So I love a good Massaman Curry, but some ingredients are hard to find for the every day consumer, like tamarind paste and lemongrass. I did a little research to find the flavor profiles of these ingredients and what could be easily substituted to resemble them in a dish. My Massaman Curry is a recipe that anyone can make with what they can find at an average grocery store. Yes I know Worcestershire sauce is not in the Indian culture, but it helps give the savory note that comes through in tamarind paste and I paired it with apricot preserves because tamarind is savory, sweet and slightly tangy.
I love this dish because it is a 1 pot meal and after cooking the beginning sauce ingredients for a few minutes, you add the rest and let it cook to develop those delicious flavors!! This recipe is an amazing flavorful vegetarian dish for your meatless Monday and you didn’t have to order Indian takeout to get it!
Recipe:
Serves 5-6
Ingredients:
1 Large Sweet Potato - peeled and cubbed (around 3 1/2 cups)
1 Medium Eggplant - cubbed (around 5 cups)
1 - 13.5 oz can Reduced Fat Coconut Milk
1/2 cup Water
1/2 Large Sweet Onion - small chopped (around 1 cup chopped)
1 1/2 tsp Fresh Ginger - peeled and minced
2 Garlic Cloves - minced (around 2 tsp)
1/4 cup Natural Chunky Peanut Butter
1 tbsp Honey
Zest of 1 lemon (1 tsp)
Juice of 1/4 of a Lemon (1 tbsp juice)
1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
2 tsp Apricot Preserves
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 tsp Chili Pepper Hot Sauce (I used Trader Joe’s but any chili pepper hot sauce will do)
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Garlic Powder
Serving Ingredients (Optional):
Basmati Rice, or Your Favorite Rice
Directions:
1. Add the ingredients starting at the onions down to the garlic powder to a large deep dish pan (this excludes the water, coconut milk, sweet potato and eggplant) and cook on high heat for 1 min or until it starts bubble, stirring once.
2. Add the 13.5 oz can reduced fat coconut milk and 1/2 cup water. Stir the paste into the liquid until incorporated and then, bring the sauce to a boil.
3. Add the cubed sweet potato and eggplant to the pan, stirring to fully incorporate and bring the mixture back to a boil. Then, turn the heat on medium low (simmer) and cover.
4. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the sweet potato pieces are fork tender. Serve over basmati rice or your favorite rice!