Mild Coconut Curry

(Original recipe from BBC Food.)

Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes, chopped
1 lemongrass stalk
4 tbsp Puy lentils (I had no idea what these were or where to find them, so I used red lentils. Because that's what we had at home.)
1 tbsp coconut oil (Couldn't find it at the grocery store, so used vegetable oil.)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
125g/4oz green beans
1 [courgette/zucchini], chopped
250g/8oz frozen sweetcorn
300ml/½ pint can coconut milk
1 lime, juice only
1 tbsp chopped [coriander/cilantro] leaves

Method:
1. Put the potatoes, lemongrass and lentils into a medium saucepan and add enough boiling water to just cover the tops of the potatoes. Return to the boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion, garlic, turmeric and cumin until the onion is soft. Add all the remaining ingredients, except for the coriander, and stir well.
3. Remove the lemongrass from the lentil pan, then add the lentil mixture to the onion mixture.
4. Simmer everything for about 10 minutes, or until the lentils are soft, then add the chopped [coriander/cilantro].

NOTES
I served this over rice and with an onion naan on the side that I picked up frozen from my local supermarket.

This recipe makes a LOT of curry. Carrie and I both ate until we were stuffed and there were still a good two servings left.

VERDICT
I'd tasted this sort of Thai-ish curry before, but had never actually tried to make it myself, so I had no idea how it would turn out. I might have preferred it slightly more flavorful (it is very mild) but it was still delicious and surprisingly filling for what was essentially a plate of vegetables and starch. A great warm-weather meal.

Kare-Raisu with Cucumber Salad and Edamame

KARE-RAISU (Japanese Curry with Rice)

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, cubed
1 large carrot (or equivalent in baby carrots), chopped roughly
1/4 head cauliflower, chopped roughly
1/3 onion, chopped roughly
1 package Golden Curry brand Japanese Curry*
vegetable oil for frying
1 cup rice, steamed

Method:
Chop all vegetables. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add potatos and onions, frying until they begin to brown and soften. Add carrots and cauliflower and enough water to cover the potatos. Break Golden Curry into mixture and simmer, for 15 minutes or until vegetables are soft and curry sauce is of desired consistancy. Serve hot over steamed rice.

CUCUMBER SALAD

Ingredients:
1 large cucumber
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt

Method:
Peel cucumber. Cut in half and then in to long, thin spears. Place in shallow glass bowl. In a small saucepan, boil water, vinegar, and sugar to a boil until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers and add salt. Let sit for 15-20 minutes before serving, stirring occasionally.

EDAMAME
You can find edamame (soybean pods) in the frozen vegetable and/or frozen ethnic foods section of most grocery stores. Simply boil or steam until thawed. May be served plain, or (as Carrie preferrs) drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and black pepper.

NOTES
*You can absolutely make your own curry, if you've got the time and inclination. A quick Google search offers up plenty of recipes. However, pre-packaged curry is quick, easy, vegetarian, and guaranteed to give you the right blend of spices every time.

VERDICT
Although it took a while to chop and cook all of the vegetables, this meal was quite easy and turned out really well, I thought. There was more than enough for both of us at dinner, and it all tasted just as good for lunch the second day. As you'd expect from a whole bunch of vegetables on a plate, it doesn't necessarily stick with you for hours, but it's a tasty and filling light meal.