When my father was a young man, he spent a couple years as a missionary in Japan. That time shaped him in many ways, and it shaped his children (myself included) quite a bit as well.
One way that my father’s mission in Japan affected us, in addition to culture, eccentric home decor, and bragging rights among schoolmates, was in our eating habits. As an American middle class family, we of course ate plenty of casseroles, soups, and pastas, but we also enjoyed foods like curry on a regular basis. I have always loved a good, thick curry, with its rich flavor and thick, bold sauce.
Our curry was always made with boxed curry paste, and for many years I didn’t know it could be made any other way. Once I learned to make my own curry, sans boxed paste, there was no going back. I love being able to customize the flavors, using either purchased curry powder or different blends of spices. Plus, it’s certainly cheaper to use your own spices instead of spending several dollars on a box of curry paste.
This curry recipe replaces the meat of my childhood (we always used ground beef) with hard-cooked eggs. The eggs are optional though, the curry is delicious with or without them.
Simple Curry with Sweet Potato and Eggs
Makes 6 servings plus leftovers
3 cups water
2 large russet potatoes
1 medium sweet potato
2 medium carrots
1 green bell pepper
1 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp curry powder
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1/3 cup milk of choice
2 tbsp cornstarch
6 eggs (optional)
2 cups uncooked couscous
Chop potatoes, sweet potato, and carrots. Add to water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Chopped green pepper and add to water once it is boiling. Add salt, pepper, and curry powder.
Whisk together tomato sauce, milk, and cornstarch. Add to mixture in pot.
Simmer 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sauce is thick and glossy. Stir frequently.
While sauce is cooking, hard-cook eggs, if using. We like to steam the eggs in the shells for 20 minutes. Or you could hard-boil them. Allow eggs to cool briefly, then peel and chop into quarters.
Just before sauce is done cooking, prepare couscous according to package directions.
Serve curry over couscous and top each serving with four egg quarters, if desired.
yummy healthy 