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Vegetarian Tempeh Curry - Indian Recipe
  My friend Pandora introduced me to Curry. Actually she introduced me to a lot of ethnic food. Growing up in Iowa I didn't really get many chances to try food from other countries. Sure there was the Chinese place that served cashew chicken and the Mexican place with burritos, but you know what I mean.I met Pandora while I was an intern at Longwood Gardens. She was a fellow intern and got herself hired. For all I know she is still there. This is Pandora at Wave Hill Gardens. She's also the one who did country themed dinner parties. I borrowed that idea from her. So far I've only done two, Italian and Turkish, but I'm hooked, I want to do more. She also took me my first Indian restaurant. I couldn't get enough of it, we took 45 minute commutes for the Saturday buffet; hmmm I can't remember the name. It was north of Wilmington, Delaware in Pennsylvania - I'm thinking somewhere near King of Prussia. Indian food is one of the few foods I like as a buffet ? everything is good except the soggy naan.  It was Jamie, another fellow intern, who showed me you could buy curry mixes from the grocery store. We made them with tempeh because Jamie is a vegetarian. For a long time I associated the taste of curry with tempeh. I also associate it with folk music. Here's Jamie at the Spring Gulch Folk Festival. Good times. I did some experimenting with curries in Panama. (There is a suprisingly high Mandrin and Indian population in Panama.)  It was there that I met Drew another Peace Corps Volunteer. He was up helping us with a Sex and Aids charla (talk); he showed us how to make coconut milk from the coconut. It's time consuming, but when you live in the middle of no-where with no electricity, it's fun entertainment. Actually cooking was my main passtime in Panama. From that fresh coconut milk we made the most delicious pineapple curry. It's sweet and sour and soaked in rich coconut broth. Now that's a recipe I should share. I think I have it written down somewhere. I even found a photo of Drew on FaceBook opening up a pipa (young coconut) with a machette. Drew's still in Panama. He?s gone native; built himself a house and is working as the lead engineer on a clinic being built in the Darien. With help from my three muses I have come up with a tasty curry I can make in Iowa. It's not authentic in anyway. I've never tried formal Indian cooking (although I should). These days I have to get my coconut milk from a can. This is not local food at all. I think the closest palm trees are at least three states away, but every once in a while it's a delicious treat. Food for me is fuel for my body completely encased in culture and memories. This dish has a ton of memories and it delicious! The ingredient photo:  Vegetarian Tempeh Curry 2 carrots, slivered 1 onion, chopped 4 mushrooms, sliced 1 celeriac root, julienned 2 potatoes, cubed 1 package of tempeh, cubed 1/2 tablespoon Muchi curry powder 1 thumb fresh ginger, grated 2 tablespoons garlic, minced 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 14 oz can coconut milk (unsweetened) 1 1/2 cups stock (chicken or veggie) 1 cup fresh cilantro 1/2 cup Mung bean sprouts Canola oil Salt to taste Step 1: Start by chopping up the vegetables. Then, sauté everything in batches. This is the best way I have found to make sure everything is just the right tenderness. You want the veggies to be softened, but not mushy. Using a skillet over medium high heat add a little bit of oil, sauté the onions and mushrooms together. When they are slightly undercooked you want take them off the heat and put them in a bowl. Repeat this with the rest of the vegetables. Sauté the carrots and celeriac together, then the tempeh and finally the potato. You should now have all the sautéed ingredients in the bowl. Step 2: In a 5-quart pot sauté the garlic, ginger, curry, and turmeric a little bit of oil. When the ingredients are fragrant and starting to brown add in the coconut milk and stock. Allow the coconut milk mixtures to come to a simmer. Leave the mixture uncovered and let it reduce until it is starting to thicken and get creamy (about 20 minutes). Step 3: Mix in all the sautéed vegetables into the 5 quart pot of coconut sauce and continue heating until the mixture starts to simmer again. This will finish cooking the vegetables and bring everything up to the same temperature. Step 4: Take the curry off the heat and mix in cilantro serve over basmati rice with a sprinkle of Mung bean sprouts on top. Makes 4 good sized servings.   related searches : Vegetarian
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