March 5th, 2016
It’s been a long time since I first thought of making curry ice cream, and I finally got around to it this winter. I thought this was a good time to share it, for those of you in seasonal climates, feeling the first signs of spring among the remaining chill of winter. You might associate ice cream with balmy weather, but the many spices in this recipe provide an earthy, invigorating, and overall warming effect.
I have a friend who’s lived most of her life convinced that she strongly dislikes Indian cuisine, especially any dishes having to do with curry. Things have changed for her recently, after taste testing many curry-centric dishes in my kitchen, which I have, somewhat strategically, asked her to try. For better or for worse, I’m the type of person, who often makes it their goal to get people to like whole food-based ingredients they have rejected. That might be one of the reasons I have this blog! To end the story, my friend has grown to not just like, but love curry, and she now frequently makes it at home. She has also turned out to be the number one fan of this ice-cream, so this one’s for her.
This story might be proof of the theory that any type of food can be delicious if made from scratch, with the right ingredients and attention. It also reminds me to keep trying foods I think I dislike, in hopes of developing a taste for them.
This ice-cream was a big hit among those who tried it. The mingling of sweet and savory, creamy and spicy makes for a bold and complex flavor. And you might be thinking this same thing at this point – it would be interesting to try making curry ice cream with no sweetener, to serve next to savory dishes. I will certainly be doing that one day soon.
Curry Coconut Ice Cream
Note: If you are looking for a trusted source for buying your spices, Mountain Rose Herbs is an excellent online herb and spice shop, stocking all the freshest, organic spices you will need for this recipe and beyond.
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 whole cloves
3 green cardamom pods
2 black peppercorns
2 cups coconut milk
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1-inch fresh ginger root – peeled, sliced and crushed with a knife
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon xanathan gum or 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1. Toast whole dried spices in a medium, heavy-bottom sauce pan over medium low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant. Coarsely crush spices in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder. Return to the pan, add coconut milk, turmeric and ginger. Bring to a boil over medium heat, lower the heat to a slow simmer and cook for 20 minutes, partially covered. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. If you have a high-speed blender such as Blendtech or Vitamix, pour milk with spices into the blender, add maple syrup and xanathan gum/arrowroot powder and blend until smooth. If you have a regular blender, strain the milk and discard spices. Add strained milk into the blender with maple syrup and xanathan gum/arrowroot powder and blend to combine.
3. Place the mixture in the refrigerator and let chill thoroughly, preferably overnight. Churn in an ice-cream machine for 20-25 minutes or according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Scoop into a container and freeze for at least 4 hours. When the ice-cream becomes hard, let it soften at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Tags: curry, dessert, ice cream, vegan
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February 22nd, 2015
I’ve been on a forbidden black rice kick this winter. I love its pleasant texture, mild flavor and sweet aroma, and it also makes for some very pretty meals. We’ve been living off of variations of this salad for our lunches, but this version, with curried chickpeas, toasted pine nuts, squash or sweet potato and chard is my favorite. This recipe utilizes chard stems as well as leaves – I always think it’s a shame when recipes instruct to discard the stems, especially when they are as beautiful as on this rainbow chard I picked up. The key is to cook the stems a little longer than the leaves, so that they are soft and not too chewy.
For this recipe, I made my own curry spice mix from Amy Chaplin’s book, and I cannot recommend this enough. Homemade curry tastes worlds better than any store bought curry mix ever will. It’s just a matter of toasting, grinding and mixing fresh spices (a fun process if you ask me) and is completely worth the extra effort.
I developed this recipe for Natural Vitality, a line of premium quality natural supplements, see the recipe here.
Tags: black rice, chard, chickpeas, curry, pine nuts, salad
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January 12th, 2015
Ever since I learned about the possibility of riceless risotto, it has become a staple lunch and dinner in our home. In this type of dish, rice gets replaced with rice-sized ‘grains’ made up of a chopped vegetable. I’ve made it my mission to try making ‘rice’ of all kinds of veggies, and so far I’ve really enjoyed riceless risotto made with broccoli stems, cauliflower and rutabaga.
Many winter vegetables work very well for replacing rice in risotto, and winter squash is at the top of that list. For this version, I used kabocha squash and curry spice for their warming wintery flavors, with a healthy dose of kale. The result is a very comforting and nourishing dish that can work as a main or side.
Since preparing this post, I tried out different types of winter squashes in the recipe, and all of them work equally well. The only thing to note is that cooking time varies according to the type of squash you use (for example, buttercup squash requires less cooking time than kabocha), so I recommend tasting and adjusting as you go.
serves 4-6
1 bunch kale – stems removed, leaves chopped into bite size pieces
1/2 medium kabocha squash or other winter squash – roughly chopped, skin removed
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 large onion – finely chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder (I used homemade curry from this amazing book)
sea salt
1 1/2 cup warm good quality vegetable broth
1 cup unsweetened canned coconut milk, plus more if needed
1/2 lime – juice
Parmesan or sheep/goat milk feta – to taste, optional
freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add kale, blanch for 3 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water. Squeeze with you hands to remove water excess, set aside.
2. Pulse kabocha squash pieces in a food processor into rice sized pieces. You may need to work in batches, depending on the size of your food processor.
3. Warm coconut oil in a large pan over medium low heat, add onions and saute for about 7-10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add curry, squash and large pinch of salt, saute for 1 minute.
4. Add 1 cup veggie broth and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add another 1/2 cup veggie broth and cook for another 5 minutes. Add coconut milk and cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Add kale, stir it into the risotto and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste the risotto at this point. If kabocha”rice” seems not soft enough to your taste, cook it for another 2-5 minutes. Add more broth or coconut milk, a little bit at a time, if needed.
6. Remove from heat, add a generous squeeze of lime juice and cheese if using. Taste for salt and spices, add salt and/or freshly ground black pepper, if desired. Garnish with parsley and serve warm.
Tags: curry, kabocha, kale, mains, riceless risotto, squash
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