Tuesday 1 March 2011

Turkey Curry

I've been making turkey curry for ages in some form or another. I prefer the taste of turkey to chicken, and I like that I can buy turkey tenders from the store, which cuts down on my prep work. Some sauteed veggies and a can of Patak's sauce, serve over rice, and there you go.

Have you ever looked at the ingredient list on Patak's sauces? They are full of things no one should eat, like vegetable oil, but more important, they contain several ingredients that are unsuitable for As and/or ABs, such as tomatoes and coconut milk.

I needed inspiration, so I looked through my Thai and Indian cookbooks for help. New Thai Cuisine, by Nathan Hyam, proved most useful. I ended up making a peanut butter pineapple curry sauce, which can be used with any combination of meat, soy, and/or veg you like. It's intended to be a dipping sauce for satay, but when thinned out, works nicely for curries.

I used turkey because it's good for me. And because I like it.

Pineapple Peanut Sauce (adapted from New Thai Cuisine, by Nathan Hyam)

1/4 of a pineapple, fine dice (A/AB beneficial)
1 tbsp soy sauce (A beneficial/AB neutral)
1 tsp curry powder (A neutral/AB beneficial)
1/4 tsp hot curry powder (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced (A/AB beneficial)
1/4 cup water (or more as needed to thin the sauce)
3 tbsp all-natural peanut butter (ALL-NATURAL. Don't mess around here and use something that's packed with crap. Do yourself a favour and use the good stuff where the ingredients are limited to peanuts and salt. I like Maranatha.) (A/AB beneficial)

Other goodies

3 turkey tenders, or however much you want, cut into pieces (A neutral/AB beneficial)
1 onion, rough dice (A beneficial/AB neutral)
1 celery stalk, rough dice (A/AB beneficial)
Extra virgin olive oil (A/AB beneficial)

1 head of broccoli, cut into pieces (including the stems) (A/AB beneficial)
2-3 parsnips, peeled and chopped (A/AB beneficial)
1 zucchini, chopped (A/AB neutral)
1 cup mushrooms of your choice, quartered (I used cremini) (A/AB neutral)

Preheat your oven to 450F. Lay the broccoli, parsnips, zucchini and mushrooms on a sheet tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, mix with your hands, and pop the tray into the oven. Cook for about 15-20 mins, or until the veggies are good and roasted with brown and black bits on them.

Now, let's make some curry sauce! Put the pineapple and any accumulated juices into a small saucepan and heat over medium. Add everything else except the peanut butter and let it come to a boil. Turn off the heat and stir in the peanut butter. Mix until smooth, and add more water as needed to make it saucier. Or leave it the way it is.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet on medium and put in a little olive oil. Add onions, celery and a small pinch of salt, and let them soften. The salt will help the onions sweat. Once the onions are translucent, add the turkey and cook until it is opaque.

Reduce heat to low. Add your sauce, put on the lid, and let the whole mess cook for about 5-10 minutes. Add the roasted veggies right before serving, mix, and enjoy over rice.

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