Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker - Lynn Alley [18]
1 teaspoon ground galangal (sometimes called Thai ginger; see Note below)
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 (about 14 ounces) can coconut cream
1 to 2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate (see Note below)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 green bell pepper, seeded, deveined, and cut into chunks
¼ cup macadamia nuts
3 serrano or jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, deveined, and cut into chunks
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
3 ounces napa cabbage, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
Place the eggplant in the slow cooker insert with ½ cup water. Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours, or until the chunks are somewhat tender.
In an electric coffee mill or a mortar and pestle, grind the coriander, fennel, and cumin seeds to a powder.
In a blender, combine the onion, lemon grass, galangal, ground spices, 1 teaspoon salt, coconut cream, tamarind concentrate, the remaining cup of water, soy sauce, bell pepper, nuts, chiles, and oil until you have a nice, fragrant sauce. Set aside.
When the eggplant pieces are nearly tender, add the green beans and cabbage and continue to cook for another 30 minutes, or until the green beans and cabbage are also tender.
About 10 minutes before serving, stir in the sauce and add salt to taste. Serve hot.
Note: Ingredients such as ground galangal (or fresh galangal root, if you’re lucky enough to find it), tamarind concentrate, and lemon grass can be found at Asian markets and sometimes at regular supermarkets where there is a significant Asian population. For an especially quick and easy version of this dish, purchase generic green curry paste at an Asian market instead of making the sauce from scratch.
SUGGESTED BEVERAGE: Something white, crisp, and refreshing, perhaps a Canadian Gewürztraminer or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
KOREAN-STYLE BLACK BEANS
Serves 6
You might consider this simple recipe the Korean version of New England baked beans: sweet and salty at the same time. The beans are slow-cooked to give the flavors time to meld, and served accompanied by some cooked greens, a salad, or some rice for a complete protein.
2 cups dried black beans
6 cups water
½ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
Wash the beans thoroughly, then place them in the slow cooker insert along with the water.
Mix together the soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil and pour over the beans, stirring in thoroughly.
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the beans are tender.
SUGGESTED BEVERAGE: Perhaps something with bubbles, such as Prosecco or a sparkling Californian wine. And if all else fails, a good ol’ beer would complement this dish nicely (and would be more traditional than wine as an accompaniment).
BUTTERNUT SQUASH IN GREEN CURRY SAUCE
Serves 4
My first introduction to Thai curries came while I assisted a friend in preparing a luncheon for Nancy Reagan at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. What a surprise: the curry sauce was red! Although Thai curries have many ingredients in common with those of neighboring India, they tend to be tinged with a hint of sweetness from the combination of coconut milk and a traditional dash of sugar, and they are often colored red or green by the red or green chiles in them, rather than the more familiar yellow color of Indian curries. As with most Thai curries, serve this over rice.
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
½ cup water
2 tablespoons chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and deveined
¾ cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
1 can (about 14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
Salt to taste
¼ cup fresh Thai basil leaves, thinly sliced, for garnish (optional)
Place the squash and water in the slow cooker insert. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours,