When I moved to Vancouver I met a punk rock boy. He wasn’t the sort of boy you’d take home to your parents, but it was okay because my family was thousands of miles away, and this tall, skinny musician was looking deep into my eyes. He was cute and just my type. On our first official date, he showed up with a bottle of Patak’s curry paste, commandeered my kitchen and made me curry. It blew my socks off. The boy didn’t stick around, but the curry did and I’ve been making it ever since.
I used to throw just about anything into this curry, but I’ve come to the realization that cauliflower, potatoes, garbanzo beans and green peas are the holy grail. As for the curry paste, I only use Patak’s – I love it. This curry benefited from 2 flavours, as I was scraping out the jar of Korma and digging into the jar of Garam Masala. Both are relatively mild to medium-spiced blends, so I topped up the hotness with a splash of sriracha. If you’ve got timid taste buds, skip the hot sauce altogether.
elsewhere: Ready my posts over at ReadyMade: Say no to plastic with these handy hints. Is it drink o’clock yet? Get your tipple on with an amaretto sour. Over at Poppytalk I make a lentil, bean and chard soup.
aloo gobi
1 T oil
1 large onion, diced
1 inch piece ginger, minced
2 large potatoes, diced
1 large head of cauliflower, broken into florets
3-4 T curry paste (I love Patak’s)
1 tin light coconut milk
1 T brown sugar
salt
1 can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/2 c frozen peas
sriracha (optional)In a large, heavy pot, heat oil and add in ginger and onion, saute for 3 minutes. Add in potatoes, cauliflower, and curry paste and let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in coconut milk and brown sugar along with enough water to just cover the vegetables. Add in the chickpeas and a good pinch of salt. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked. Stir in the peas and taste, adjusting seasoning if necessary. Need more spice? Throw in a squirt or two of sriracha. Need more sweet? Add a bit more brown sugar or honey. Serve with rice and naan.
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Hello scrumminess. Funnily enough, I had a similar experience with a boy, some Patak’s and a lesson in curry making at an impressionable age.
after reading your post, i located an online retailer to buy some of palak’s curry pastes. i’ve been trying to work up the nerve to attempt making indian food at home, and you’ve given me some hope i can actually do it! 🙂
I wish you’d called this post “smitten with a punk rock boy and a vegan curry”. But never mind, this still looks delicious!
Your first paragraph made me laugh! I like your mix of ingredients.
Bonniebl, isn’t it always the way!! Those punk rock boys and curry….
Yay, glad I could help you out Jordan. I use them all the time, just do a search through my archives for recipes if you need inspiration. Good luck!!
Ursula, haha, I would but I know my husband would wonder what was up! I’m currently smitten with a tall skinny web programmer – a much better choice!
Thanks Lisa 🙂
Great story and lovely curry! The memories we associate with food really make it special (even if they’re not good memories or things didn’t work out as planned).
Mmm I love aloo gobi but I’m always so worried about making Indian and curry dishes in my own kitchen… I’ll have to get my hands on some of this Patak’s curry paste and some coconut milk and give this dish a try! Thanks for sharing!
I’m always looking for new cauliflower recipes and this dish contains many of my favourite ingredients ~ including Pataks! I feel like I missed out on some important milestone in my life by never having dated a punk rocker, but then again I was into the Goth look and didn’t get a real official date until I was well into my…oh, let’s not go there ;)lol
Aah, it looks darn tasty!!! I will have to try this… too bad my bf doesn’t like curry but it’s all good, more for me! LOL. Patak’s is really good. I always have a jar or 2 in my pantry as back-up 🙂
They say you learn something from every relationship you’re ever in, and at least with this one you got a good recipe out of the deal! I love curry and your holy grail sounds fantastic to me!
My husband introduced me to Patak’s pastes. He makes a mean curry. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
oooh i love curry, i will have to try this one. i am always looking for ways to use chickpeas, i love those so too. thanks for this!
Love Cauliflower in any incarnation but particularly in this one. Yum!
I don’t think I have ever used an Indian curry paste. Why not?? I use Thai ones but not Indian ones. Time to check that out for sure. All my favorite things are in there and it looks absolutely delicious. And double the hot sauce for me!
I can’t wait to try this. After years of trying unsuccessfully to imitate the flavours in my Indian friend’s amazing curries, I too discovered Patak’s. It’s always nice to hear good endings to punk rock boyfriend stories 🙂
Felt inspired and made this yesterday!
Absolutely lovely!!
