Massaman Curry

Mini Natalia shopping at a market in Thailand

When I was very little, we spent a year living in other places around the world. The place we stayed the longest at (long enough for me to attend school, and then refuse to go back to school in a temper tantrum) was Songkla, Thailand. We lived in a little house attached to other little houses, and hung out with the neighborhood children, and met people who were very different from us.

I think that this time I spent in Asia really shaped my tastebuds, as I grew up not really enjoying traditional "american" style food like meatloaf, and hamburgers (mac and cheese being my big exception) and instead loving the Thai food my mother would make, like fried wontons (called golden bags in her little cookbook) and curries.

The curry type that my mother loved to make more than all the others was called Massaman Curry. I don't make it very often, because in order to get Massaman Curry paste I have to go to Chinatown, and search through the little shops, which, while fun, can be time consuming, and in the winter it's so cold I like to stay inside rather than going to Chinatown. However, last weekend Matthew and I decided to go to lunch and get some bubble tea, and we stopped into a grocery store to pick up some bok choy. I saw little cans of Massaman curry paste, and decided "Yes... I'm getting this."

And I made a curry. A delicious, nostalgic curry.

Tofu Massaman Curry
Ingredients
Sauce:
2 Tbsp Massaman Curry Paste
1 Cup coconut milk
1 Cup vegetable stock

Ingredients:
1/2 Block tofu, cubed
1 can straw mushrooms, drained and chopped
1 cup chopped peppers
1/2 diced sweet potato
1 medium sized onion, diced
1 tbsp peanut oil (or another mild oil)
Vermicelli noodles or rice to serve

Directions
Mix together all of the sauce ingredients until smooth. What I then did was add the cubed tofu, and let it sit in the fridge overnight, but this is optional, I just like the flavor to soak into the tofu.
Heat a wok on med-high, and add the oil and onion. Saute until the onions are softened, and add in the mushrooms, peppers, and sweet potato. Saute for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Pour in the sauce and tofu, and check consistency of liquid. If it's thick, add in a bit of water or stock, until it's sort of thick, but also soupy. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to low, and allow to simmer.
Continue simmering until the sauce reduces and thickens.I simmered mine for about half an hour, but it might take longer, or shorter. Keep an eye on it, stirring every few minutes.
Serve over noodles or rice, and enjoy the magic.

Why I love my Crock Pot

I had this old clunky crock pot, which I'd bought for 15$ my first year of university. It worked well for the past 6 years, however time had diminished it. It was white, which was one of my first crock-pot buying mistakes, and thus had developed a yellow tinge, and was stained despite my best attempts to keep it clean. The heating elements were a bit shot, it was either not hot enough to heat the contents through, or scalding and wayyyyy too hot.

It was time for a new crock pot. Thus, Matthew and I decided to invest in one, a small two person one, that I could fill with only a few items. We've had it two months, and it's been AWESOME. (Also it's bright green, which makes me cheerful!)

So I decided to make one of Matthew's favorite dishes the other night, a simple Curry. A cheap Curry. A delicious Curry. This curry is not only delicious, filling, and healthy, it's also extremely cheap to make. The whole pot cost us less than 5$, as it uses some of the cheapest vegetables you can buy.

Simple Crock Pot Curry
Ingredients
1/4 cup coconut milk (or creamed coconut meat mixed with water, which is what I used. It comes in a box, and you can use as little or much as you like, and it lasts longer in the fridge, which is nice!)
1 tbsp Cornstarch
Vegetable Broth
3 Tbsp Curry Powder
2 tbsp Ketchup

1 Cup chopped cabbage
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 cup chopped Carrots
2 medium sized potatoes, diced
1 smallish can of corn
1/2 cup frozen peas

Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, ketchup, cornstarch, and curry powder until it is all combined. Set aside.
Turn your crockpot to low if it's the morning and you're gonna let it cook all day, or high if it's the afternoon and you want it in a few hours.
Toss in all the vegs except for the corn and peas. Toss in the coconut milk mixture, and pour in broth until the liquid comes almost to the top of the vegetables (but does not quite submerge them)
Give it a stir to mix everything together, and then leave it alone, mixing it every so often.
About 5-10 minutes before you're ready to eat it, stir in the frozen peas and can of corn, and let them heat through.
I served mine over some brown rice, which works very well, or you can just eat it alone!

Deceptively Fancy! 

Nom  Nom Nom

It was a delight to eat as well :)

Happy Fete Nationale- Simple Curry Noodles

Hi Everyone! And if you happen to be in the Province of Quebec, Happy Fete Nationale!

When I awoke this morning, I forgot it was a holiday in Quebec, and had gone downtown to pick up some things at the Canadian Tire, and was irked to find it closed.

Luckily, the asian Market downtown was open (The one on Saint Catherine near St. Marc) and I was able to pick up some shiritaki noodles and mushrooms for this yummy curry noodled dish!

It's very simple and easy, so prepare yourself for the yummies.

I may not have gotten the moving supplies I needed, but my break from packing is full of deliciousness. Recipe after the jump!