We scored some wax peppers recently, not something too easy to find in Suriname, so I made one of my favorite dishes. π₯
π₯₯πΆοΈ Ital Wax Pepper Curry π¨βπ³πͺ
Β Β Β This dish is one of our family's favorites, especially Monkey-B, who loves the base of this soup more than anything else I cook, although she still won't eat the wax peppers.
Β Β Β It is the perfect combination of heat, sour, salty and sweet, and was a staple on our menu at our restaurant in Cambodia, although wax peppers aren't too easy to obtain in Suriname.
Β Β Β Any peppers that are big and not too spicy will work fine for this dish, but I prefer Anaheim or Hungarian Wax Peppers.
π₯₯ Ital Wax Pepper Curry Ingredients πΆοΈ
For Pan-Roastingβ wax peppers - 8 to 10β tofu - Β½ block β tomatoes - 2 small For Sesame Pasteβ sesame seeds - 2 tbspβ raw peanuts - 3 tbsp β coconut meat - ΒΌ cup For Tamarind Pasteβ tamarind pulp - 1 tbspβ ginger - 1 tbsp β turmeric powder - Β½ tsp β chili powder - Β½ tsp | Spices & Thingsβ cumin - 1 tspβ mustard seeds - Β½ tsp β kalonji - Β½ tsp β besan - 2 tbsp β brown sugar - 1 tbsp β sea salt - 2 tsp β garam masala - ΒΎ tsp |
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π¨βπ³ Cooking Method πͺ
STEP 1Β Β Β Slice your peppers lengthwise in half and remove the seeds.Β Β Β Heat a teaspoon of oil and stir fry the peppers until they are charred a blistered, set aside. |  |
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STEP 2Β Β Β Slice the tomatoes into quarters and fry them on all three sides until blistered and dry.Β Β Β Set the tomatoes aside for later use. |  |
STEP 3Β Β Β Optionally, and for some extra protein, add a few spoons of oil after the tomatoes are done, and increase the flame a bit.Β Β Β Fry the tofu in small batches, allow to cool, and thin slice, set aside. |  |
STEP 4Β Β Β Combine the minced ginger, tamarind pulp, turmeric powder, and chili powder with a 1/4 cup of water.Β Β Β Grind the sesame seeds, peanuts, and coconut meat until it becomes sticky, form into a ball and set aside. Β Β Β Arrange all remaining ingredients for quick and easy access. |  |
STEP 5Β Β Β Bring a few teaspoons of oil in a pot to heat on a low flame.Β Β Β Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds and fry until the mustard seeds splatter. |  |
STEP 6Β Β Β Now add the kalonji and besan, and stir on low heat until besan is browned. |  |
STEP 7Β Β Β Add the sesame paste ball and break it up while sauteing your spices.Β Β Β Saute for 2-3 minutes until your kitchen smells like sesame seeds, peanuts and coconut. |  |
STEP 8Β Β Β Now add the tamarind paste and incorporate with the sesame paste.Β Β Β Saute for another 2-3 minutes until the tamarind is cooked. |  |
STEP 9Β Β Β Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 6-8 minutes. |  |
STEP 10Β Β Β Add the tofu, wax peppers, tomatoes, garam masala, salt, and sugar.Β Β Β Stir and bring back to a simmer for a couple minutes, now it's ready to serve. |  |
Β Β Β Congratulations, you've finished your wax pepper curry. My family and I normally eat this with rice, as I like to prepare it a little runny.
Β Β Β If you want to eat this with rotis or some kind of Indian bread, decrease the water to 2 cups and increase the besan to 3 tablespoons, reduce the salt a bit, and you will have a thicker curry more suitable for bread.
Β Β Β @Sreypov and I absolutely love this curry, and it was one of the customer favorites at our restaurant in Cambodia. The tomatoes and tofu are totally optional, and we often prepare this dish with only the peppers, and it's still a delicious treat.
