Sweet Potatoes with Curry Leaves and Cardamom
On our way home from studying at Claire de Lune on Wednesday, Henning and I picked up some fresh curry leaves at the Indian market out on Black Mountain Road. After giving a talk in our Food for Thought seminar yesterday, I let myself relax by putting those curry leaves to good use and cooking some food from the subcontinent. I'd never cooked with curry leaves before, because I could never find them, and oh let me tell you.. they are amazing! The fragrance they give off when you throw them in hot oil is just incredible. It's no wonder that curry powder needs 139571965 ingredients in order to attempt to imitate this scent--and it doesn't even come close.
The dish I chose is from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. I can always count on her, and this time was no different. To make this Sri Lankan dish, you throw some cardamom, cinnamon, red chilies, and curry leaves into hot oil, stir for a few seconds, then add an obscene amont of sliced onions. Once they've browned, you put in some sweet potatoes, which were par-boiled in tumeric-stained water. Cooking them through in the spiced onions leaves you with a wonderfully fragrant and sweet dish. I can't help but give you the recipe. Do try to find some fresh curry leaves!
Sri Lankan Sweet Potatoes with Cardamom and Chiles
from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian
2 large sweet potatoes (about 2 1/2 lbs)
1/4 tsp tumeric
3 tbs vegetable oil
3 whole dried hot red chiles
2 whole cardamom pods
1 three inch cinnamon stick
20 fresh curry leaves
3 medium onions, peeled, cut in half, and sliced into fine half-rings
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or crushed red chiles
1 tsp salt
1 tbs lime juice
Peel the sweet potatoes, cut them in quarters lengthwise, then cut crosswise at 3/4 inch intervals to make large chunks. Put them in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then turn the heat down and simmer for 4 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender but still firm. Drain and set aside.
Put the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the whole chiles. Stir for a second then add the cardamom and cinnamon stick. Stir again and then add the curry leaves. Stir once more and put in the onions. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onions have browned, about 5 or 6 minutes. Add the potatoes to the pan and cook, stirring regularly and adjusting the heat as necessary, until the sweet potatoes are done, about 5 minutes more. Towards the end, add the salt and red pepper flakes. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice.