Basic Tomato Curry

This weeks set up is going to be a little different. Today I'm going to show you a basic tomato curry sauce and then on Wednesday and Friday I will show you two different dishes you can make with the sauce. Hope you enjoy!

Up until about two years ago I always said that I didn't like curry. I remember going to a restraurant in Boise called Mai Tai and I would always ask the waiter tons of questions because I didn't want a dish with curry in it. Now if I had to guess, I would probably estimate that I make at least one Indian dish a week that has curry spices incorporated.

I think prior to starting to cook dishes with Asian/Indian influences I would always equate curry with hot spices. In fact, curry can be interpreted many different ways. Typically curried dishes are really just heavily spiced dishes. I hardly ever use actual curry powder in my cooking because all of the other seasonings that I add to my dish make up the "curry".

Typical spices used in a standard curry can vary but usually include: cumin, turmeric, garlic, ginger, coriander and chili powder. It can be a wide range of these spices (it can also eliminate some of these spices) and may also include other spices. It all depends on the curry recipe you are referring to.

This tomato curry recipe is so very good. It's a great standard dish because it's a little bit spicy but you can easily mellow it out with the items you pair it with and the amount of coconut milk that you add in at the end. I imagine this sauce freezes pretty well.

Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, separated
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
Medium onion, diced
2 cans diced tomatoes (I used some from Trader Joe's with the green chilies)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup lite coconut milk

In a large sauce pan heat a generous drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add one teaspoon of the cumin and stir into the olive oil. Once the cumin starts to smell, add in the onion and garlic and cook until they become fragrant. Then add in the two cans of diced tomatoes and turn the heat down to medium. Cook the tomatoes until the soften and add in the remaining cumin and the chili powder. Stir to combine. After the tomatoes are cooked and the sauce has simmered down, turn the heat to medium low and add in the coconut milk. Bring to a slight simmer and then turn off the heat.

If you want to serve your tomato curry without any add ins it's great over rice. On Wednesday I will show you a very quick alternative that provides lots of protein and on Friday I'll show you a green twist.