Sweet, Adaptable Curry

This is a dish I play with and update fairly often. At Thai restaurants, I often order Massaman Curry. This is an ode to (but certainly not a duplicate of) this delicious, sweet curry.

Since I do not actually have a recipe (or even any idea of the amounts I use), this is more of a "how to" on how I prepare curry.

First, I always saute a large sweet onion and any other hard vegetables I want to include. My recent favorite has been sweet potatoes. Once the veggies are softened, but not totally cooked through, I add 3-4 tablespoons curry powder to the dish and allow it to cook into a roux. Once the roux is well developed (the curry powder should be fully incorporated with the fat in the pan), I turn down the heat and add coconut milk just a few tablespoons at a time. I don't know that there is a reason why I do this, but I like to add the thick fatty part of the coconut milk before I add the thinner liquid. I like my curry exceptionally creamy and coconut-y, so I use a full can of coconut milk, but that is certainly not necessary. Finally, I allow the curry to very gently simmer for another 30min to an 1hr so the flavors have the opportunity to fully marry. If the curry gets too thick in the process, I add a little broth to thin it out.

The fun part about making this curry is that it is really easy to change up. You can add any variety of vegetables and proteins. I just recently tried it out with tempeh as the protein and I added a tablespoon of sugar to make it even sweeter (maybe too sweet!). I also like to add veggies with some crunch, such as carrots (added toward the end so they don't soften up), bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts. Finally, curry loves added spice, so I often add a pinch of cinnamon, allspice, and/or cardamom. No matter what I decide to add, I always allow it to cook long enough so no one flavor sticks out too much. I also like to serve the curry with fluffy brown jasmine rice and some sort of leafy green.

Curry powder being added to sauteed onion and sweet potato

Curry as a well-developed roux

The addition of the coconut milk