There are many curry recipes out there, and a great many ways to be right with each of them from all around the world. Here is a curry idea in the form of a thick paste or a ‘Bomb’ as I like to call it, I adapted it from, “Japanese Home Cooking” by Sonoko Sakai found at https://www.sonokosakai.com/
To begin this curry bomb, first make a curry powder and then a roux.
Whole spice to toast:
• 1 Tbsp. black mustard seeds
• 1 2-inch piece of cinnamon stick broken in pieces
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 2-3 cardamom pods
• 1 Tbsp. fennel seeds
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• ½ tsp. whole cloves
• 1 ½ tsp. black peppercorns
Ground spice to add to mix:
• 1Tbsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1 Tbsp. ground turmeric
• 1 ½ Tbsp. Sea salt
• 1 ½ cayenne pepper or more
For the curry powder, toast whole spices in a dry pan until fragrant, cool and then add to a spice grinder, shaking as it grinds. It may take two tries to grind it fine enough. Pour the spice into a bowl and add the other already ground powders to the mix. This curry powder will be more than you need for the bomb so store extra powder in a glass jar for a future use.
Roux
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup of the curry powder
To make the Curry Bomb melt the butter in a medium skillet, add flour and cook at a low temp stirring until the roux turns a light brown, about 15 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of the curry powder and mix well. Pour the mixture into silicone muffin cups. Store in the fridge for up to a month or the freezer for 6 months.
These condensed flavour bombs may be a weekend project but, are a great way to get a head start on prep and make cooking a deeply flavorful curry easy to do on a weeknight.
To use flavour bombs, add about 4 ounces of frozen flavour bombs to a pan with 3/4 cup water or stock and boil, stirring to melt it. Stir in a can of coconut milk, a pound of cubed chicken and cook until tender and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Taste and season with more cayenne if more heat is wanted. If you find it too hot you could also stir in a cup of plain full-fat yogurt to cool it down. Finish with chopped fresh herbs. Serve over rice with greens and lime wedges on the side.
However, if you're looking for more of a vegetarian option, you can use the same technique without the chicken and add some handfuls of baby spinach, cans of cooked chickpeas, a bunch of mustard greens, or a head of cauliflower cut into florets. This method is made to be versatile.
This flavour bomb concept can be extended to so many other foods. Try cooking, chopping and freezing a pound of bacon into flavour bombs, or sauteing onions and garlic, and spices for chili, or a classic mirepoix, too. Best to just use what scraps you have and a little imagination. The best part is that they can be made ahead of time, frozen, making dinner much more manageable and also more delicious. In the spring I gather chives and chop them and freeze them with a small amount of water to make chive bombs to add to soups and stews in the winter for a fresh flavour when you need it the most.
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