRY

Much of my cooking inspiration comes from things I like to eat, as well as what's in my refrigerator on any given day. I love a bargain as much as anyone, and since I did get lucky today with a great markdown in the meat department, I was able to prepare 5 lbs. of beef stew meat (purchased for only $1.99/lb), half of which I used in today's meal, and the other half I am going to freeze to use for a second batch. It's what I call "smart cooking." I have to thank Eddie's Aunty Edie for this tip which she shared with me years ago. This recipe got its name as I was perusing different curry recipes, and decided to combine several recipes I found, and used the vegetables du jour (what I had in my refrigerator today). Some of it is traditional Indian-cooking inspired, some are not. I find this type of cooking works best for me. I hope that you'll agree.

ALMOST INDIAN CURRY STEW:
2 - 2 1/2 lbs. stew starter* plus liquids
2 medium potatoes
1 medium carrot or 1 cup of baby carrots3 small long eggplants
1 medium zucchini
12 small sweet peppers, stems removed
1 1/2 T. curry powder1/2 can of coconut milk
Flour or cornstarch mixture for thickening

Cut all vegetables into evenly sized pieces and add it to the stew starter. Check the seasoning, then add the curry powder. Simmer for 15 minutes, then check vegetables for doneness. Re-season if necessary. The very last step is to add the coconut milk and the thickening. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. When all veggies are completely cooked, serve immediately over basmati rice. Enjoy!

Almost Indian Curry Stew

*STEW STARTER (STEP 1)
5 lbs. of stew meat
5-6 cloves of garlic
2 large round onions
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. flour for dredging
Oil for browning
Water or broth

To get started I seasoned the meat with salt and pepper, then dredged it in flour to begin the browning process. Using a heavy iron skillet, coat the bottom of the pan and begin to brown the meat in batches, taking care to only cook enough meat at a time that will cover the bottom of your pan/pot. Remove each batch as it is browned, and hold it in a large bowl. This process is a labor of love and you cannot cook the entire amount at once. When the entire batch is done browning, return everything to the pot, including any juices which have seeped from the meat. Add two whole large onions, cut into large pieces, plus about 5-6 whole cloves of garlic, smashed and stir that around for another minute or two. Add enough water or broth to the pot, just enough to cover the top of the meat pile. I added salt and beef boullion to the water, bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and let it all simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

When the meat is about 90% softened, just before it's soft enough to eat, spoon half of the meat and the liquid into a freezable container. You should be left with the perfect portion to create a nice pot of stew.

Stew Starter

This portion will be frozen for a 2nd batch of stew in the future.
It will cut my cooking time in less than half.

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