Pumpkin and Potato Cocunut Red Curry

I've always liked curry sauces and spices, and it's only been within the past year or so that I decided to make all my own curries and try my hand at these wonderful concoctions. I'm glad I did. This recipe is similar to the Green Curry I posted previously, but I made it differently in some key respects. Feel free to try my methods as well as others to develop your own special way of cooking, and to adjust for the flavors you like. One key difference in my cooking I think is the lack of super salty flavor. I've found that was the issue I had with most restaurant's otherwise amazing dishes. But since I make a ton of my own sauces and stuff now, overly salty flavors are not an issue for me anymore. Again, the lack of salt is my own personal preference, so if you like salt, I suggest you add a bit to any of the recipes you try on this blog ha ha. As always, use whatever veggies are in season and don't ever forget to visit your local Farmer's market. Nowadays, I rarely ever create recipes and cook with produce that is not in season. Fresh is key for me, and in season veggies taste loads different, not to mention the mass amounts of nutrients they contain. Also, you don't need the exact spices I've listed here except maybe the curry powder and garam masala, so feel free to use what you have readily available. Without further ado, hope you enjoy trying your hand at this smooth and tasty red curry.



Makes a medium sized pot's worth

Ingredients:

Step 1:

Fresh red peppers, cleaned and seeded, about a large handful's worth (less for less spicy)
Garlic, 5 cloves, chopped up liberally (will get blended anyway)
Ginger, chopped liberally, about 2 tablespoons worth
Red pepper powder(고춧가루), 1 to 2 teaspoons worth
Curry powder, 1 to 2 teaspoons worth (is a mix of ground coriander, turmeric, and cumin)
Garam masala, 1 teaspoon or less
Cumin seeds, 1/4 teaspoon
Whole anise seeds, 1/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon, a few sprinkles
Ground cloves, a few sprinkles
Dried herbs such as: oregano, cilantro, basil, parsley, a few sprinkles of each
Oil, for cooking (I prefer olive), 3 to 4 tablespoons

Further ingredients:

Coconut milk, 1 eight ounce can
Fresh green peppers, seeded and diced liberally, about a small handful
Onion, 2 small or 1 big, sliced into thin strips
1 medium to small pumpkin squash, skin cut off (or not), cut in cubes
Potatoes, unpeeled but washed thoroughly, 3 small or 2 medium, cut into cubes
Bay/Laurel leaves, 3 leaves

In the medium pot where the batch of curry will be made, place all the ingredients listed under step one, including the oil. Then turn on the heat to medium. Using a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients constantly as everything cooks making sure nothing sticks to the pan and that nothing burns. Cook like this for about 5 to 7 minutes or until everything is quite fragrant and the red chiles have a nice toast to them. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let sit for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, shake the can of coconut milk, rinse the top, and then pour the coconut milk into a blender. Add the contents of the pot and blend until everything is smooth and there are no more chunks of anything, about 20 seconds or so. Don't rinse the pot used to cook the red chiles.

In the same pot, place the green peppers and the sliced onion. Add about 2 to 3 tablespoons of cooking oil and fry for a bit over medium heat. Be sure to move everything around constantly so the leftover spices don't burn onto the pan, lower the heat if necessary. Keep cooking until the onions are braised or are no longer too hard.

Add the curry sauce from the blender to the pot and stir. Then add the cubed pumpkin squash, the potatoes, and the laurel/bay leaves. Stir everything. You may need to add a bit more water, use the now empty coconut can to do so to get all the extra bits of coconut milk you may have missed. Add enough liquid to cover the pumpkin and potatoes and stir.

Cook covered over medium heat until the mixture boils. Be watchful of it as it can boil over very quickly and leave you with a big mess if not careful. Simply uncover and stir a bit if it looks like it's about to boil over. Once boiling, turn the heat to the lowest setting and allow everything to cook slowly. You may also want to pop the lid just a tad bit to avoid any over-boil spill. The curry is ready when the potatoes and pumpkin are nice and soft, probably about 15 to 20 minutes of low boiling. Happy eats!