One Less Item to Buy at the Grocery Store

I learned two things today. The first was that I probably shouldn’t photograph things in green bowls. I assure you, the colour of my meal was not quite as awful as it looks. The second thing I learned was that I cannot properly cook tempeh. I’ve tried before and I’ve even followed recipes exactly (sort of…) but I have only ever enjoyed tempeh when I didn’t make it. It’s not like I’ve never had tempeh and then tasted this and decided I didn’t like it. I’ve had wonderful tempeh that I’ve had second and third helpings of, that just never happens when I’m in charge of the stove.

The recipe that I made for dinner was an adaptation of Culinary in the Desert’s adaptation of Cooking Light’s recipe for Tempeh Coconut Curry, and if you take out the tempeh, the curry was quite good. As usual I made some substitutions and some additions depending on what I had and didn’t have in my kitchen. The curry was spicey but not over powering and I think it would be good with a bunch of vegetables. I had originally intended to put cauliflower in mine, and had specifically bought one just for the occasion, but if I can forget to put yeast in bread then I can most certainly forget to add cauliflower to my curry. Some people would say that cauliflower is a good thing to omit, those same people are the ones who call it a white devil flower… But it’s really not that bad and the cauliflower will make it into tomorrow night’s dinner.

So here’s the recipe for the Vegetables-of-Your-Choice Coconut Curry. You will note that I am no longer calling it Tempeh Coconut Curry because I am pretending that the tempeh wasn’t there and that I fully enjoyed my dinner, (maybe I’m being a little dramatic here, it’s not like I had to throw it out, I ate the whole thing, I just wasn’t left wanting more).

Coconut Curry

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 ½ onions
2 ½ tablespoons fresh grated ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
½ teaspoon tumeric
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp curry powder
1 cinnamon stick
¾ cup water
¼ cup fresh apple juice, (I had just made some, but you could just increase the water to a full cup as fresh pressed apple juice isn’t something that’s necessarily always in the freezer)
3 small potatoes
¾ red pepper
1 can coconut milk
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and cook until onion is tender, about 2-4 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, coriander, turmeric, red pepper flakes, curry and cinnamon and red pepper. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, making sure to stir frequently. Add potatoes, water, apple juice, milk. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Take off the cover and stir in lime juice, soy sauce and brown sugar. Simmer until slightly thickened. Remove and discard cinnamon stick. Serve over rice.


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Food + Recipe + Curry Dinner