Posted on 9 Comments on Around the World, on a Plate

Around the World, on a Plate

Dinner tonight was a mad explorer’s tour of the pantry. There was my famous Thai chickpea curry (which is weird because it uses Indian curry powder), plus some shrimps sautéed in canjun spices (left over from last night’s grilled Cajun chicken) on top of Indian basmati rice (cooked the Indian way – sort of like pasta).

That was washed down with a nice Double Diamond beer from England, followed by a salad of very Canadian lettuce and vegetables topped with Japanese Wafu dressing. Now if only I had some Belgian chocolate for desert.

OK, so as to give this post a purpose beyond allaying my fear of not posting, below, for the first time, is my secret recipe for Blork’s Famous Chickpea Curry. This is a recipe I adapted a long time ago from a book I no longer have. It is very easy to prepare, and really tasty. Supposedly the original author found it being served in some temple somewhere in Thailand. The cook would make a big pot of it and leave it in the kitchen for the monks to reheat and eat whenever they felt hungry. Or something like that.

Thai chickpea curry

Note that all measurements are approximate. Add or subtract as you like.

Blork’s Famous Thai Chickpea Curry

Ingredients

  • 1 19 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or an equivalent amount of reconstituted dry ones)
  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • 2 small tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 1 or 2 potatoes, cut in small cubes (1 cm)
  • 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
  • 3 coriander roots, chopped, or 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp yellow Indian curry powder
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • A handful of fresh basil (twice as much as you think is appropriate – 20 or so leaves)

Method

  1. Mush the garlic, coriander, and pepper together into a paste.
  2. Fry the paste for a minute or two in some oil, such as peanut, canola, or grapeseed.
  3. Add coconut milk and stir well.
  4. Add everything else.
  5. Simmer for 30 or 40 minutes.

You can serve it with rice, but that’s a lot of carbs. I prefer to just serve in a bowl, as-is.

Tip: double everything and make twice as much! It keeps well and even freezes.

9 thoughts on “Around the World, on a Plate”

  3. YUM! I love chickpea curry, but never thought to make it as a Thai curry. Lovely!

  4. I’m not sure what makes it “Thai” other than that it came from a Thai cookbook. I suppose the cilantro and all that basil. Pretty yummy regardless.

  7. That looks a lot like a chicken and chick pea curry I make. Takes about two hours, uses chicken stock, instead of coconut milk and parsley instead of basil. Good for dipping your Naan bread in it.

    I know how to make one dish and that’s pretty much it.

  8. I made this recipe the other night, and declare it excellent, though two cans of coconut milk is a bit much if you’re doubling the recipe.

  9. Nick, that’s why I use “light” coconut milk. It’s considerably wetter, but not so rich.

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