Spring into seasonal curries
It feels like spring might finally be here (not just on paper), though I’m not quite ready to break out the barbecue yet.
This week I felt like adding a bit of spice and gentle heat to some spring vegetables in a couple of curries. Both are incredibly quick and easy to make, so are suitable for a mid-week dinner with great leftovers for reheating at work. If you usually grab a Friday night takeaway with mates, these make an excellent homemade alternative.
The first curry has a mellow, round heat with the yellow curry paste, sweet red pepper, ku¯ mara and chicken. I love serving this topped with the crunch of fried shallots or roasted peanuts and some fresh, fragrant coriander.
The second curry is even faster to make – packed with bright green snow peas, asparagus, peas and prawns, it gets a lively fresh kick from kaffir lime and a squeeze of fresh lime juice before serving. Amp up the heat factor with as much chilli as you want as garnish.
I always serve curries with some kind of bread for soaking up the remnants – naan, paratha or roti – and you can change up the traditional rice with an option of thick noodles.
Yellow chicken and ku¯ mara curry Serves: 3-4 Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 22 minutes
600g chicken thighs
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, sliced into wedges 1 tablespoon grated ginger 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1⁄4 cup yellow curry paste 425ml coconut milk
1⁄3 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 stalk lemongrass
2 small ku¯ mara, peeled and sliced
1⁄4 cup fried shallots
1 ⁄ 4 cup picked coriander leaves Noodles or rice to serve
Trim excess fat from the chicken thighs and cut each into three pieces. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pot and add the onion. Cook over a medium heat for five minutes then add the ginger, garlic and curry paste. Cook, stirring, for two minutes, then add the coconut milk, water, sugar, and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer.
Bang the lemongrass with the end of a rolling pin and add to the curry with the trimmed chicken and sliced kumara. Simmer over a medium heat, covered, for 15 minutes until the chicken and ku¯ mara are cooked through. Serve on noodles or rice, topped with coriander and a sprinkling of fried shallots.
Green prawn and asparagus curry Serves: 3-4 Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking: 15 minutes
1 tablespoon oil 1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1⁄4 cup green curry paste
425ml light coconut milk
2 double kaffir lime leaves
2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons fish sauce
400g raw prawn cutlets
6 stalks asparagus, trimmed and halved 1 cup snow peas or sugar snap peas
1⁄2 cup peas
1 red chilli, finely sliced
2 limes, halved
Noodles or rice to serve
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pot or large, deep frying pan and add the onion. Cook over a medium heat for five minutes then add the ginger and curry paste. Cook, stirring, for two minutes, then add the coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, sugar, and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer.
Add the prawns and simmer over a medium heat for four minutes then add the asparagus, snow peas and peas and cook a further three to four minutes. Serve on noodles or rice, topped with a sprinkling of chopped chilli and a squeeze of fresh lime.