Fifty Weeks, Fifty Curries: Week Five: Kaalee Mirch Cha Mutton
After last week's incredible pulaobiryani, I knew that it would take a lot to get me excited about the curry this week. And while Week Five was really good, it couldn't compare to the korma pulao I had last week. That's not to say that this curry was bad! It was actually quite good, it's just that last week recalibrated my tastebuds for Fifty Weeks, Fifty Curries. So please keep that in mind when you're reading this blog post.
Yay greens!
The first thing that popped out at me was the color. This curry was really green, and after most of the previous curries had been vegetable-deficient, at least from the perspective of someone who was used to chunky Thai curry filled with all the vegetables our CSA brought us, I was really excited to try something that seemed more veggie-centered. Unfortunately, I didn't actually get much vegetable taste. It was relatively spicy, and had the garlic and onion and ginger that I love, but there wasn't that much actual vegetable flavor.
There was plenty of beef flavor, though, since softlykarou swapped in beef for lamb. If we could find boneless stew lamb more easily, we'd make this more like it was written in the book.
It's kind of cute, sitting in the middle there.
One thing I did really like, though, was the texture. I have...issues with food textures, and a lot of the foods I don't like are more because of the texture than because of the taste. This curry straddled the line perfectly between being as liquidy as I typically like curry, but not having too much purée in it to the point where I would hate it. The green color was provided by cilantro and mint blended up, but the flavor all came from the pepper and the ginger and garlic. It was mostly liquid with those solid chunks of ginger and garlic, and if you look at the finished meal picture below, I took that before I went and got a lot more sauce for the curry.
It looks a bit like a kind of saag here.
Words from the Chef
So far this was probably the easiest curry to make. My food processor has more than earned it's keep, given its age and small size. Most of this curry was just throwing ingredients in the food processor and letting it go. I loved this curry. It was bright and fresh. I found it a bit more herbaceous than dorchadas did, though I wish the mint came out more. Working with mint is a delicate operation so I think I erred on the side of caution. However, my father-in-law's habenaro gave this curry a lovely kick that was moderated by the yogurt and cilantro. I would make this curry again in a heartbeat, both for ease and taste!
Served here with curried potatos and kefir.
And...that's about all I have to say about it, really. It was good and I liked it, but without that kind of green taste I was looking for and with last week still fresh in my memory I don't have that much new and exciting to say. I guess not every week can be a glorious exploration of food and what it means to me. And like I said, it's not like this curry was bad, or even average. It was good!
Would I Eat It Again?: Yes! It was pretty tasty.
Do I Prefer It to the Usual Thai Curry?: No. It's pretty good and I wouldn't mind it being added to the rotation, though.
What Would I Change?: I might add a bit more greens. I didn't get much of a taste of them here, and it was a bit disappointing when the color led to me to expect a more herbal taste.
Yay greens!
The first thing that popped out at me was the color. This curry was really green, and after most of the previous curries had been vegetable-deficient, at least from the perspective of someone who was used to chunky Thai curry filled with all the vegetables our CSA brought us, I was really excited to try something that seemed more veggie-centered. Unfortunately, I didn't actually get much vegetable taste. It was relatively spicy, and had the garlic and onion and ginger that I love, but there wasn't that much actual vegetable flavor.
There was plenty of beef flavor, though, since softlykarou swapped in beef for lamb. If we could find boneless stew lamb more easily, we'd make this more like it was written in the book.
It's kind of cute, sitting in the middle there.
One thing I did really like, though, was the texture. I have...issues with food textures, and a lot of the foods I don't like are more because of the texture than because of the taste. This curry straddled the line perfectly between being as liquidy as I typically like curry, but not having too much purée in it to the point where I would hate it. The green color was provided by cilantro and mint blended up, but the flavor all came from the pepper and the ginger and garlic. It was mostly liquid with those solid chunks of ginger and garlic, and if you look at the finished meal picture below, I took that before I went and got a lot more sauce for the curry.
It looks a bit like a kind of saag here.
Words from the Chef
So far this was probably the easiest curry to make. My food processor has more than earned it's keep, given its age and small size. Most of this curry was just throwing ingredients in the food processor and letting it go. I loved this curry. It was bright and fresh. I found it a bit more herbaceous than dorchadas did, though I wish the mint came out more. Working with mint is a delicate operation so I think I erred on the side of caution. However, my father-in-law's habenaro gave this curry a lovely kick that was moderated by the yogurt and cilantro. I would make this curry again in a heartbeat, both for ease and taste!
Served here with curried potatos and kefir.
And...that's about all I have to say about it, really. It was good and I liked it, but without that kind of green taste I was looking for and with last week still fresh in my memory I don't have that much new and exciting to say. I guess not every week can be a glorious exploration of food and what it means to me. And like I said, it's not like this curry was bad, or even average. It was good!
Would I Eat It Again?: Yes! It was pretty tasty.
Do I Prefer It to the Usual Thai Curry?: No. It's pretty good and I wouldn't mind it being added to the rotation, though.
What Would I Change?: I might add a bit more greens. I didn't get much of a taste of them here, and it was a bit disappointing when the color led to me to expect a more herbal taste.