Curried Red Lentil Soup

An easy, hearty soup which can be prepared in under an hour thanks to the quick-cook properties of red lentils.

Ingredients:

• 2 yellow onions
  
• 1 lb carrots
  
• 1 garlic
  
• 1 heaped tablespoon hot curry paste
  
• 2 cups red lentils
  
• 1 can (796 ml) no-salt-added stewed tomatoes
  
• 1 can (540 ml) chick peas
  
• 4 cups herb broth
  
• cilantro
  
• olive oil for frying

Directions:

Peel and slice thinly onions, carrots and garlic.
Add curry paste and stir fry in olive oil until vegetables are soft.
Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Enjoy.

Curried Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon tomato/tamarind based curry paste (such as Patak's hot)
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
  
• 1 cup raisins
  
• 340 grams dry pasta shells or rotini
  
• 1/2 red pepper
  
• 1/2 green pepper
  
• 1/2 red onion
  
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
  
• 1/2 cup pine nuts

Directions:

Cook pasta, drain, and set aside to cool.
Combine curry paste, olive oil, stock and raisins in a saucepan.
Bring dressing to a boil, simmer for five minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
Slice peppers and onion thinly.
Chop parsley.
Toss pasta with dressing.
Mix in vegetables, parsley and nuts.
Serve chilled.

Devilled Eggs

Devilled eggs in true, flavourful, Polyphagous Dragon style.
These ain't no church-lady devilled eggs!

Ingredients:

• 5 large eggs, hardboiled, cooled & peeled
  
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
  
• 4 teaspoons HOT Caribbean style sauce (such as "Jamaica Hell Fire" or "Susie's Calypso")
  
• 1 teaspoon hot curry powder
  
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

Directions:

Cut eggs in half lengthwise and scoop out the yolks.
Mash yolks with a fork and mix with mayo, hot sauce, basil and spices.
Spoon (or pipe from a bag) yolk mixture back into wells in egg whites.
Serve chilled. (Just not at your church luncheon -- unless the attendees have been suitably warned!)

Shrimp Curry

A wonderful succulent and savoury shrimp curry, great as a crêpe filling or served over rice.



Ingredients:

• olive oil for frying
  
• 1 garlic, peeled and diced
  
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
  
• 2 inches ginger root, peeled and diced
  
• 2 tablespoons hot curry paste*
  
• 250 g carrots, julienned
  
• 250 g snow peas, sliced on the diagonal
  
• 2 cups coconut milk
  
• 1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced
  
• fresh cilantro leaves
  
• freshly squeezed juice of one lime
  
• 500 g shrimp**

Notes/Substitutions/etc.:

* I favour Patak's Madras curry paste, but there is a wide variety of excellent prepared curry pastes available for those of us without the time to prepare our own.

** If you are preparing the curry for use in crêpes or will be serving it to people who are squeamish about handling their food with their fingers, peel the shrimp and remove their tails before adding them to the curry.

Directions:

Stir fry onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil.


Add curry paste and mix well.

Add carrots and snow peas, continuing to stir fry until carrots soften slightly.


Add coconut milk and bring to a boil.


Reduce heat and simmer.

Add mango, chopped cilantro leaves and freshly squeezed lime juice.


Continue to simmer curry until flavours are well blended and the sauce has thickened.

Add shrimp during final few minutes of cooking and heat through.

This dish is best served fresh!

Chicken Curry

This recipe is a favourite at my dinner parties as a crêpe filling. It is also excellent served over rice. I take it wilderness camping, preparing the curry ahead of time and freezing it in airtight plastic freezer bags. The curry then serves as an ice pack for the rest of my food during the first couple of days of my trip. Once it has thawed out, it is time to enjoy it. Cook the rice over an open fire, then stir curry mixture into cooked rice and heat through.



Ingredients:

• 1 coconut
  
• approximately 1 cup hot water
  
• olive oil for frying
  
• 1 garlic, peeled and diced
  
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
  
• 1 inch ginger root, peeled and diced
  
• 1 lb chicken breasts *
  
• 2 tablespoons hot curry paste **
  
• 1 red pepper, seeded and diced
  
• 1 yellow pepper, seeded and diced
  
• 1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced
  
• fresh cilantro leaves
  
• freshly squeezed juice of one lime
  

Notes:

* I often work with chicken breasts pre-cut into strips for stir frying. This makes for quick, even cooking throughout without drying the outside of the chicken, and speeds up the work of dicing the cooked chicken.

** I favour Patak's Madras curry paste, but there is a wide variety of excellent prepared curry pastes available for those of us without the time to prepare our own.

Directions:

Drain and reserve water from coconut.
Bake coconut at 400°F for 15 minutes.
Break coconut open and pry flesh away from shell.
Peel brown skin off coconut flesh.
Purée coconut flesh in blender or food processor with reserved coconut water and enough additional water to make liquid up to 1.5 cups.
Allow pureéed coconut mixture to stand for 15 minutes.
Press coconut mixture through a fine sieve to extract milk.
Stir fry onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil.
Add chicken and continue stir frying until chicken is cooked through.
Dice chicken with spatula while continuing to cook. (Once cooked, it should slice easily with a plastic or rubber spatula.)
Add curry paste and mix well.
Add peppers, continuing to stir fry.
Add coconut milk and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer.
Add mango, chopped cilantro leaves and freshly squeezed lime juice.
Continue to simmer curry until flavours are well blended.

To fill crêpes:

Prepare crêpes.
Spoon curry mixture in a line across crêpe, 1/3 of the way in from one edge.
Fold near edge up over curry mixture and roll up crêpe to surround curry.
For best results, serve crêpe immediately.
When large quantities are required, place filled crêpes in a singler layer in a large baking pan (such as a lasagna pan) and warm in oven to heat through just before serving.

Curry Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• cooked chicken, diced
  
• "Sweet Mild Jakarta Curry Dip" *
  
• red bell pepper, diced
  
• yellow bell pepper, diced
  
• red onion or bunch of spring onions, diced
  
• mango, diced
  
• fresh mint leaves, chopped
  
• fresh cilantro, chopped
  

Substitutions:

* This is a "Compliments" brand dip, available from Sobey's. If you cannot acquire it, try your favourite curry paste mixed with a little mayonnaise and/or sour cream.

Directions:

Toss all ingredients together.
Enjoy on a sandwich or on salad greens.