Recipes from around the world: Curry

// Read in German

Yesterday I have posted what I had for lunch on Instagram and received so much feedback. Many people were asking me to share the recipe, hence I spontaneously decided to create a new category on the blog where I can share the dishes that I cook on a regular basis.

I have to admit though, that I don’t really cook with recipes, especially since living in Singapore. That comes with Singapore cuisine encompassing diverse elements of the culinary culture of Singapore that is derived from several groups. The influences include cuisines of the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians, as well as Indonesian, Peranakan, and also Western traditions. Mostly it is the diverse smells and aromas of Singapore’s streets that inspire me to cook a certain dish hence I don’t have a recipe to follow but just go freestyle.

That said, I am happy to share my dishes with you but you will not likely find any proper “recipe” or information about the quantities of the components. I usually just try to balance the various ingredients and usually cook for two people though we most of the time can eat two days in a row.

The inspiration for the curry dish that I had for lunch yesterday didn’t come from Singapore’s streets but from our trip to Thailand in March. After eating fantastic green and red curry dishes there, I couldn’t wait to make my own version at home. Since then, we eat the curry almost once a week, it’s just so easy and quick to make. In order to keep the food varied, I change in the use of red and green curry paste as a base and also in the ingredients.

You need

• Curry paste (I use red or green depending on the mood. Green will usually set the base for a rather fruity, fragrant curry while red will usually turn out more spicy and hot.

• Curry base: ginger, garlic, chilis (red or green), spices as curry, turmeric, thai curry)

• Vegetables: (I use whatever I have at home. Most of the time, it’s sweet potatoes, carrots, eggplant, champignons, zucchini, pak choi, tomatoes, and red onions.

• Sometimes I add chickpeas or (red) lentils, too.

• I don’t cook meat or fish (at home) but I imagine that chicken or tofu might be a good addition if you crave extra protein.

• Coconut oil

• one package of coconut milk

• Thai rice

That’s what I do:

1. Heat up 3 tbsp coconut oil in a pot, fry about 2-3 tbsp curry paste, and your “curry base” (ginger, garlic, chilis, spices).

2. add your vegetables (except for pak choi, tomatoes and red onions) and let them simmer in the base

3. After a while, add enough water (mixed with coconut milk if you like) that all vegetables are covered, bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer, stir a little here and then

4. When adding lentils, now it’s the time. It will make your curry creamier

5. Cook thai rice in the meantime

6. After about 20 minutes, add a package coconut milk to the pan, stir

7. In the last step, add Pak Choi, red onions, and tomatoes and let it sink in for about 1-2 minutes.

8. Serve on rice.