Summer Veggie Green Curry

Summer Veggie Green Curry

green curry

This dish is a seasonal standard in our house, the flavors are just so yummy.  Plus this is a great way to clean out your summer refrigerator or to try a vegetable you’re unfamiliar with.  If you think you don’t like eggplant, just toss a bunch of it into this green curry. You can’t go wrong. Make a big pot of rice and you’ve got a one-dish meal.

Summer Veggie Green Curry

Ingredients

For the Curry Sauce:

3 Tbs coconut oil
3 Tbs curry powder
5 cloves of garlic
2 Tbs fresh ginger, grated (or 1 Tbs of dried, ground ginger)
1/2 of a large onion
1-5 serrano, cayenne, or jalepeno peppers, depending on spice preference
1 stalk of lemongrass leaves (I like to buy the tiny jars of lemongrass paste at World Market.)
Juice of 1 lime
2 cans of coconut milk

2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

 

For the vegetables:

Olive or peanut oil
6 bell peppers
3-4 slender Japanese eggplant, sliced on a bias into 1″ thick oblong slices (can sub Fairy Tale or Italian)
3 onions (I used white)
1 lb of red or yellow potatoes

(you can sub in squash, zucchini, green beans, all sorts of things work in this dish._
2-3 Tbs. fish sauce
2 cups of basil leaves, chopped

 

 

pan seared eggplant and peppers

Directions

  • Prepare the sauce: place all ingredients in a blender with one can of the coconut milk and blend until quite smooth. (You can also use an immersion blender) Add chicken stock and hold back that extra can of coconut milk till you see how much sauce you need to cover all your veggies. Set sauce aside. You can prepare the curry sauce up to one day ahead of time and store in the fridge. The flavors will meld and intensify as it sits.
  • I find I rarely need to salt and drain Japanese varieties of eggplant to remove bitterness, but if your eggplant are several days old, you’ll probably want to.  Slice them into 1″ thick oblong ovals and sprinkle very generously with salt. Allow them to drain in a large colander for at least 30 minutes and for up to 3 hours.  Pat them dry with paper towels when ready to cook.
  • Cube the potatoes. Simmer them in the curry sauce until they are nearly cooked through.
  • Chop your bell peppers and onions into large 1-2″ pieces.
  • In a very hot, large skillet with a little coconut oil, sear and blister the eggplant for 2 minutes, in small batches. Add the onion and continue to saute for 1 minute. Add the bell pepper and saute for 1 minute more. You want the veggies to stay crisp so careful not to overcook.
  • Transfer the sauteed vegetables into the curry pot with the potatoes.  If it isn’t saucy enough for you, now’s a good time to add the remaining coconut milk. simmer for 2-5 minutes until vegetables are softened to your liking (I prefer them still firm, bright, and the peppers still crisp).
  • Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the fish sauce, chopped basil leaves, and a generous sprinkling of salt.  Serve with steamed white rice.