Ingredients.
- Tofu : cut into 1cm [ish] cubes. Firm, dry tofu is the best.
- Coconut milk 500ml
- Curry paste (tea spoon or two max’)
- Scotch Bonnet pepper
- Miniature corn (the finger sized miniature corn)
- Fresh spinach 400 / 500 grams.
- Shiitake mushrooms 250 grams
- Lemon grass / chives / Lime leaves [100% optional]
- Colemans mustard (only for yellow as helps enhance the colour)
- Baby carrots
- Large yellow pepper
- Oil (optional, depending on the curry paste)
Assuming gas, therefore a wok. If on an electric hob a large, shallow pan. A lid for both will be ideal.
Prepare the vegetables by cutting in to slim strips, julienne [not sure where this word comes from]. Prepare the scotch bonnet last, with a pair of disposable gloves, add to a ceramic dish and wash the chopping board and knife straight away, throw away the gloves.
Heat the pan and (with a wooden spatula) stir the curry paste until is starts to fry a little. Add the carrots and sweat for a minute or until the start to “cook”. Add the coconut milk. The frying will stop immediately. Refill the 500ml coconut package with water. Save.
Add the bell pepper, tofu, corn. At this point start adding the water [max’ 500ml] to get to the consistency you’re looking for. A little trial and error. About the scotch bonnet : these are hot little beasts so the longer you leave them in the curry the more they will disseminate the heat through out the curry. The longer you leave it the hotter it will be but a more even heat rather than spikes of heat as you eat.
Add the scotch bonnet.
Add the lid, turn down the heat and let whole ting simmer for 10 / 15 minutes. Everything you’re adding is simply being heated, rather than cooked. All the ingredients can be eaten raw, so, unlike meat, there is no minimum cooking time. You may need to add a little water as you simmer. The lid will reduce evaporation.
Add the Colemans any time, as this is just for colour, assuming you’re doing yellow !
One to two minutes before you’re ready to serve you can add the spinach. They will reduce by 80%. I’m not sure of this is authentic but we love spinach in ours.
Mark Daniels 