A number of years ago, my wife, our 20 month old son and I lived in Singapore for ten weeks. During that time, I developed a taste for curry that we could purchase at a hawker market less than one block away. Many evenings, my wife of four years and I would walk down to the hawker stands and enjoy a meal of satay or curried lamb or chicken. I loved it any way I could find it. Unfortunately, I never took the time to learn how it was made while we lived there. When we returned to the States several years later, after almost four years in the Philippines, I longed again for that taste and experience. The thing I remembered most was the blend of curried meat and a variety of condiments.
This evening, my son called for the recipe and I was once again transported to 1981 and our time in Singapore. So, Son. Here's my version of curry. Those of you from Asian-Indian heritage, please forgive this Westerner for his doubtless flawed attempt to duplicate the rich culinary heritage of your culture.
My Version of Curried Meat
Brown 1 - 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef, lamb or turkey.
Drain grease and add 1 cup water or chicken broth
Add to taste:
2 - 2 1/2 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste
(optional: coconut milk)
Simmer until water mostly absorbed. Meat will be basically dry. Serve over rice with the following condiments.
In separate bowls:
Raisins
Bananas - chopped
Pineapple - chopped
Shredded coconut
Peanuts
Cucumber - chopped
Sweet bell pepper - chopped
Tomato - chopped
When you eat the curry, take a different combination of the condiments with each bits. You'd be amazed at the variety of flavors.
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