Homemade Thai Green Curry in Bulk

Organic Thai Green Curry to Freeze. 

I make Thai curry in bulk and then freeze it.  I am sure that fresh is better.  However, having it in the freezer allows you to make a quick stir fry or Thai curry dish on work nights throughout the year. This way you can also make the curry with organic ingredients that are easily available in the summer.

I have taken several preparation short cuts as well as quadrupling the recipe.  I would strongly encourage you to buy the book “Real Thai” and to follow her recipes if you like Thai food.   I grow my own lemongrass is it is expensive and it is also difficult to get organically grown lemongrass.  It is a beautiful grass and very easy to grow, especially if you buy it as a small plant.  I usually plant at least two clumps.  The other organic ingredients are relatively easy to obtain.

I pick lemongrass by pulling on each stalk individually and leaving the rest of the plant intact.

Lemongrass, cilantro (the roots can be used) and kaffir lime leaves

Imperial Measurement Notes

1    cup =16 tbsp, so

1/2 cup =  8 tbsp,

1/4 cup =  4 tbsp,

1/8 cup =  2 tbsp

The following quantities are adapted (4 times recipe on page 169) from “Real Thai” by Nancie McDermott.

Green Curry

Ingredients (I use all organically grown)

¼ cup whole coriander seed

4 tsp cumin

20 peppercorns

12 stalks lemongrass

1 cup cilantro

¼ cup ginger

4 tsp lime peel

½ to 3 /4  cup  garlic

½ cup shallot

2 cups green chilies ki noo (I use about ½ to 1 cup of whatever peppers I have that are fresh and add heat to the finished dish instead)

4 tsp salt

4 tsp shrimp paste (this is the only ingredient that I have not found in organic form)

Preparation

Trim the lemongrass down to the white part and slice in very thin slices.  Peel approx. 2 limes – make sure to get only the green part of the skin.  Rough chop the lime, cilantro and chilies if using a food processor.  Then in order to save time, you may grind the lemongrass, lime peel, cilantro and chilies in a magic bullet or blender until fine and paste-like.  Add this blend to the mortar.  Pound the ingredients together. Chop the ginger, garlic, and shallots as finely as possible. Add all of these ingredients to mortar and pound until broken down and paste-like.  The garlic, ginger and shallots could get bitter when prepared with a food processor, so I try to pound them by hand when I have time. 

Chopped Lemongrass

Lime Peel

Add lemongrass, lime skin, and chilies to a food processor.

Roast the dry spices

Curry Ingredients in a mortar and pestle

Put all of the dry spices into a pan (pepper, coriander, and cumin) and roast for a few minutes on medium heat until you can smell them.  Put them into a spice grinder with the salt (I use the magic bullet with a grinder wheel) and grind until fine.  Add to the mortar.  Add the shrimp paste.   Pound the ingredients together again.

Kaffir lime tree - cut up the leaves and use in Thai curry

Kaffir lime and leaf.

Note that I often add a few kaffir lime leaves from my own tree.  Treat them as you would the lime peel.

Freeze in ¼ inch or so layers in bags so that the paste can be broken off and used as needed.

Growing saffron.

Saffron crocus -- growing your own saffron. 

Saffron crocus.  The orange-red stamen are the saffron spice.

Saffron is expensive and difficult to find in some areas.  However, you can plant the saffron crocus bulbs from June to mid-September and harvest the orange stamen for saffron in October.  Let them dry completely before storing. I planted them very deep (maybe 6 inches) and if there are early frosts you would have to use a cloche or a cold frame cover.  On the other hand, you could just harvest the saffron on those years that the weather is not so strange.

Saffron threads.

The crocuses lie dormant most of the summer.  They are not dead.  In fall grass like leaves will come up, followed by the flower.

Slow roasted organic beans with tomato and saffron.

Baby lima beans with tomato and saffron.

