Spicy black beans curry

Ingredients

• Five Spicy Anaheim green peppers
• Two cups of soaked and boiled black beans
• 2-inch cinnamon stick
• Teaspoon of ginger and garlic paste
• Two medium red onions
• One can of coconut milk
• Teaspoon of Turmeric powder
• Three Cloves
• Pinch of Nutmeg
• One clove of Malabar tamarind
• Teaspoon of Sri Lankan black curry powder
• Two tablespoons of Roasted red curry powder

Soak dry black turtle beans for 12 to 24 hours change water after first 12 hours. Drain rinse and boil for an hour until just soft. I highly recommend starting out from dry beans when you are making curries. Flavor always better compared to canned black beans.

Wash and slice the green chilies diagonally. I chose to leave seeds in because I wanted to have all the heat from seeds too.

Slice the onions thin and caramelize until golden brown.

Make a seasoning blend by pureeing caramelized onions, red curry powder, black curry powder, salt, and turmeric powder.

Add all the remaining ingredients to a clay pot and add the coconut milk seasoning blend and cook for 15 or 20 minutes until sauce thickens and flavors are combined. Scrape the bottom of the pot time to time to prevent burning.

Sri Lankan red lentils curry from scratch

My moms trusted and true recipe

Ingredients

• Red lentils 2 cups
• Turmeric powder half a teaspoon
• Ground coriander one teaspoon
• Ground cumin one teaspoon
• Ground fennel seeds half a teaspoon
• Two sliced Thai hot peppers
• Four curry leaves
• Half an red onion finely diced
• Half an inch of ginger diced
• One clove of garlic
• Half a teaspoon of whole fenugreek seeds
• One cardamom
• One inch stick of cinnamon
• Cup of thick coconut milk

For tempering at the end, one sliced dry red hot chili, one teaspoon of finely diced onion, sliced curry leaf, half a teaspoon of mustard seeds, teaspoon of ginger and garlic crushed together

How to make the curry;

Wash and rinse lentils and place in a saucepan.

Add everything except coconut milk.

add enough water to cover the lentils and cook until lentils are cooked through.

Add coconut milk and simmer on low until oil separates.

Remove Lentils to a separate bowl and heat a tablespoon of coconut oil until very hot in the same saucepan

Add tempering ingredients at once. You will get the aroma of frying spices instantly. Immediately add the lentils back in and give it a stir. turn the heat off.

Whole Mung beans curry

Ingredients

• Boiled whole Mung beans 2 cups
• Teaspoon of Salt
• One piece of Malabar tamarind
• 2 teaspoon of roasted red curry powder
• One inch stick of Cinnamon
• Two pods of Cardamom
• One teaspoon of Sri Lankan black curry powder
• Half a teaspoon of Cayenne pepper
• Tablespoon of coconut oil
• One inch piece of ginger
• One clove of Garlic
• 10 curry leaves
• Two green chilies
• One medium size red onion
• Teaspoon of mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon of Turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
• Half a cup thick coconut milk
• Half a teaspoon of crushed black pepper

Preparation

Rinse and soak whole mung beans overnight. There are many recipes that skip this step, because if you are prepared to boil mung beans for longer time you can still make it work. However, I highly recommend presoaking the mung beans, because of the extra enzyme action and removing phytic acid.

Boil mung beans for 10 to 15 minutes with Malabar tamarind.

Puree red curry powder, onions, garlic, ginger, green chili, cumin powder, turmeric, cumin powder, salt, and pepper together, with little boiled mung bean water.

Heat coconut oil in the pan and add mustard seeds when it crackles add the pureed seasoning and sauté for a minute.

Add Malabar tamarind, curry leaves, cinnamon, bruised cardamom pod and a cup of the whole mung bean liquid.

Bring to boil and add boiled mung beans. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until flavors are absorbed and sauce is thick.

Red kidney beans curry

Ingredients

• 2 cups of boiled beans of your choice (I am using blend of red kidney beans and pinto beans)
• 2 and a half Tablespoons of curry seasoning blend
• One can of tomato + can of water
• One cup of thick coconut cream.
• One 2-inch piece of lemongrass
• Three cloves
• One diced red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5 curry leaves
• Salt to taste

Add everything to curry clay pot. Stir couple of times to mix well. Cook on medium high for 35 minutes until beans absorb the flavor and soften up. use a wooden spoon and mash up the beans carefully. If you like smooth refried beans use an emersion blender or regular blender to mash up the beans. I however, like to leave mine quite chunky. Cook on low for another 20 to 30 minutes or to your desired consistency. Enjoy over rice, in a sandwich or as a dip.