Green Coconut Curry with Eggplant, Goya, and Tofu

This green curry was relatively simple to make, just took a bit of prep work. The key ingredients here are the fresh peppers, the coconut milk, and the garam masala. Peppers seem to be in season on the island right now, so I'm buying massive amounts of these green pepper like things that look like jalapeños, but are not very spicy. So I add some of the red peppers I get there too that have a bit more of a kick. You can honestly use whatever spices you have around and that you might like, I got creative. It came out delicious! If you have any fresh herbs like basil or mint, I would definitely throw that in their too. P.S., I now have a blender[YES!!], so many of my recipes may require one (as this one does).



Makes a medium size pot of green curry

Ingredients:

Lots of fresh peppers, more green than any color for a green curry, or whatever color you like really. Cut and seeded. About 2 to 3 cups worth
Shallots, peeled. Or about 1/2 cup diced onion
Garlic, I like garlicky flavors, so I used about 7 cloves (peeled of course)
Ginger, about 1 tablespoons worth, diced up coarsely

A Shitload of dried herbs and spices, to taste, such as:

Garam Masala, about 1/2 tablespoon (this is required)
Cumin seeds, a pinch
Anis seeds, a pinch
Dried basil, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Curry powder, to taste (the one I buy is usually just ground turmeric, coriander, and cumin)
Oregano, to taste
Cilantro, to taste
Cinnamon to taste

Cooking oil (I like olive oil, but any veggie oil is good)
Coconut milk, 2 eight ounce cans
Laurel/Bay leaves, about 3
Red chile powder, 1 teaspoon (optional)
Eggplant, 2 medium, cut in half and then into thick pieces
Goya (bitter melon), cut in half, seeded, then cut into thinnish pieces
Soft Tofu, 1 block, diced

Put the seeded peppers aside in a blender.

In a medium fry pan, heat about 3 tablespoons of oil a bit, then toss in the shallots(or onion), garlic, and ginger. Use a wooden spoon to make sure nothing burns and turn down the heat. Once the stuff in the pan has fried a bit and become lightly toasted, add the shitload of spices, fry a bit longer, and let everything become wonderfully fragrant, making sure not to burn anything to the pan.

Add the contents of the pan into the blender. Shake 1 can of the coconut milk (because it settles), rinse the top off, open, and pour the contents into the blender. Cover the blender and blend until everything is smooth and there are no more chunks of anything, about 1 or 2 minutes.

Pour the contents of the blender into a deep medium pot. Shake the other can of coconut milk, rinse the top, and pour it into the deep pot as well. Throw in a teaspoon of chile powder (optional). Mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the eggplant, goya, tofu, and bay leaves (and any chopped fresh herbs you may be lucky enough to have). Bring everything to a boil on medium heat, then turn down the heat. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. The curry might be thick, so be sure to mix it every so often while simmering so nothing boils over and makes a mess. It's ready when it smells nice and the eggplant is no longer spongy but is now soft.

Note: You can taste the sauce once it starts to boil to see if you think it may need any other spices. Keep in mind that the boiling at low heat for a long time makes all the flavors pop out, so don't add too much spice just yet if the curry doesn't taste "spicy" enough quite yet. The heat and time will make stuff mesh better, trust me.

Enjoy!