Easy Tiki Masala (red) Curry (plus tips and history)

 I LOVE curry. It can bring together nearly any assortment of vegetables and almost always turn out awesome. It's really good for when you have a bunch of random stuff in the fridge :) I'm pretty sure its one of the most versatile foods. In case you've never had it before, here are some examples of different kinds....

Green curry, which is very basic and is usually (as far as I know) made with green curry paste that comes in a jar. It's really creamy and super good :)

Then there's Tiki Masala (or red) curry, which is made with tomatoes and cream and it goes well with LOTS of different veggies.

And my favorite is Korma (or yellow) curry, which uses a coconut milk base and lots of spices.

     It can have chicken or pork (or be vegetarian) and be green, yellow or red. Curry is from Indian and Thai descent, and is most common in those cuisines. Curry powder is not actually a spice, but a mixture of spices that dates back to 1700 BC in ancient Mesopotamia, then introduced in England as early as the 1300's. Korma curry is by far my favorite, so I am going to show you how to make it (not the traditional way, but the awesome way. Also my way is easier.) Here's how to do it (or at least how I do it).

Ingredients: 

• 1 jar (approx. 15 oz.) Tiki Masala simmer sauce
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 yellow (or crookneck squash), sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1 can chickpeas (or 1 c. dried and soaked)
• 1-2 c. snap peas
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• a package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (however much you want, it doesn't really matter)

1. Boil a big pot of water (about two quarts or so) and add the carrots and potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes and drain.
2. Heat up a deep skillet (you're going to have to fit everything in here eventually) and cook the chicken until all pieces are white on the outside. Add the simmer sauce and (well...simmer...) for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked throughout. 
3. Add the rest of the veggies, including the pre-cooked carrots and potatoes. You can add basil if you want at this point.
4. Serve over sticky rice, or with Naan bread.

Watermelon-Lime Syrup and Snow Cones

     So it's the beginning of summer and I live in the middle of (basically) nowhere, too far from anywhere that has cold drinks and snacks. I have always wondered if it would be possible (an if so, how difficult) to make snow cones at home so today i spent my morning creating this recipe (tell me what you think)

First, put the watermelon pieces in a saucepan over low heat to release the juice (yum!) 

Try to break it up into a pulp (could be difficult depending on how ripe your watermelon is) and pour through a mesh strainer to get rid of the chunks. Return the liquid back into the pan. Add the sugar, corn starch and lime juice and simmer until thickened.


*To make snow cones, pour the syrup over shaved ice (you can do it in the blender if you don't have a snow cone maker) and garnish with lime wedges


The Recipe:



  Ingredients:

• 4 c. of watermelon, cubed
• 2 1/2 c. (or so) of white sugar
• about 4 T. lime juice
• lime wedges to go on the side of the glass (optional but STRONGLY recommended)

1.  Put the watermelon chunks into a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes. When the watermelon starts heating up, poke each piece a few times to release the juice (yum!)
2. When the pieces are mostly broken down into a pulp, pour liquid through a mesh strainer and return to the pan. Add corn starch, sugar and lime juice. While whisking, simmer on medium heat until thickened.