(Mid)summer Vegetable (Green) Curry

Being that it is Midsummer, preparing a so-called "summer" curry (an adaptation of Summer Vegetable Curry from Heidi Swanson's website, 101 Cookbooks) seemed appropriate. I honestly was not that enthusiastic about making this dish; I pursued it as an alternative (I like trying new things) to a panang curry I made a week or so ago for which I used too much paste, thereby rendering it too spicy for my mother (for whom I had prepared it) to enjoy and as an excuse to use the tin of green curry paste sitting in the pantry. Besides, my reasoning went, my mom had probably never tried green curry before! More babbling (and my version of Swanson's curry) after the jump.




Swanson's recipe calls for Romanesco florets, which as you can see from her gorgeous photographs, are beautiful, ornate green knobs, especially compared to the slavish, mundane broccoli. Despite my best efforts, I could not procure this seemingly obscure vegetable for my curry, so boring broccoli had to suffice.

What follows is my less spicy, more basic version of "Summer Vegetable Curry." I doubled the coconut milk, used probably more than 2 tbsp of green curry paste (though not much more than that), included fish sauce, and lightly browned the tofu. Since I believe my version is different enough from Swanson's, I Christened it with its own name -- it is now a "Midsummer" Curry. Even though this curry doesn't fit my particular tastes when it comes to what I expect of a proper Thai green curry (it is not spicy enough!), its name fits the dish, the dimensions of which reflect both the current climate, both of New York and of my life. The curry is mild in terms of its heat (much like New York's recent weather), decadent in its creaminess and relative sweetness compared to most green curries (compared to those in other professions, as a teacher I am leading a 'sweet' life now with the summer off), and yet true to its self in having a tangy, lime-infused flavor at its heart (all summers are sweet and sour, as this season's ephemeral nature is more dramatic and intense than that of others).

Midsummer Vegetable Curry

Ingredients:

8oz of firm or extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 14-oz cans of coconut milk
4 medium shallots, chopped small
1 tbsp of safflower oil (any "neutral" oil appropriate for Thai cuisine would work)approx. 1/3 lb of broccoli and cauliflower florets
a handful of green (or yellow) beans
2-3 tbsp green curry paste
2 tsp fish sauce
1 lime (for juice)
sea salt
sugar

Preparation:

1. In addition to prepping the veggies and other ingredients, drain the tofu and press it to release additional moisture (place the tofu on a bed of paper towels; place additional paper towel sheets on top and place a weight on top -- I use a book with several tin cans on top). Press the tofu for a minimum of 10 minutes. Afterwards, slice the tofu block into cubes of equal size.
2. Prior to starting the curry, lightly fry the tofu cubes in a pan with the safflower oil. You may fry them to your liking. In fact, this step is optional -- I find that frying them ever so slightly makes the bean curd cubes firmer, crispier, and thus more flavorful and interesting in terms of texture. Place browned tofu aside.
3. In a large pot, simmer several spoonfuls of the rich cream from one of the coconut milk cans on medium-high heat. Then add 2/3 of the chopped shallots. Simmer the shallots for 2-3 minutes or until they soften. Stir in the curry paste and salt, and cook for another minute or two. Squeeze some lime juice over remaining shallots and put aside.
4. Stir in the rest of the coconut milk along with the fish sauce. After a few minutes, taste the curry and add sugar to your liking in order to neutralize bitterness or add more paste to intensify the sauce's spiciness. Bring curry to a slight boil, then add the broccoli and cauliflower florets. Simmer the curry with the lid on for approximately 8-10 minute so that the veggies are somewhat cooked but not at all well done. Then add the tofu and green beans and simmer the curry for approximately another 10 minutes to make sure the beans soften and to allow the tofu time to absorb flavor.
5. Before preparing to serve the dish, be sure to sample all of the veggies and the bean curd as well. Veggies should be cooked through but not overdone or soggy.
6. Finally, serve the curry solo or on a bed of soft rice.* Sprinkle each plate with the remaining lime-juice flavored shallots prior to serving.

*I eliminated the original recipe's waxy potatoes, and used cauliflower as an approximation for a starchy vegetable. However, other than traditional rice, I bet this curry would go well as a rich sauce on top of slightly roasted or baked potatoes. For this spin, I would more finely cube the tofu bits and fry them until crispy, rather than incorporating them in the curry itself, and sprinkling them on top of the green curry potatoes to act as mock bacon bits.


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