Easy Vegetable Curry

Every week there comes a day when I crave Oriental ( Chinese/Thai/Japanese etc.) cuisine. The loss of Singapore Restaurant (Raritan, NJ) really haunts me in those moments. But the good part is that now I am forced to try new recipes for myself. And as a self proclaimed 'Lazy Foodie' I look for easy recipes, obviously. So this Easy Veggie Curry sits well with all of my requirements. I thank Heidi Swanson of 101cookbooks.com for the excellent recipe. I modified it based on the things available in my refrigerator/pantry. And it tasted delicious mm mm!
Ingredients:
1 cup whole coconut milk
1-2 teaspoons Kitchen King masala ( or curry powder)
Salt to taste (about 1/2 to 1 tsp)
Half large red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
4 ozs firm tofu, cut into cubes
1/2 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch segments
1/2 cup green bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces
1 1/2 cups cauliflower, cut into florets
1/3 cup water
a handful of cilantro, chopped
Method:

Take half cup coconut milk in a pot and bring it to a simmer. Whisk in the masala and salt, make sure there are no clumps. In a wok, heat a tbsp of oil. Stir-fry the tofu and the vegetables, adding each separately ( stir-fry 1-2 minutes between each addition ). Stir in the remaining coconut milk and water now. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add the curried coconut milk, stir well. Check for salt and let sit on low heat for just about 1 minute for the flavors to blend. Stir, remove from heat and garnish with the cilantro. Serve immediately with a bowl of warm rice and other sides.
Note: The vegetables can be cooked a little less based on personal preference. For extra crunch, the original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of roasted cashews to be added in the end.
Hope this easy recipe inspires you to try a different flavor today. You can follow the link below for Heidi's original recipe.
cashew curry

Mystic, Connecticut

The title says it all. We were in Mystic, Connecticut for a short vacation while attending a friend's graduation in URI, Rhode Island. By a lucky twist we were lodged in the best possible area, walking distance from most of the attractions. Across the road from us was the quaint 'Olde Mistick Village'. I could have spent hours, literally, just walking around this pretty little village turned shopping precinct. I went into a shop that carried oriental stuff - jade figurines and jewelry, Japanese fans, Chinese urns and tea sets, even Anime figurines. Then came Franklin's General Store - an old-fashioned general store that carried candies, salsa, jams & jellies and mementos.

We bought some caramel creams. These were soft chewy caramels with a sweet cream center. These were a hit with the sweet lovers in the group.






The next stop was Munson's Chocolate store and it was the most delicious experience ever. I am a hardcore chocolate fan so my excitement is nothing new. But my husband's unexpected enthusiasm at the edible art inside the store was quite surprising. There was so much variety that it was difficult to make a decision regarding a purchase. Finally we went with a bag of Mystic River Rocks. See for yourself how artistically it is made. And the taste was absolutely 'chocoriffic'.

 Before starting I had done some homework and all online resources indicated that no trip to Mystic was complete without a trip to Mystic Pizza. It's a small pizzeria in historic Downtown Mystic which was established in 1973. It became legendary when a Julia Roberts movie (with the same name) was set and shot here. So we decided to stop by and enjoy 'a slice of heaven' in Mystic Pizza pizzeria. Was the pizza good? Hmm...I don't feel comfortable reviewing a piece of legend. I went there to see the place which was the setting of a coming of age story of three young girls. I did and it is a good small town place which makes the story very believable.
There are many other excellent eateries and charming stores along the downtown Main Street. Being on the coast as well as river front, Mystic is a sea-food lovers paradise. All the restaurants offer a splendid array of the freshest catch of the day. My fancy was to try the S&P Oyster Co. which had a beautiful setting and was belching forth delicious smells from it's kitchen chimneys. It is located by the river next to the Mystic Drawbridge and has been voted the ' Best Patio in the State' by Connecticut Magazine. So it was hardly surprising when we were asked to wait an hour for a table. And being as ravenous as we were, S&P was given up as a lost cause. Maybe next time.
On the whole Mystic is a great place for a weekend vacation. For the kids, the Mystic Aquarium holds much potential. The 'Olde Mistick Village', historic Mystic Downtown and nearby areas of Noank and Stonington offer a lot for the vacationers. It is also very near the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos/resorts as well as Westbrook Tanger Outlet malls. On the whole Mystic,CT has something for everyone in your vacationer's group.

Broccoli-Mushroom Stir Fry

Thanks to the dramas I see on youtube, I want to try more and more Eastern/Oriental recipes. And being quite lazy I look for easy recipes which I can make with ingredients that I have at hand. And my latest experiment is the Mushroom-Broccoli stir-fry pictured above. It is based on a recipe I found on recipezaar.com by PaulaG, but I didn't have all the listed ingredients so I just made some adjustments. The result was still delicious and the recipe is given below.
Ingredients
1/2 cup onions, chopped
8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 to 3/4 cup water ( or stock)
Oil for sauteing
Salt to taste

Method
In a wok, heat some oil, add onions and saute for 2 minutes. Now add the mushrooms and stir fry for 5 minutes. Take off of heat and keep aside. Now heat some more oil in the wok and add the garlic, ginger and broccoli. Stir fry for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Blend the cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce and water. Add to the wok and cook until thickened. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 5 minutes or till the broccoli is crisp tender. Add the mushroom mixture, stir and take off from heat. Serve with a bowl of sticky rice.