 

This dish is very easy, inexpensive (especially if you do not use saffron), and can be reheated for leftovers and reincarnated into several different dishes through the week.  I use oven dried tomatoes that are in the freezer from the summer --  http://savingdragonflies.blogspot.com/2015/09/preserving-summer-roasted-tomatoes-buy.html  

You can eat these beans with a little saffron rice for an almost vegetarian meal (cook diced onion, add saffron and then the rice).   Sausages or chicken may be added or served on the side after the beans are soft.  The beans also make an excellent burrito filling.  Another leftover dish -- add a little anchovy and cook with escarole or kale.  Add anchovy, a little organic tomato paste from a glass jar (no BPA) and some rinsed salted capers and/or oil cured black olives for a pasta sauce.  Note – water can be used instead of stock to make a vegan dish.

Note the blog entry on planting saffron. 
It is easy!

Ingredients:

-2 cups of organic dried baby lima beans (Whole Foods bulk)

-3 to 5 tb organic olive oil (Costco)

-2 organic onions – diced

-approx. 2 cups of slow roasted organic tomatoes

-2 to 4 cloves organic garlic

-several sprigs (a small bunch) of organic winter savory, summer savory, or herb of your choice (e.g. rosemary or thyme).

-1 teaspoon crushed or ground saffron (optional but use more if you can afford it). 

-1 quart of organic chicken stock or broth (unsalted) plus 1 cup water (Costco).

-salt to taste (at least 1 teaspoon) only after the cooking process.

-optional – add a little of any other spice that you like – I use a little cayenne.  If adding parsley or cilantro do it after cooking while the beans are still hot.

Prep and Cooking:

1 day ahead:  Soak the lima beans in water.  Add water to cover by at least a few inches plus a teaspoon of baking soda – this will make the beans cook faster.

Next day --- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Drain and rinse beans.  Dice: 2 onions (0.85 lb or 388 g) and about 3 cups of oven dried tomatoes (mine are frozen) coarsely.  Add the olive oil, beans, crushed garlic, tomato, savory (or thyme, rosemary, lovage, bay, etc.), saffron (crumble or grind first) and chicken stock or broth to a dutch oven or heavy oven pan with a lid (I use a Staub 4 qt).  Add stock to cover all of the ingredients.  DO NOT ADD SALT.

Put into  the 300 degree oven for several hours until reduced and very tender.  I usually cook them for 5 hours with the lid on and then take the lid off for another hour of cooking. After cooking adjust the seasoning and add salt to taste. Add any fresh herbs or additional spices.  Cooking time: about 4 - 6 hours.

Note about dried beans and salt.  In my work I’m always challenging the conventional wisdom.  Therefore I’ve tried cooking dried beans in salted water.  It has worked before.  One day I added salt to cook chickpeas.  Chickpeas from hell.  I checked and cooked them for hours.  Ouch.  After that I have always omitted the salt during cooking.  I think that it depends on the prior moisture content of the bean and possibly several other unmeasurable factors.  To add flavor to beans during cooking now I just add herbs and sometimes onion.

Saffron, garlic and winter savory are relatively easy to grow at home.  See my post on saffron.   When I get garlic that is turning green and sprouting I just separate the garlic bulbs and plant them any time of year (provided that the ground is not frozen).  Garlic is very easy to grow.  If you can find winter savory it is easy to grow and relatively cold hearty.  Savory is THE herb to use with beans.

Roughly chopped frozen oven dried tomatoes.

Summer savory.

Beans, onion, tomato and saffron.

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Stock added to the eans, onion, tomato and saffron.

Organic Pea Soup

Inexpensive Organic Sweet Pea Soup

This soup is made with organic frozen peas and organic stock.  I get both in bulk from Costco so it is very inexpensive.  The key is not to cook the peas very long – they then retain their sweetness.  Someone asked me once if the soup has sugar in it.  It doesn’t – it is all about how you cook the peas.  The base is inspired by the asparagus soup in the cookbook “The Silver Palate”.  This is one of my favorite cookbooks.

Ingredients:

-        2 quarts organic chicken stock or broth

-        4 cups of organic onion or leek.  I usually make it with 2 leeks and the rest onions (probably 1 large onion)

-        1 stick organic butter or ½ stick butter and ¼ cup organic olive oil.

