Curry Dinner

I ran across this curry mix almost 20 years ago. I love it. It has never failed to disappoint. And I have never made it the same way twice in all these years. Except always served on rice. White or brown. Whatever you have.

I generally add chicken or shrimp, but I went to a "Meatless Monday" dinner tonight. I always think of preparing this when I have cauliflower and broccoli around, and then you can use just about any other vegetable you like or have on hand. And nuts. You could use cashews, walnuts, etc. But the way I first had this dish and have never deviated in all these years is with using RAW peanuts. I love it this way! And a surprise I delight in everytime: they're even better reheated in the microwave! I don't know why, but they have a delightful "POP" when bitten into that they don't in the first go-around.

One other thing, this is probably my favorite leftover dinner to eat for breakfast. Seriously. In fact, this is probably my very favorite breakfast food. Love it Love it Love it!

FYI: this mix comes in varying degrees of heat. I think they have a Mild, Medium, Medium-Hot, and Hot. This is the only prepared food that I can go all the way to the "HOT" end of the scale and still be comfortable. The flavors in each degree are the same, they just climb a bit incrementally as far as the heat is concerned. For my Sweetheart's sake, I'll probably turn it back down a bit to the Medium or even Medium-Hot.

This is the amount of vegetables I used in tonight's dinner. But remember, the beauty of this dish is that you can use as much or as little of whatever vegetables/meat you would like. Adjust the amount of water or even the prepared curry according to how much produce you use.

CURRY DINNER

2 medium red potatoes, cubed

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

6 oz mushroom, thick slice

1 medium zucchini

1 medium yellow crookneck squash

1/4 head cauliflower, broken into small florets

2 broccoli crowns, broken into small florets

1/2 red pepper, large dice

1 cup frozen vegetables (carrots, peas, green beans)

1/2 cup raw peanuts

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Spray with canola oil cooking spray (or add canola oil). Cook potatoes about 3-5 minutes or until potatoes begin to soften. Add the mushrooms and onions, cook another couple of minutes until they begin to soften.

Add about 4 oz of the Golden Curry paste and stir in. Add anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 cups of water, depending on how many vegetables you are using (I ended up using 3 cups tonight because I had a lot of vegetables). Start with 1 1/2 cups and add 1/2 more at a time until it looks right to you. You want a thick sauce, but not gooey, not runny. Cook until curry paste is dissolved.

Add remaining vegetables (zucchini, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, pepper, mixed veges, peanuts). Add cooked chicken at this point if you wish, or uncooked shrimp. Heat throughout (shrimp will cook in just a few minutes while the mixture is heating).

Serve over rice. Somes grapes would be a nice side dish.

There will be plenty of leftovers for breakfast! Or it does freeze nicely.