Thursday, February 05, 2009

please resist "currying favor" title... arrgh...

Last night we watched a taped episode of Iron Chef America, the one where the secret ingredient was curry. Curry blends, garam masala, individual spices that are used to blend curry powders, even curry leaves.
For the first half of the show, it was all coconut milk, all the time. On both sides of the cookoff. Lord, how typical.
Things got more interesting as the deadline loomed, with pork and squid and a big whole fish baked in a salt, crumb, eggwhite and curry paste.
Still, meh. Lovely food, but it all played so obviously into the expected Indian, Malaysian, Thai tastes.
Not that I wouldn't have liked to sample some of it.
Today, we're knocking around in the kitchen, dreaming up lunch. Actually, Cranky is knocking around in the kitchen.
I might have been online.
Cranky: "I've got those leftover beans, fresh spinach, carrots, a shallot, a couple of containers of good broth I could combine. How's that sound?"
Me: "Put a pinch of curry powder in it."
Wow, and wow. He actually had to put two pinches in, because the first dose was too low. Even so, with the second dose added, you would not know there was curry powder in the soup; just some subtle, ineluctable taste almost reminiscent of lactic something or other. Or that the cook has a brilliant way with seasoning.
Blurry photo. I blame, in no particular order, the winter light, Blogger (which can be counted on always to add 5% blurry), and old lady shaky hands. Or maybe crummy lens, but that would cost money. Can't shoot it again; all et up.

20 comments:

Zoomie said...

That looks like nothing short of divine for lunch!

Anonymous said...

That doesn't surprise me at all!! I tend to put a pinch of Balti seasoning in things with some frequency and it definitely adds a certain je ne sais quoi, except when the kid outs me (because we love it on popcorn, and its jar is pretty distinctive).

Greg said...

photo and dish look yummy!

cookiecrumb said...

Zoomie: It's nice to be home for lunch. We merely raided the kitchen, throwing together what we had. Mm.

El: 'Tis the soupçon to be jolly! You're way ahead of me on Balti seasoning, but I'll look into it.
(You know we put truffle salt on popcorn?)

Greg: Too kind. But yummy nonetheless.

Kelly said...

i just thought it was all the steaming which made it blurry.
el- man, balti on popcorn, im gonna try that!

cookiecrumb said...

Kel: (Quoting George): There was steaming! There was steaming!
(In fact, that might have been true.)
See, now, I've never heard of Balti before, but I looked it up. Oh, boy.

michael, claudia and sierra said...

my lunch tomorrow
i'm happy

Ms Brown Mouse said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ms Brown Mouse said...

If I thought it would get through customs, I'd post you some curry leaves, fresh from the garden, only a little bit of possum wee, promise.

pea said...

blurry or not, it looks lovely and perfect for the frigid temperatures over here on the east coast.

kudzu said...

Soup of the luncheon, beautiful soup.

And thanks for my first chance to read the term "possum wee". I can see how it can become useful when I run out of descriptive terms for flavors!

meathenge said...

Crummy lens !!! You ain't talkin' about that badass 60mm f2.8 micro rig are you? The glass in there is legendary!

xo

cookiecrumb said...

Clauda: Did you make it? Was it good? ;)

Morgan: Now, see, you've got us all wondering what possum wee tastes like. A little bit like curry leaves, I'll bet.

Pea: Have you noticed all the soups all over the blogs, all of a sudden? Even here in CA, it's deep and rainy winter. Dark, too. Bring on the soup.

Kudzu: I'm not sure what your usual blog reading roundup is comprised of, but another description I see out there is "tastes like ass." :D

Biggles: Why, yes I am. I guess I just really suck. Lesson, please? xo

Anonymous said...

Ooh I love that episode. Morimoto triumphant!

The Spiteful Chef said...

Oh no. I think I labeled a post "currying favor" toward the beginning of my blog career. Shoot me now.

cookiecrumb said...

EB: Yes, and he could have won on just presentation alone. Although... soup with chawanmushi on the bottom? OMG, mm. That episode really put a need for flavor in my mouth.

Spitey: I'm going to title my next story about curry "Curryier, and I'ves Gotta Have It."

Ms Brown Mouse said...

I don't know how possum wee would taste but it sure smells ... intriguing.

Anonymous said...

I've got a curry tree at home, and a few leaves go a long, long way. Sometimes too long.

steelystyle said...

fantastical curry powder! love when it's just that certain something, maybe even more than a bombastic, all-up-in-your-business, curry dish. at passionfish in pacific grove, i get a salad of butter lettuce with a light curry vinaigrette. it also features blue cheese phyllo bites and chutney. you know when something on the menu makes you feel so squirmy-suspicious you have to order it? now i use a lemon-curry vinaigrette on the regular...

cookiecrumb said...

Morgan: Something I'll probably never experience. Boo hoo.

AltadenaHiker: Well, as I live and learn. What surprises me is that it's apparently an ornamental garden plant. Kinda reminds me of the ornamental bay laurel I never used the leaves offa, because, hey, it was ornamental.

OutOfDoors: This is new for me -- curry in salad (other than that trite ladies-who-lunch chicken/curry salad with too much mayo). I am so turned on. And would you ever in your right mind put blue cheese with curry? Guess so.
(Hey! My brother lives in PG; he claims it's too cloudy to garden.)