BURMESE TOMATO AND POTATO CURRY

The simmering pot of this ginger and lemongrass infused curry from Myanmar will literally make you drool, honestly this curry is the best last minute dinner you will ever make.

It starts off by roughly pounding all the aromatics like ginger, garlic, lemongrass,

shallots and chillies in a pestle and mortar which gives it all of its character and delicious flavor.

you can serve this with jasmine or basmati rice and some green chillies for some kick.

I would suggest to meal prep this curry as it gets better and better as it sits, all the flavors mingle with each other to create this beautiful world of flavors.

what I love most about this curry is that it uses pantry staples like tomatoes and potatoes, if you are familiar with thai or indian cuisine than you will also easily find lemongrass and tamarind in your kitchen.

INGREDIENTS I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT

Tamarind it is a fruit used very much in the southeast asian cuisine, it is more on the sour side than sweet and the sourness varies from fruit to fruit.

for this recipe we need the pulp of the fruit so we will be using dry tamarind which comes in a block and can be seedless or with seeds.

To prep the dry tamarind

You just need to tear of a piece from the block and soak it in enough boiling water so that it submerges for about 5 minutes or more depending on the quantity you are soaking.

Than push it over a fine mesh strainer in a bowl, all the pulp will be in the bowl and all the fibrous bit and seeds will be left in the strainer that can be discarded.

If you don't want to do all this than just use tamarind paste available in the market but the taste will be slightly different.

lemongrass it is an aromatic 'herb' most commenly used in thai cuisine as a infuser into stocks or curries and by grinding the lower white part into a fine paste for a curry,it smells really floral and has a lemony note to it.

Shallots it belongs to the onion family and is not as sharp as a onion would be, you can use a red onion in its place for this curry but use less of it.

Paprika powder it is a spice powder made from fresh red paprika which are a variety of chillies and used most commonly in Spanish and Mexican cuisine. You can use red chilli powder instead.

COURSE:MAIN COURSE

CUISINE:BURMESE

SERVING:2

TOTAT TIME: 45MINUTES

RECIPE OF BURMESE TOMATO AND POTATO CURRY

INGREDIENTS

11/2tbsp oil, or as needed

3 medium size potatoes, chopped into 1.5inch cubes

4 large tomatoes, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup shallots, chopped

1inch piece ginger

1 stalk lemongrass, bottom half only, thinly sliced

thai chillies, to taste

1tsp paprika

1tbsp tamarind pulp, you may need a little less or more depending on the sourness

1/2tsp sugar or as needed

chopped cilantro for garnish

water, as needed

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a heavy bottom pot over medium heat add your oil and bring it up to temperature, meanwhile in a pestle and mortar pound your chillies, ginger, garlic and lemongrass into a rough paste.

• than add onions or shallots to the mortar and just bruise them to release their flavour.

• add this mixture into the pot and sauté for about 7-8minutes or until the shallots are translucent.

• add salt, paprika to the pot and cook it for 10 seconds.

• add your tomatoes along with the sugar and let it cook for about 6-7minutes or until the tomatoes are tender and a little mushy.

• add the potatoes at this point and cook for about 20 minutes on low heat until they are fork tender.

• Finish it off with the tamarind pulp and garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves.

• serve hot with some basmati rice and green chillies , BON APPETITE!