π THANKS FOR READING π
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I imagine this meal is super hot and I would like to try it
It's spicy, but not too spicy, as long as you don't use hot peppers.
!ENGAGE 10
ENGAGEtokens.Oh I'm not sure what wax peppers are - are they just mild peppers? I think we might call them banana peppers?
I love kalonji seeds - I wouldn't have thought to put them in a curry like this! I wish I had a printer here - I'd just print them all off for my own Justin & Sreypov recipe book.
Of course OZ probably calls them something unique, but there are Anaheim peppers, Hungarian Wax Peppers, and I think you could get away with banana peppers too, although they are bit smaller, might have to use 20 or 30 of them.
I'm sure there are many more varieties of large not-too-spicy peppers that you could use in this dish too, just drawing a blank on names other than what I mentioned.
!ENGAGE 25
ENGAGEtokens.Hmmmm... with such colourful ingredients, it must be really fresh and delicious! Beautiful presentation! Fit for the Master Chef! π€
Thanks @trincowski for the kind words. Yes, this curry is one of my favorites.
!ENGAGE 15
ENGAGEtokens.Very tasty food, I like it very much!
I know you like this one @sreypov, but if only we could get Monkey-B to try the wax peppers. Maybe her tastes with change one day.
!ENGAGE 10
ENGAGEtokens.This is a thing of beauty that should be in my mouth right now! The spices are mostly familiar but I don't know what besan is and also kalonjii. I feel I can smell the post and it's making me hungry.
Good to see you @carolynstahl, haven't seen much of you lately, but heard you had a new job and I hope all is going well.
In Cambodia, besan wasn't very available, so we bought local yellow lentils and ground and sifted them ourselves, and it actually was a product more delicious than besan.
Kalonji seeds are a different story, a very uniquely Indian ingredient, and you won't likely find them unless at a specialty spice shop or Indian market.
!ENGAGE 20
ENGAGEtokens.That looks real good! I can imagine the flavor. Not your everyday curry at all.
Definitely not ,the presentation and finish product look very inviting and attractive.... Just by looking at it one may want to at lease taste.
Give thanks @miyard. I put a lot of love into this one.
!ENGAGE 15
ENGAGEtokens.Yeah mon, bless up and give thanks @dmilliz.
It could be put together in most places around the world, but kalonji and besan might be hard to find for some folks depending on the location.
!ENGAGE 10
ENGAGEtokens.It looks as good as you describe it. I have been looking for interesting dishes that uses tamarind and I also have some yellow wax pepper seedlings. So I'm bookmarking this post for when those finally go to fruit :)
Give thanks @rarej, you're rep score is rapidly increasing, you're doing things right on Hive. Keep posting and commenting and you'll hit 60 in no time.
Tamarind is a hell of a hard ingredient to find in Suriname. Sometimes we go for months without being able to get any, but of course we don't have any kind of transportation like most Surinamers, so we are limited to Zonnebloem Markt and the Chinese stores around Bechaniestraat.
!ENGAGE 20
Thanks for the encouragement π
I know the fresh kind is hard to find, so I bought the pre-made paste instead for now, because I couldn't wait to try a Thai recipe I had found. I don't go out much nowadays, but if I ever see some tamarind I will keep you and your family in mind. How do I contact you?
Look me up in Discord if you have it. My username is justinparke#6262 .
After we connect there, I can give you my WhatsApp or local cell #.
ENGAGEtokens.I have never tasted this dish, I would love to prepare it at home. If it has a spicy touch, then I'm going to fall in love. I write it down, I think my grandmother will love this.
I once made this with the Suriname Madame Jeanette peppers when I had no wax peppers, and it was dangerously spicy. Hope you enjoy it and can adapt it to what ingredients you can get. The kalonjii seed can be hard to find sometimes.
!ENGAGE 15
ENGAGEtokens.Me too - spicey is nicey x
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