Makes at least eight servings, and can be kept in a refrigerator sealed for up to a week. The spice character is relatively mild, and the sweetness of the vegetables and coconut milk balance it very well.
This was something I came up with more or less by accident, as I wanted to experiment with Japanese curry rice, but decided to experiment with adding coconut milk instead of the typical apple juice and chicken broth. I didn't measure everything as carefully as I ought to have, so the amounts are approximate. I intend to come back to this later and pin down the best ratios by trial and error later, at which point I may get the figures in metric for those of you in the civilized world.
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons curry powder (I used a generic Madras powder, but you might want to try different mixtures to taste)
1 tablespoon garam masala (I used a homemade masala, but any suitable masala should work fine)
3-4 cups coconut milk
1 tbsp vegetable oil or clarified butter
1 tsp. salt
1 large yellow or sweet onion, roughly cut French style (in slivers)
2 chicken breasts, cubed into 1 inch pieces
1-1.5 cups baby carrots or thick-sliced carrot pieces
1 large potato, cut roughly into thick pieces
1/4 white or Napa cabbage, sliced into thin ribbons and quartered
3-4 cups water
In a large sauce pan, melt the butter, reduce temperature to low and the stir the flour into the butter to make a blonde roux. Add the curry powder and garam masala and stir in to make a spice roux. Add coconut milk and leave simmering on low.
In a large stock pot, heat the oil and add the sliced onion and salt. Sweat the onion until transparent.
Add the remaining vegetables, Pour in the gravy over them and stir in the water. Turn heat to a medium, cover and allow to come to a boil, stirring periodically to prevent it from scorching. Once at a boil, lower heat to lowest setting and uncover. Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring every five minutes. The gravy should thicken over this time.
Serve with a medium or long grain rice, Japanese style (half of the plate rice, the other half curry gravy).
Topic Author
