Vegetarian Curry Vegetables Dish

“Assorted Curry Vegetables, one of my favourite vegetarian dishes.”

Today is vegetarian day. First day of August, happens to be also the first day of lunar month of July this year. Chinese Lunar July is being referred as “hungry ghost month”. Chinese/ Asian also called it “seventh month”.

I remembered when I was in my teens, my mummy told us (siblings) not to go out in the night of “seventh month”. She won’t allow us to outing after 7pm. My mum believed that souls will be wandering around the street during the whole month of Lunar July, especially 14th of Lunar July, which is the actual day of “Ghost Festival”. The gate of hell will be opened to release all ghosts where many Buddhists would prepare ritualistic food offerings, burning incense and joss stick along the street, for the hungry ghosts. Quiet nights may look misty and feel eerieee… I am not going into this (bawling)!

Phew… Anyway, today is vegetarian day – “Chu Yi” (初一). We eat vegetarian today, whole day. I cooked a 1-dish-meal tonight, Curry Vegetables dish. Assorted vegetables in curry, I meant.

I always say, use any brand of vegetable curry power you like, or get those blend curry powder from Indian spices store in the wet market. It does not matter, as long as with the right amount of seasoning added, and fresh food ingredients used. Trust me, I have tried out many brands, all tasted equally good. Perhaps, you may get those readily-seasoned vegetable curry paste packets. That will save you from adding extra seasoning, with pleasant taste guaranteed.

Total preparation time is about 40 min, most of the time was used in cutting these vegetables into pieces.

Ingredients
½ packet (about 4 tablespoon) of vegetable curry powder (or paste)
6 tiny curry leaves
1 packet of coconut milk (200 gram)
1 cup of cabbage, cut into big pieces
1 cup of long bean, cut into 6cm crosswise
1 cup of brinjal aka eggplant, cut into quarters then 6cm lengthwise
1 cup of carrot, cut into quarters then 4 cm lengthwise
4 Okra aka lady’s fingers, trimmed
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
1 small tomato, halves it
4 square fried beancurd puff aka “Tao Pok”, thick sliced
1 teaspoon of sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoon of vegetable oil
5 cups of water (or amount which enough to fill half the pot)

Method
1) Heat oil in a wok over high fire. Add curry leaves and powder/ paste, and fry for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant.

2) Reduce heat to medium fire. Add all vegetables except tomatoes. Drizzle ½ cup water, and stir-fry for 1 minutes.

3) Pour water till vegetables are half submerged. Simmer for 6 min, with lid titled on the wok.

4) Remove lid. Sprinkle salt and sugar to taste. Add tomatoes and Tao Pok, simmer for another 10 min, until the vegetables are tender.

5) Add in coconut milk. Combine well. Taste and adjust the seasoning before heat off. Serve hot.

Calorie for a portion of curry vegetables counts about 190 kcal. Discount of 30 to 40 kcal will be offered, with low-fat coconut milk used.

Tips: If you are also cooking it as vegetarian meal, do not add onion and shallot. Otherwise, chop half onion and 2 small red shallots. Heat oil and add in to fry till fragrant, before adding curry powder. Chopped onion and shallot make curry sweeter and tastier indeed.
*Do not add extra salt and sugar, if you are using ready packet of curry paste.