-        8 ½ to 9 cups of organic (frozen) sweet peas

-        Sea salt to taste

Preparation:

Melt the butter with low heat in a large soup pan (e.g. 5 ½ quart pan).  Meanwhile, chop the leeks in half after disgarding the top and bottom and wash carefully. Just use the light green parts and discard the dark outer layers.  Dice the leeks and wash again in a colander.  Dice onions.  Add the onions and leeks to the butter and sweat the onions on low heat for a long, long time until they are really mushy and translucent (about ½ hour).  Salt them to taste. 

 

Onions and Leek - Cook until really soft and translucent.

Add 2 quarts of chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Add peas to the boiling stock and keep it on high heat until it begins to boil then let it boil for about 30 seconds and turn it off.  Let the soup cool and then process it (liquefy) in a blender or food processor that is watertight.  Let it cool or else the hot soup will make the lid pop and splatter everywhere.

If you would like fancier soup, add chopped tarragon to the top, or bacon, or a bit of cream swirled in the bowl.

This recipe makes a lot of soup – over 2 quarts… I think that you can make half as much, but I’ve never tried.

Finished soup -- to make it fancier add cream, or tarragon or bacon to the top.

Organic Pear Vinaigrette Dressing

A ripe pear, vinegar, oil, honey and salt = Pear Vineaigrette

Ingredients:

-        1/2 cup Organic vinegar ( I usually use either apple cider vinegar that is bottled with the mother or organic white vinegar that I buy by the gallon – very inexpensive).

-        1 small organic shallot (totally optional for this vinaigrette)

-        1 ripe organic pear, cut into quarters or small pieces

-        1 to 2 teaspoons organic honey or some kind of sweet substance – sugar, agave, etc. (Costco has organic honey)

-        1 teaspoon sea salt

-        1/2 cup organic vegetable oil like canola, sunflower, olive, etc. 

pear and vinegar ready to blend

Preparation:

I soak shallot in the vinegar first and then remove it before proceeding.  This is totally optional.  Combine vinegar, pear pieces, salt and honey in a blender/processor container.  I use a magic bullet.   Blend until the pear is liquefied. Add the oil and blend again. Shake before using and refrigerate after making.  I often make it without honey or any sweetener especially if the pear is really ripe.

Taste the vinaigrette and add more oil, sweet or salt if needed – blend or stir again.

Organic Celeriac Apple Salad

This is an unusual and excellent winter salad.  Except for grating the vegetables, it is very easy to make. 

 

Organic Celeriac Apple Salad

Ingredients:

-        1 medium to large organic celeriac root

-        3 organic apples (firm is better)

-        1/2 cup organic heavy cream

-        1 to 2 teaspoons organic Dijon style mustard.

-        1 teaspoon sea salt

-        2 tablespoons organic lemon juice (less than 1 lemon)

-        ½ - 1 cup organic walnuts (Costco carries organic walnuts now!!)

Preparation:

Peel the celeriac.  Peeling the apples can make the grating easier unless you have a really sharp grater. Grate the vegetables with a hand grater or a food processor.   I used our old Swiss grater.

Combine the cream with the mustard and mix.  Add the salt and lemon.   Mix together again and add to the grated vegetables.  Mix thoroughly and add the walnuts.

 

Peel the Celeriac

 

Grated Celeriac

My old grater... it mushed the apples but it still tasted good.

Apples ready to grate

Finished salad with celeriac, apples, cream, mustard, salt, lemon juice and walnuts.

Simple Organic Vinaigrette Dressing

Ingredients:

•       1/3 cup Organic vinegar ( I usually use Apple Cider Vinegar that is bottled with the mother) Most stores carry Bragg’s organic.
•       1 small organic shallot or 1 or 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion (Whole foods has organic shallots)
•    1 to 2 teaspoons organic Dijon style mustard.
•    1 teaspoon sea salt
•    2/3 cup organic vegetable oil like canola, sunflower, olive, etc. (lately I’ve been using olive oil from Costco, but remember it may get solid in the fridge). 

Preparation:

Put the vinegar in a glass container that you will use to store the vinaigrette.  Add the finely chopped shallots.  Sometimes I let this sit for a while so that the onion infuses into the vinegar.  Add salt and mustard.  Add oil.  Shake before using and refrigerate after making.

Additions:

For fancier vinaigrette you can add fine herbs to the dressing (it won’t last as long).  Some use chives, chervil, parsley, tarragon, etc.