SOUL FREAKING DELICIOUS: GOLDEN SWEET POTATO CURRY

After a tremendous hiatus, I am back. Life has turned me upside down this winter but is returning to normal this March. I lost my grip in December because I received notice that my lease was ending and there wasn't an option to resign. The market is motivating a lot of property owners to sell their rentals and rent is higher than a mortgage payment. Even with that knowledge, I didn't feel ready to buy a house, however, that is exactly what we did. The process was long, stressful, and at times painful.

Now our family owns a home and that feels stressful, but I do take comfort knowing so long as we are responsible with our finances we won't have to move in a year with only thirty days notice. The last three months have been overwhelming and I'm ready to get a grip on our chaos.

That begins with food. A sturdy meal with whole foods and warm flavors provides a much-needed foundation for this next chapter. This recipe originally comes from Epicurious. They have a free app available in whatever marketplace you find your apps. I made some last-second changes and always try to provide suggestions on how to make this recipe better for everyone's taste.

Golden Sweet Potato Curry is warm and flavorful. I used golden sweet potatoes because that's what I had at home, and the flavor is a little more intense. I made the curry alongside some steamed rice and some pork potstickers that didn't really turn out. The recipe makes a bunch so I was eating curry through the week for lunch. Packed with tons of vegetables and no meat. This recipe is vegan, vegetarian, and definitely delicious.
 

For the recipe you'll need:

1 stalk of lemongrass, remove the tough outer layer and roughly chop
2-inch piece of ginger peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
Kosher salt
¼ cup red curry paste
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes
25 oz of coconut milk or 2 (13.5 oz) cans of coconut milk
1 ½ lb of garnet sweet potatoes or golden ( your preference) chopped into bite-size pieces
¾ lb of carrots sliced on a diagonal
6 medium-sized shallots, peeled and quartered. Maintain the shallots roots
1 Thai red chile
1 tablespoon lime juice
Steamed rice for serving
Garnish with green onion, basil, wedges of lime, and cilantro

Begin by preparing the lemongrass, ginger, and garlic.

I cheated, I purchased the bottled minced ginger from the store because the regular ginger wasn't in its normal place.

I usually rough up my lemongrass by whipping it against the counter or rolling it against the counter to loosen up the layers and release some of the oils.

Once everything is peeled and roughly chopped, add the ingredients to a food processor. Blend until finely chopped.
 

Heat oil in a large stockpot or dutch oven. Once the oil shimmers, add the finely chopped mix from the food processor to the pot. Stir often. When the mix becomes fragrant add some salt and continue to stir.

Add the curry and tomato paste, stir until the mix becomes dark in color. The flavor is caramelizing in the tomatoes giving the flavor more depth. Don't rush flavor, although this shouldn't take more than 3 minutes. You definitely don't want to burn those elements. Add the crushed tomatoes to deglaze the pot. Please feel free to scrape those caramelized bits off the bottom of your pan and incorporate them well. After approximately 5 minutes the mixture begins to thicken and that's when you should add the coconut milk.

You'll look for a brick red color in the tomato paste.

I went with the carton of coconut milk because that's what I had. I think I did that on purpose because canned coconut milk has a very strong flavor and I'm usually not a fan of the taste. The cold coconut milk found in the dairy section of the grocery store isn't as strong and in this recipe, I really prefer to taste the tomatoes and the curry without coconut.

Season with salt again.

Bring the stock to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes.

While the stock builds flavor begin preparing the vegetables and start the rice.

Cook rice according to the package directions.

Peel the potatoes and chop into bite-sized chunks. Peel the carrots and cut on a diagonal without slicing your finger off. Throw them in the pot as soon as you can. Top the pot off with enough water to submerge the vegetables and cover partially to boil. This should take about 15 minutes.

During this next 15 minutes prepare the shallots. Add the shallots to the pot and cook until the veggies are fork-tender. After about 20 minutes toss in the chile and lime, remove from the heat.
 

To serve:
Spoon rice onto a plate, top with a generous serving of curry, and garnish with some cilantro, basil, green onion, and more lime!

To find the original recipe follow the link here:

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/sweet-potato-curry-51259330

This dish was fulfilling, relatively quick to cook, and perfect for the last trails of winter. The recipe serves 12 hungry people and if not makes even better leftovers. I have friends always needing more ideas for meatless dinners and this is my new highest recommendation. There is always more room for more vegetables like corn, bell peppers, or mushrooms. The potatoes are filling and full of starch so beware of serving sizes.

If you want to add some meat to this dish, a nice cut of beef would do well with the potatoes and carrots. A hearty stew with a nice kick of curry. I would opt for a chicken to keep the dish a little lighter.

The garnishes really do liven the plate up and the lime feels essential. The acidic kiss really takes the spice to a new level.