I think there is some confusion on curries. Many Americans associate curry with the lovely yellow powdered spice blend we buy at the grocery store. In reality curry is a Western term for any dish of Southern or Southeastern Asian origin that uses mixes of herbs and spices usually including some sort of chile. They can be wet or dry. Dry curries are dry and don’t have any sauce. Wet curries have a gravy-like sauce that uses coconut milk, broth, or yogurt as a base. From town to town in Southeast Asia, each has its own take on curry, with a different blend of spices and a different heat profile, use this to your advantage and find a blend that suits your family’s tastes.

The turmeric-based powder labelled curry powder you might find in the store is actually closely related to Tamil Sambar powder. Curry powder contains turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, mustard, fenugreek, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and chile powder. Sambar powder is spicier (hotter) and will make thicker sauces due to the inclusion of chickpea flour. However, Sambar powder usually is not carried by your local grocer (and surprisingly was not available at either of my prefered specialty shops.) Now if you have a local Indian market and can get real Sambar powder, please do, your curries will taste all the better. In an effort to use what I already have (and I have a really great spicy toasted curry powder,) I will just adjust my recipe accordingly.

Curry is a great way to get your family to eat veggies. Many vegetables are transformed into sauce-delivery mechanisms. Because the sauce is so complex and has so many different flavors it complements most vegetables well. We love to throw in green beans, broccoli, kale, or spinach into Tamil coconut curry, almost like paella, whatever we have on hand is a candidate. We here at ONK encourage you to try new vegetable combinations and find something that your family loves.

Tamil Coconut Curry Sauce

• 1 can, (15 oz) coconut cream
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 Tablespoons hot mustard
• 1/4 cup curry powder
• 1 tsp chile paste

Mix all ingredients in blender, food processor, or an immersion blender friendly vessel. Pulse to purée to a paste. Take it easy on the chile paste the first few times you execute this recipe. Remember, it’s easier to spice it up on the plate than it is to tone it down if you over-add it to the sauce.

Let’s Make a Meal:

• 1 pound pork or chicken, cubed
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 head of cauliflower florets
• 4 carrots, chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
• 4 red potatoes, chopped
• 1 can (15 oz) chick peas (ComputerNerd doesn’t like them so I leave them out when he is eating)
• Sauce

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown your meat on all sides. Add in the onion and continue to cook for three minutes stirring often. Add the sauce and potatoes, cover and reduce heat. Allow your potatoes to simmer for seven minutes. Add in the remaining vegetables and cover. Continue to steam until the vegetables are tender but not soft. Serve over jasmine rice.