Caribbean Curry

Ah, the history of a dish.

This Caribbean Curry was the first intentionally vegetarian recipe I ever created. I came up with it about 5 years ago to woo and impress my almost-boyfriend-at-the-time. He was a fairly strict vegan while I was still eating whatever I could afford and could be found within the confines of my fridge. Like so many works of art, this curry was inspired by love. Dante had his Beatrice, F. Scott had his Zelda, Garfield had his Lasagna, and I had my Vegan.

I can’t remember why exactly I decided on Caribbean Curry, a dish I had never eaten and wasn’t even certain existed. To this day I’m still not sure that a dish like this is even served in the Caribbean, but there should be. Honey-flavored sweet potatoes, hearty collards ribbons, chewy tofu and a sauce that evokes a spice island slathered in suntan lotion, I knew I was on to something with this vegan stuff and started cooking that way near exclusively.

And the Vegan? I’m happy to report that this Caribbean Curry is guaranteed to make the one you’re wooing stick around for at least 2 years. After that you’re on your own.

Serves: 6
Time: 45 minutes

Caribbean Curry

1 inch fresh ginger, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
peanut oil
2 bunches of collard greens, de-ribbed and cut into ribbons
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cans of coconut milk
2 Tbsp tomato paste
juice of 1 lime
2 1/2 tsp garam masala (curry powder could be substituted for a different flavor)
1/4 tsp ground coriander
16 oz extra-firm tofu, cubed

Lightly saute the ginger and garlic in olive oil and add the collards. When the collards are wilted, add the sweet potatoes, coconut milk, tomato paste, lime juice, garam masala and ground coriander and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and collards are both tender.

Meanwhile, fry the tofu in peanut oil until golden brown on all sides. Drain on a paper towel if you like.

Add the tofu to the curry and stir gently to combine.

To Serve

lime slices
fresh cilantro, chopped
freshly cooked jasmine or basmati rice
hot sauce, optional

Ladle out the curry onto beds of steaming jasmine rice. Sprinkle over some fresh cilantro and garnish with a slice of lime.

For a more involved dinner, these fritters would start the meal with a bang.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 17th, 2007 at 9:04 pm and is filed under Stovetop & Skillet, Any Season, Winter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.