So, my tendency is to use a recipe for inspiration, but it when it comes to the actual ingredients and methods.. I have a tendency to make it up as I go.
I guess the normal thing to do would be to plan out a weekly meal plan and recipes, and buy the ingredients for that.
I do the opposite. I search the fridge for ingredients and find recipes that moderately match, if nothing matches sometimes I will combine 2-3 recipes to make it fit. Sometimes it works.. and sometimes there are some pretty bizarro land creations.
This specific recipe, I semi thought that it was doomed, until the final ingredient was added and it came to life! That is what I often find, most recipes when 'bad', they are just missing 1 thing. And it's that one thing that turns terrible to amazing.
In some cases that one thing may not necessarily be an ingredient but a very out of the box action to bring it back to life. One particular thing that can't be fixed though, is burning. Sorry, hahah can't reverse that one.
Apart from that even, after baking a cake -- there can be other uses for that cake. I have even taken a cake and reblended it with sugar and other missing elements to only put it back into the oven!!! And you wouldn't believe but it was saved! This is a pretty extreme example but it's totally possible. Lol maybe it stems from my utter desire to not waste any food. Who knows.
Spicy Plantain Cocoa Curry
I think to make this recipe easier, one can just use coconut milk instead of the base that I made. But since I had no coconut milk, made do with a very interesting combination that came out okay!
Ingredients
2 plantains chopped
1 tbsp oil
2 cups of green beans chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 cups of water
1/8 asafedtida powder (1/2 tsp of garlic powder would also work)
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
Sauce
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 shakes black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cocoa butter
1 tbsp tahini (optional)
1 cup dried coconut (or fresh coconut if you have)
1 cup warm water
1 tsp agave
1 tbsp dried tamarind (or tamarind paste if you don't have a powerful blender)
1tsp paprika
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Soak the coconut in the water for 1/2 hour to an 1 hour.
-- If you have a vitamix or blendtec, you can get away with not soaking the coconut,
or if the coconut is fresh. It just makes the consistency a little less grainy
In a pan, heat the oil add mustard powder, asafetida, and curry powder until sizzly. Add the plantains, green beans, carrots and 2 cups of water, mix. Add turmeric, nutritional yeast, and salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes (until vegetables are tender).
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat oil for the sauce, add cumin powder, 1/4 tsp chilli flakes, and black pepper. Roast for a few seconds. In a small blender, add coconut and water, cocoa butter, tahini, roasted seasonings, water, agave and tamarind. Blend until smooth.
Once plantains are tender, add the sauce.
Add paprika at the end for color!
If the taste is too much of cocoa, add more red chilli flakes until desired hotness is attained. The spice of the dish is what makes it come alive!
Some great side accompaniments: Roti's or tortillas and Indian pickle, yesterday I had it with roti's and lime pickle... it was amazing!!
I guess the normal thing to do would be to plan out a weekly meal plan and recipes, and buy the ingredients for that.
I do the opposite. I search the fridge for ingredients and find recipes that moderately match, if nothing matches sometimes I will combine 2-3 recipes to make it fit. Sometimes it works.. and sometimes there are some pretty bizarro land creations.
This specific recipe, I semi thought that it was doomed, until the final ingredient was added and it came to life! That is what I often find, most recipes when 'bad', they are just missing 1 thing. And it's that one thing that turns terrible to amazing.
In some cases that one thing may not necessarily be an ingredient but a very out of the box action to bring it back to life. One particular thing that can't be fixed though, is burning. Sorry, hahah can't reverse that one.
Apart from that even, after baking a cake -- there can be other uses for that cake. I have even taken a cake and reblended it with sugar and other missing elements to only put it back into the oven!!! And you wouldn't believe but it was saved! This is a pretty extreme example but it's totally possible. Lol maybe it stems from my utter desire to not waste any food. Who knows.
Spicy Plantain Cocoa Curry
I think to make this recipe easier, one can just use coconut milk instead of the base that I made. But since I had no coconut milk, made do with a very interesting combination that came out okay!
Ingredients
2 plantains chopped
1 tbsp oil
2 cups of green beans chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 cups of water
1/8 asafedtida powder (1/2 tsp of garlic powder would also work)
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
Sauce
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 shakes black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cocoa butter
1 tbsp tahini (optional)
1 cup dried coconut (or fresh coconut if you have)
1 cup warm water
1 tsp agave
1 tbsp dried tamarind (or tamarind paste if you don't have a powerful blender)
1tsp paprika
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Soak the coconut in the water for 1/2 hour to an 1 hour.
-- If you have a vitamix or blendtec, you can get away with not soaking the coconut,
or if the coconut is fresh. It just makes the consistency a little less grainy
In a pan, heat the oil add mustard powder, asafetida, and curry powder until sizzly. Add the plantains, green beans, carrots and 2 cups of water, mix. Add turmeric, nutritional yeast, and salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes (until vegetables are tender).
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat oil for the sauce, add cumin powder, 1/4 tsp chilli flakes, and black pepper. Roast for a few seconds. In a small blender, add coconut and water, cocoa butter, tahini, roasted seasonings, water, agave and tamarind. Blend until smooth.
Once plantains are tender, add the sauce.
Add paprika at the end for color!
If the taste is too much of cocoa, add more red chilli flakes until desired hotness is attained. The spice of the dish is what makes it come alive!
Some great side accompaniments: Roti's or tortillas and Indian pickle, yesterday I had it with roti's and lime pickle... it was amazing!!