This looks awesome. Thanks for the story and the great recipe, Jeannette. Homemade curry and young wuv will always be affectionately connected for me, too. The boy of my early twenties/basement-apartment tikka masala dreams didn’t last, but my abiding love for standing by the stovetop on rainy nights and splashing beer into the coconut milk still stands.
Can’t wait to try this. Good call on the holy grail!
Thanks Rachel! There are so many memories attached to food, that’s why it’s so important.
Laura, give it a try – nothing to be afraid of.
Ah, Bijoux, punk rock boys ain’t nothing. Sounds like you’ve got a good one there and lucky for me, I do too!
Kaye, yes on the Pataks’s and boo on the bf – maybe he could learn to love curry?
Indeed Joanne, thanks 🙂
Sarah, what is it about curry and love. I think I’m on to something!
Enjoy cindy, it’s a good one.
Suzy, the cauliflower is great here. Enjoy!
Dana, I like the Indian curry pastes over the Thai ones I’ve tried. Hooray for the hot sauce upgrade!
Thanks Haley, a good ending is always best 🙂
ib, so glad you enjoyed this! Hooray!!
Jackie, lots of stories about curry and young love. Hmmmm, wonder what it is? Splashing beer into coconut milk? I’m intrigued!
Oh. My. GOODNESS. This looks amazing. I haven’t been hungry all day, but looking at that soup makes me wish I had a bowl. Making this ASAP.
I am so embarrassed.
I definitely missed your post announcing that you move your blog, last year.
I just now found it.
Please forgive me 🙁
I love that story! And totally agree, cauliflower, potato, garbanzo and pea is a perfect combo.
Ashlae, it’s a stew not a soup, but I’m sure you could easily add in stock to make it so. I’m sure it would be delicious too 🙂
Aw, thanks veggiegirl, no need to be embarrassed at all!! Thanks so much for commenting and you’ve got nothing to be forgiven for cuz you are awesome still!!
Thanks Kimberley, I’m glad we think alike.
I’m so happy I stumbled upon your beautiful blog. Not only does curry sound super good right now but so does a blog redesign. I’m contacting you two soon.
Mmmm, I love me some Patak’s curry paste! I just happen to have a head of cauliflower languishing in the fridge right now… curry for dinner tomorrow, it is!
Thanks for the inspiration and the recipe 🙂
Your Aloo Gobi recipe looks pretty good!! I’m from India and it was really nice to see that you brought home an Indian spice mix and tried out an Indian dish that turned out really beautiful!
I do have some more curries with Cauliflower in them on my blog along with a whole bunch of Indian recipes.Do drop in sometime and look for yourself if you feel like trying out any of them!
Cheers,
Wit,wok&wisdom
I just made a cauliflower cashew curry last night.
Whenever I make curries with coconut milk, my curry always tastes watery. After I chew, the heat of the curry comes in, but I am always disappointed by the initial bland flavor. Do you have any suggestions for how to bring out the coconut flavor or how to get the heat to kick in sooner?
Thanks!
Oh I’m so flattered, Damaris! Thanks for your kind words and we’d be happy to redesign your site!
Wendy, isn’t it the best? Hope dinner was great.
Thanks, Wit,w & w!
Becca, I’ve never had that problem. Do you use curry powder or paste? I’ll admit to NEVER using curry powder – not because I have anything against it, but more that I’ve always had success with the pastes. The flavours are very robust and I often find the blend really well together and I never have the milky blandness on first bite.
I have used power and Thai green curry paste — but I think I will look into other pastes and see what happens!
Becca you should, I hope it works out!
Looks delicious! I, too, love curries of all kinds. I often use Patak’s. Funny enough, even though I am used to some fairly spicy/flavorful foods (thanks to my ethnic heritage), I never thought to add a dash of sriracha or other hot sauce to curry. I’ll bet it gives it a kick. I love your story about curry boy–LOL, I’m glad the curry ended up being a lasting love affair.
Bellcurves, I add hot sauce to most things! Enjoy.
Just wanted to let you know that I’ve made this, not one but, TWO times in the past week. Added some cinnamon and extra vegetables – it’s AMAZING. Thank you!
Just found your blog yesterday and made this dish last night, super good!
Wow, Ashlae, so glad you loved this recipe. It’s a good one!
Kl, glad you enjoyed 🙂
Great story ^_^ I have a few recipes from boys that didn’t stick around too!
Sorry, but I missed where we add the 1T brown sugar. Is that just optional at the end, needed only if we wish to add sweetness?
Sasa, good recipes are always better than boys that don’t stick around 🙂
Carrie, good catch! I adjusted the recipe to include it. I usually add it in with the coconut milk. Enjoy!
This looks like the perfect delicious weeknight meal!