Red Vegetable Curry

After yesterdays massive meat pizza of awesomeness, it was time to get a veggie fix. Today’s meal is more about using what is available rather than being creative.

[  SERVES: 4  |  TIME: 20 MINUTES  |  COST: $3  ]
[  JOES' RATING:  3.5  / 5  |  MY RATING:  4  / 5 ]

Ingredients

500 ml vegetable stock
400 ml can coconut cream
1 onion
½ cup potato
½ cup  sweet potato
½ cup pumpkin
½ cup carrot
½ cup cooked chick peas
½ cup mixed frozen corn and peas
½ cup cauliflower
1 teaspoon red curry paste
½ teaspoon garlic
splash of oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Dice the onion finely. Cut the remaining vegetables into bite size chunks.
2. Over a medium heat, add a little oil to a frying pan. Add the onion and saute until transparent. Add the garlic and red curry paste, stirring well until fragrant.
3. Add the potato, sweet potato, carrot, chickpeas, coconut cream and enough stock to cover the vegetables. Cover the frying pan with a lid and saute gently until par cooked. This may take 10 – 15 minutes.
4. Add the remaining vegetables and top up with stock as needed. Cook until cooked throughout.
5. Serve hot on a bed of rice.

Observations

• I really love this style of meal. It has everything you could want, including firm delicious vegetables and nutty brown rice!
• To prepare the chickpeas, soak the raw dried peas over night in water, refreshing it in the morning. Before use, boil the chickpeas in water for about 10 – 15 minutes until tender.
• By cooking the dense root vegetables for 20 minutes before adding the softer vegetables, the colour and texture of the soft vegetables is preserved rather than allowing them to dissolve into the sauce.
• Diabetic Note: As always, the wiser diabetic option would be Basmati rice. If only I could drag myself away from my delicious brown rice… At any rate, this meal is no problem as far as Blood Glucose Levels is concerned.
• Ethical Note: I do cook this style of meal quite often as a way of using up the veggies still sitting in the crisper at the end of the week. I hate seeing good food go to landfill, so consider making soups and stews like this to avoid waste.

 

Fish Red Curry

I have to admit that both Joe and I do enjoy fish, but the ethical and sustainability issues surrounding the fishing industry leaves us both quite worried about purchasing and consuming it. We did recently discovery that NZ fisheries is quota limited, however, that quota is made with sustainability as its core focus. We purchased a kilo bag of fish fillets about four months ago and we are slowly eating our way through it.

[  SERVES: 4  |  TIME: 25 MIN  |  COST: <$5 |  MY RATING:  2/5 ]

Ingredients

400 g firm white fish fillets, cut into bite size pieces
400 ml can of coconut cream
200 ml stock (vegetable preferred)
1 onion, diced finely
½ cup potato, cut into bite size pieces
½ cup sweet potato, cut into bite size pieces
½ cup pumpkin, cut into bite size pieces
½ peas
½ red capsicums, chopped finely
2 – 4 tablespoons red curry paste
1 – 2 tablespoons garlic
dash of oil

Methodology

• In a wok, warm a little oil before adding the garlic and red curry paste. Cook for a minute or two until fragrant. Add your onions and fry until transparent.
• Add your stock, potato and sweet potato and cook gently until almost cooked through. This may take 5 – 10 minutes, depending on the heat.
• Add the remaining vegetables, fish,  and coconut cream. Stir gently, and remove from heat once everything is cooked through. This may take and additional 5 – 10 minutes, depending on the heat.
• Serve immediately with rice.

Observations

• We use to be able to purchase basa which is a firm white fish from the catfish family. It is perfect for this type of dish, however, our supply ran out several months ago. When purchased this bag of NZ Hoki, we hoped it would have the same flavour and texture, but I have to admit, it is somewhat lacking by comparison. As a result, this dish was not well received by our family today. I am certain that had basa been used, the rating would have been at least 4/5 instead of the 2/5 it got this day.
• Diabetic Note: The rice is basmati, although, to be honest, we generally use brown rice. At any rate, the rice is high in carbohydrates, as is the potato and sweet potato. As a result, adjust your rice according to your exchange point limit. I have about ¼ - ½ cup of rice with this dish and my BGLs are fine.
• 

  Trawler Hauling Nets (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

  Ethical Note: As mentioned briefly above, there is a huge ethical debate about sustainable fisheries. Some scientific researches suggest that any fish consumption is unsustainable during the current era as wild populations struggle with long term over exploitation. Many commercially popular species are currently endangered, such as the Orange Roughy.  There is a great deal of scientific literature about the habits of commercial fisheries who drag heavy nets on the oceans floor, disturbing benthos life, destroying coral reefs and disrupting the delicate ecosystems that are present there. Additionally, most consumers are aware of the common industry practice of cutting entangled nets and fishing line free, leaving them to choke, kill and drown ocean faring wildlife. Many feel that the purchasing of any fish contributes to this process, and I do tend to agree. I do feel however that there is a silver lining here. It is vital to realise that fisheries serves to feed many of the worlds poor and is vital for their existence. It is also important to recognise that not all global fisheries exceed catch limits, exclude the annual catch of other countries during their quota setting exercises, harvest endangered species or engage in destructive fishing habits. If you are going to purchase seafood, I would urge you to become educated on the subject, discover the source of your product (country and company!), research the relevant limits and impacts and choose wisely. (Having said that, we chose some time ago to not purchase any more fish or seafood products.)

Related articles

• Day 9 – Red curry with tofu and vegetables (veglife.com.au)
• Go-to Meal – Easy Thai Red Curry (ediblepsychology.com)