Description
A popular Christmas dish amongst Eurasians in Singapore and Malaysia, this is my family’s recipe for Devil Curry BUT without the meats. Unlike other curries, which uses curry powder, this dish uses mustard powder with a touch of vinegar. It is meant to be spicy but the flavours should be well balanced. The spice level of this recipe below is very mild. Do add more chilli padis for more kick.
Ingredients
FOR THE SPICE PASTE:
- 500g shallots or red onion (I used banana shallots)
- 15 cloves garlic
- 40g blue ginger (also known as galangal)
- 50g old ginger
- 6 candlenuts
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 25–30 dried chillies, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
- 3–5 chilli padis, deseeded (this amount is for mild heat)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
FOR THE VINEGAR PASTE:
- 2 teaspoons mustard powder
- 3 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
FOR THE CURRY:
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- the blended spices above + the vinegar paste
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1–2 big red chillies, sliced
- small knob of ginger, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 vegan stock cubes
- 4 cups water
- 400g firm tofu (also known as tau kwa), diced
- 500g egg plant, sliced
- about 680g potatoes (or 3 large ones)
FOR SERVING:
- freshly chopped cilantro leaves
- hot rice
- a side of steamed or stir fried vegetables like kailan (Chinese kale) or long beans
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients. To avoid crying, skin the shallots/onions leaving the roots on. Cut that off last.
- Place all the spice paste ingredients listed above in a food processor. Add a tablespoon of water (or more) if needed to get the blender going. Set aside.
- In a cast iron pot or stock pot, heat up the canola oil on medium heat. Once hot, add the mustard seeds, ginger slices and chilli. Fry until the mustard seeds start to pop. Add the blended spice paste and cook for about 20 minutes, on low heat, stirring constantly to ensure it doesn’t burn at the bottom.
- Next, add the water and vegan stock cubes. Add only the potatoes. Allow to simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes or until the curry thickens. Stir periodically.
- In a small bowl, make the vinegar paste. Add this a tablespoon at a time to the curry to allow the flavours to mix in. The sugar neutralizes the acidity of the curry and balances the spiciness of the chillies. It shouldn’t make the curry taste sweet.
- Add the tofu and eggplant and cook for about 10 minutes more. Do not overcook or the diced tofu will crumble and disintegrate into the curry.
- Taste test before adding 2 teaspoons of salt, or more if needed.
- Serve with hot rice, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and a side of stir-fried vegetables.
Notes
This curry tastes better when kept overnight. It can be kept refrigerated for up to 5 days. The meat version can be frozen but as this contains vegetables, keep it in the fridge and eat it quickly!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Asian
- Method: Stewed
- Cuisine: Eurasian
Keywords: Eurasian, Devil's Curry, Vegan, Vegan Curry, Vegan Devil's Curry, Singapore food, Malaysian food, Malacca recipe, Holiday Season, Cookbook Singapore