Being in a cranky mood, I wanted a one-bowl of comfort dinner that would elevate my mood, something on the spicy side, and this certainly hit the spot. You will perhaps have to play around with the flavor a bit by adding more cream at the end since, between the curry powder, the chili pepper and the ground ginger, this was definitely on the "tingly lip" side of the food equation, which I quite liked but you may wish to tone down.
I also really liked the colors of the dish. Had I made it over the summer with the first of the season's fresh corn, I might have called it something like "a bowl of sunshine", but today -- chilly and definitely autumn oriented and using frozen corn -- it reminded me of all the colors of fall leaves.
This will make more rice than you can eat at one session, but it seems silly to bring out the rice cooker for anything less. Join me for lunch tomorrow to see what to do with the leftovers, namely my cheat's version of an "omuraisu".
For the rice:
1 cup rice
1 cup of water
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
Generous pinch saffron
2 Tbsps finely chopped onion
Salt to taste
For the curry:
2 ears of corn
1 each mini red, yellow, orange peppers, finely diced
1 Tbsp green onion, chopped
1 tsp hot red chili pepper, finely diced
2 tsps each coriander and mint leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp hot curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp freshly ground ginger
2 Tbsps coconut milk (full-fat tastes best)
2 Tbsps cream or Greek yogurt
1 tsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Rinse the rice well several times to remove all extra starch. Let drain while you chop the onion and mix the saffron and turmeric with 1 tablespoon boiling water. Top up the now bright yellow water with enough cold water to make up a cup of liquid.
Add the rice and the spiced water to the rice cooker. Stir in the onion. Salt well.
Cook according to the directions on the rice cooker. While the rice is cooking, prep your curry ingredients -- chop the vegetables and herbs, take the corn kernels off the cob, add the spices and oil to a cold pan -- and then go do something else for the approximately fifteen minutes you have before the rice is done.
As soon as the rice has cooked, remove the cover of the rice cooker, fluff the rice well with a fork, cover again and allow to steam for five minutes while you make the corn curry.
To do so, turn the heat on under the pan containing the oil and spices. Add the ginger, chopped chili and chopped green onion and cook over medium heat for about a minute, until the spices are fragrant and the green onion and chili pieces are wilted. Stir often.
Add the corn kernels and the diced pepper and stir to combine. Add 1/4 cup of water and let cook for two minutes and thirty seconds, covered.
Remove the cover and add the coconut milk and the Greek yogurt. Heat through until the sauce is just bubbling around the edges.
Check for seasoning and stir in half of the chopped herbs.
Place a portion of the rice in a bowl and top generously with the corn curry before sprinkling on the remaining chopped herbs.
This is a twenty six minute and seventeen second to the table meal, but actually a five minute and seventeen second one as fifteen minutes of it you can do something else while the rice cooks.
Inspiration recipe, here.