cooking

Curry Diary 4/27/2014: Milestone Curry #5: Adjusted Garlic and Flour

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Been awhile since an update on curry?  Well I was revising some of my plans, rechecking some measurements, and getting used to my new cookware (burnt the last batch a bit).

My big findings here were:

  • I doubled the garlic.
  • I tried oatmeal flour, since white flour is do dull, uninteresting, and not even that great nutritionally.

It came out really good!  It’s got a good level of richness, nice and tasty, definite milestone.  I might tone the garlic down just a bit – I want to eat a few more meals with it to really judge it.  I’m not ready to call it complete obviously, but it’s a definite milestone.

I also think the change in flour had a real effect.  Good Japanese Curry is about a kind of richness, and there’s so many choices out there to bring a rich flavor.  In this case I used oatmeal flour, but I wonder about whole wheat flour, besan, and other options.  White flour is just too dull.

So here’s the latest recipe!

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Black Bean Veggie Soup

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Been awhile since I posted recipes!  This one is a wonderful soup that’s sweet, tasty, and has a tough of spice to it. This is a go-to soup for me because it’s always worth making.

Makes 4 servings.

1 Tbs. olive oil
About 1 cup chopped onion (1 small)
About 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (1 small)
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
1 TBSP chili powder
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
11/2 cups cooked black beans, or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup green peas (frozen or fresh)
1 cup finely chopped carrots/grated
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp dried cilantro or 1/4 cup chopped.
2 Tbs. lime juice

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in the pot you plan to cook in (you can also use a BIG wok or frying pan to make the whole thing). Sautee onion and red pepper until softened.
  2. Add garlic and chili powder to pan, sautee for 3 minutes.
  3. Add broth, beans, peas, carrots, corn, and bay leaf. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, cook for 20 minutes to heat through.
  4. Remove bay leaf. Stir in cilantro and lime juice. Bring to simmer while stirring, serve.

This soup really is good any time of the year, and acts as a light main course, and could also be a good side dish. As a main course, I find it goes excellent with a salad that has a good dressing.

Notes:

  • The amount of chili powder may seem a lot for a mild soup, but it blends in well.
  • The sautéed onion and bell pepper actually add a kind of sweet taste, further amplified by the carrots and corn.
  • The key to this recipes taste is the order you cook things in. Note how things are cooked in different orders and added at different phases.