South: split pea & coconut curry sauce
2 Servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Ceideburg | ||
| 1 | teaspoon | Raw white rice |
| 1 | tablespoon | Yellow split peas |
| ¼ | cup | Water |
| 2 | Or 3 fresh hot green chiles, stemmed and seeded | |
| 1 | One-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled | |
| 1 | tablespoon | Mild vegetable oil |
| ¼ | teaspoon | Mustard seeds |
| ½ | teaspoon | Cumin seeds |
| ⅛ | teaspoon | Turmeric |
| 10 | Fresh curry leaves, or: | |
| 1 | tablespoon | Crushed dried curry leaves, or: |
| 1 | tablespoon | Minced cilantro |
| 2 | cups | Coconut milk |
| ½ | teaspoon | Salt |
| 1 | tablespoon | Lemon juice |
Directions
Combine rice and split peas in a bowl and rinse in several changes of water. Add ¼ cup water and soak for 1 hour. (Do not drain the water.) Add chiles and ginger and blend until finely pureed, Set aside.
Heat oil in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mustard, cumin, turmeric and curry leaves. When seeds pop, stir in split pea-ginger puree. Stir-fry for about 4 minutes. Add coconut milk and salt. Stir with the back of a spoon until there are no lumps. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
Makes 2 cups
PER TABLESPOON: 35 calories, 0 g protein, 1 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat (3 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 35 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.
Laxmi Hiremath writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, 6/24/92.