CURRIED VEGGIES WITH SHRIMP

Indian is one of my favorite ethnic foods; I love the spices and variety of an Indian buffet.  I have taken Indian cooking classes and read various Indian cook books but rarely have the time or patience to make it quite like the restaurants do.  Here is my own variation of Curry Veggies with shrimp (or you can use chicken).  

As you can see below I used the store bought curry in this recipe to 'keep it simple'.  There are many store bought Curries that I have have good flavor.  If I use store curry, I always use extra fresh ginger, garlic, onions and cumin powder or seed to make up for some of the lost flavor in the shelved pre-ground mixes.  

If I have more time I like to make my own curries.  I recommend reading Madhur Jaffreys book 'An Invitation to Indian Cooking'.  This was her first book written in 1973 and the copy I have, has no pictures, newer copies might.  She doesn't just have recipes but great description.  Madhur considers the word 'Curry' as degrading to most Indians and as a 'catchall' word that the Brits created as an oversimplification for Indian cuisine.  She's states that Indians when speaking in their own language don't use the term 'Curry', they refer to each dish with a specific name.  The English term 'Kari' means sauce or mixture of spices.  I used to always buy curry powder at the store until I read her book.  She recommends buying whole spices, roasting then grinding them yourself in small quantities.  A blend of whole spices that is popular in Indian dishes is called Garam Masala; cardamon pods, black peppercorns, cumin seed, coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, & whole cloves.  I dry roast what whole spices I like in a pan on medium heat, until the seeds start to pop & release flavor (be careful not to burn) then cool & grind.  There is no perfect science to making curry, lots of combinations of spices are good together.

Ingredients;
2 tablespoon of oil (sesame or olive oil)
1 med onion chopped
1/2 of a green pepper chopped
2 tablespoons of ginger diced small
1 cup of carrots (or sweet potatoes)
3 cloves of garlic diced small
1 head of cauliflower about 1-2 cups
2 tablespoons of curry powder or more
1 can of garbonzo beans
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of coconut milk
1 bunch cilantro chopped (leave some aside to garnish the top)
1 cup of frozen peas

1-2 cups of shrimp or chopped chicken (optional)

Saute first 4 ingredients on high heat until onions soft & translucent.  Then add the next 4 ingredients & saute for a few minutes, then add the next 4 ingredients, cover and simmer on low heat for 15-20 min, until carrots are soft.  Lastly add frozen peas saute for a couple minutes until thawed, then put over rice or potatoes.  Garnish the top with cilantro.

You can add most any variety of veggies.  I usually like to use at least 3 different kinds that have different colors.  You can use fresh tomatoes instead of canned or omit tomatoes.  I also like to add sweet potatoes or regular potatoes.  If I add potatoes, I boil them in salted water first (with or without skin) then chop and add toward the end.  This really is a very easy recipe! I have also added all ingredients to my slow cooker and let it simmer all day on med heat.  If you use a slow cooker add the shrimp last. Enjoy!