squash & leek Thai-style curry
The recipe is really for vonnielake, but it occurred to me that some of the rest of you might be interested as well; hence the public post. This curry is one of my favorite winter meals. It's adapted slightly from a recipe in Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone, my favorite cookbook of the last five years -- that book's a treasure for anyone who likes food.
squash & leek Thai-style curry
- 4 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped and washed
- 3 Tbs peanut oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 2 or 3 serrano or bird's-eye chilis, minced
- 1 Tbs ginger, chopped
- 1 Tbs curry powder (OR: 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp hot chili powder)
- 1 Tbs brown sugar
- 3 Tbs soy sauce
- 14-oz can of unsweetened coconut milk (which should be in the "asian" or "ethnic" section of the grocery store, but may for no good reason be in the baking section instead)
- 1 1/2 lbs butternut squash (peeled and with seeds scooped out), diced into 1/2 inch cubes
salt
- 10 oz package firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 Tbs lime juice
- 1/3 cup peanuts or cashews
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Make sure to wash the leeks carefully -- they tend to have quite a lot of dirt trapped in the rings. Drain them well. Heat about 2 Tbs of the oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot or wok; add the leeks and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, chilis, and ginger and cook for another minute or so. Add the curry powder (or separate spices), sugar, and soy sauce; reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the coconut milk, squash, a cup of water, and a teaspoon or so of salt. Raise heat and bring curry to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
While the curry cooks, fry the tofu: heat the remaining Tbs of peanut oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add the tofu, and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until several sides of the tofu pieces are golden-brown and crispy. (You can add the tofu without frying it if you're anti-fried-things, but the crunchiness of fried tofu is an important contrast to the curry's texture. I'm just sayin'.)
Alternatively, if you eat meat, you could use chicken instead of tofu -- just stir-fry it briefly in the peanut oil and then dump it into the curry to finish cooking. But really, even if you don't think you're into tofu, you should try it fried. It's completely different.
When the squash is tender, add the lime juice and stir. Serve the curry over rice (preferably jasmine or basmati), with fried tofu, peanuts, and chopped cilantro on top.
In other food news, I made a variation on my usual chile recipe last night -- I used chipotle peppers (the kind that come packed in adobo sauce in little tins) rather than the usual chili powder -- and it worked out really well. I'm probably making tomato-kale-barley soup later this week, and another batch of corn chowder like I made at renenet's house, and possibly an Ecuadorean stew that involves quinoa (complete protein in a grain!), although I have to check the recipe because I think it involves some veggies that are too far out of season at the moment. And there's a wild-rice-and-mushroom soup I've been meaning to try for a while now. And... okay, I'll shut up about soup now.