I was inspired to make this curry because my little Kaffir Lime Leaf plant suddenly took off.  In the photo below it is sitting in the peacock planter.  I also had eggplant and orange bell peppers left over from my Chargrilled Veggies recipe.  All these ingredients lend themselves to making Thai Curry.  I served it on a bed of Buckwheat Pilaf

Ingredients:

• 1 small head of cauliflower, broken down into small florets
• 1 large orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 small eggplant, cut into pieces about the same size as the cauliflower florets
• zest of one lime
• juice of one lime
• 1/2 cup of cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup of cilantro stems, finely chopped
• 2 large shallots, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 3 inches of fresh ginger, finely minced
• 10 Kaffir Lime Leaves. Crush them with your fingers just before using.  This will release their oils.
• 2 green chilies, finely minced.  I leave the seeds in.  De-seed them if you want to tone down the heat.
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon of black onion seeds.  These are also called Nigella in English.  In Hindi they are called Kalonji.
• 1 tablespoon of Thai green curry paste
• 1 teaspoon of tomato paste
• 3 inches of fresh turmeric which will be grated into the dish.  If you don’t have fresh turmeric you can use a teaspoon of turmeric powder.
• 12 0z bag of Faroe Island scallops.  You can leave these out if you want to make the dish vegan.  I bought my scallops at our local Bastrop, Texas H. E. B.  The company who imports them is Singleton.  The Faroe Islands are between Iceland and Norway in the cold North Atlantic Ocean.  These scallops are a superior product.  They are natural, dry and come flash frozen.
• 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar to deglaze the pan
• 3 tablespoons of grapeseed oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook:

 

• Coat a large skillet with grape seed oil.  Add shallots, garlic, ginger, green chilies, cilantro stems, Nigella seeds, zest of the lime, Kaffir lime leaves and 1/2 the cilantro leaves.  Reserve the other half for garnish. Grate in the turmeric.  If you are using powdered turmeric DO NOT add it now.  If we add it now it will burn.  I will tell you later in the recipe when you can add it.
• Place on medium-low heat and sauté until golden brown.
• Add the eggplant and sauté for 5 minutes.

• Add the bell peppers and sauté until slightly brown.

• Add the tomato paste and the green curry paste.  This is the time to add the turmeric powder if you are not using the fresh turmeric.  Sauté for a few more minutes so that the pastes cook.  Deglaze with the sherry vinegar.

• Add the cauliflower and sauté until the cauliflower is slightly brown.

 

• Add the coconut milk along with a little water.  Cover the dish and cook on a low flame until the cauliflower is fork tender.

• Add the scallops (optional).  Cover and let steam for 3 minutes.

• Add the lime juice and the reserved cilantro leaves to garnish.

 

It just so happens that this weekend is Songkran, Thai New Year.  This is a traditional curry eaten to celebrate the holiday.  HAPPY SONGKRAN.