ThinkProof Cooking^TM
Indonesian Vegetable Curry: Meal Guide

A. Menu

Type	Formal/Informal Meal
Food	Hot Red Cabbage and Apricot Salad Indonesian Vegetable Curry
Booze	Dry white wine (book suggests the smoky Pouilly-Fumé)
Serves	Four diners; Starting 8.00pm
Sources	"The Romantic Vegetarian", Colin Spencer, Thorsons Publishing, Wellingborough, UK, 1988
Note	You prepare the salad the day before; requires an oven-proof casserole dish

B. Ingredients Checklist

Stuff to have or buy:

*Ingredient*	*Already have*	*To buy*
Onions (four; small)
Carrots (four; small – c.300-350g/10-12oz)
Parsnips (four; small – c.300-350g/10-12oz)
Sweet potatoes (c.500g/18oz)
Mushrooms (225g/8oz)
Red cabbage (half)
Garlic cloves (six)
Ginger root (60g/2oz)
Red chilli (one, or two if you like hotter curries)
Coriander [cilantro] (half a dozen leaves; fresh)
Salt and black pepper
Rice (400g/14oz; brown – ideally brown basmati)
Fenugreek (2tsp)
Cumin (1tsp)
Cardamom (1tsp)
Mustard seeds (2tsp)
Creamed coconut (115g/4oz)
Red wine vinegar (275ml/½ pint)
Brown sugar (30g/1oz)
Chickpeas (400g/14oz; tin of ready-to-use)
Raisins (30g/1oz)
Currants (30g/1oz)
Apricots (115g/4oz; dried)
Pine nuts (60g/2oz)
Cooking oil (150ml/5fl.oz; e.g. sunflower)
Brandy (55ml/2fl.oz)

C. Pre-Preparation

When?: Timeline minus c.one day (e.g. c.7.00pm the day before)

How long?: Pre-preparation takes about 2½ hours (though much of it is waiting time)

Ö
	1	Measure out the sugar and vinegar
	2	Turn oven on to 180^oC/355^oF/Gas Mark 4
	3	Grate 2oz (60g) ginger root
	4	Thinly slice the half red cabbage
	5	Place 55ml (2fl.oz) of cooking oil into an oven-proof casserole
	6	Stir the ginger root and crush the garlic cloves into the oil and cook for a couple of minutes
	7	Stir the sliced red cabbage into the casserole
	8	Add the 30g (1oz) of sugar, ½ pint (275ml) of red wine vinegar, and black pepper to taste
	9	Stir the casserole mixture well, add a lid, and place into the oven for two hours
	10	In parallel, put the 115g (4oz) of dried apricots to soak in about 1 pint (570ml) of hot water
	11	Also in parallel, pour the 55ml (2fl.oz) of brandy into a bowl and place the 30g (1oz) of raisins and 30g (1oz) of currants to soak in the brandy
	12	About half an hour before the cabbage is due to come out of the oven, pour the apricots and their water into a saucepan; heat and simmer for about 15 minutes
	13	Drain the apricots, allow to cool somewhat, and then chop into small pieces
	14	Remove the cabbage casserole from the oven
	15	To the casserole, add the chopped apricots and the raisins and currants together with the soaking brandy
	16	Stir all the ingredients together and allow to cool
	17	Place in the fridge

D. Preparation

When?: Timeline minus c.one-and-a-half hours (e.g. c.6.00pm)

How long?: Preparation takes about 30 minutes

Food Preparation

Ö
	1	Carefully chop up the red chilli into very small pieces – half a chilli for mild; one chilli for medium; two for stronger – then wash your hands thoroughly (preferably before deciding to scratch any of the more delicate parts of your anatomy)
	2	Scrub and slice the carrots (each carrot into c.dozen slices)
	3	Peel and chop the parsnips (each parsnip into c.dozen pieces)
	4	Peel and chop the onions into small pieces
	5	Peel and chop the sweet potatoes (each potato into c.dozen pieces)
	6	Wash and thinly slice the mushrooms
	7	Open the tin of chickpeas and drain
	8	Measure out 60g (2oz) of pine nuts

Note: Keep food fresh in containers; Any dairy/fish/meat in fridge

Timeline Preparation

Ö
	1	Get cooking implements ready:	One large frying pan for toasting nuts; One large saucepan for the hot salad; One large non-stick saucepan for curry; One large saucepan for rice; Sieve or small colander for rinsing rice; Spoons for stirring nuts, hot salad, curry and rice; Chopping board and knife for coriander
	2	Get serving implements ready:	One large serving bowl for curry; One large serving bowl for rice; Colander for draining rice; Two serving spoons
	3	Get eating implements ready:	Small plates for hot salad; Large plates for curry; Wine glasses; Cutlery
	4	Make sure ingredients are all to hand:	All prepared items; Rice; Black pepper; Cooking oil; Herbs and spices; Creamed coconut
	5	Get changed for dinner

E. TimeLine Cooking^TM

Ö	*Abs*	*Rel*	*Your*
	7.22	0		Put 3 pints (1½l) fresh water on to boil in a large saucepan
	7.23	+1		Place a large frying pan over a lowish heat and allow to heat up
	7.26	+4		Add the measured-out pine nuts and stir continuously for five minutes until off-white; Then set aside
	7.34	+12		Rinse 400g (14oz) of brown rice with cold water
	7.37	+15		Take the pre-made salad from the fridge and turn into a large saucepan over a moderate heat; Add a couple of grinds of fresh black pepper; Stir occasionally
	7.39	+17		Add rice to saucepan of boiling water
	7.40	+18		Heat 85ml (3fl.oz) of cooking oil in a large non-stick saucepan over a moderate heat
	7.41	+19		Put c.3 pints (1.5l) water to boil in the kettle
	7.43	+21		Add 2 teaspoons of fenugreek; 1 teaspoon of cumin; 1 teaspoon of cardamom; 2 teaspoons of mustard seeds; and the chopped chilli
	7.45	+23		Stir the spices until the mustard seeds begin to pop
	7.47	+25		Add onions and mushrooms and fry for a couple of minutes
	7.48	+26		Hot salad in the saucepan should be hot by now – turn heat down
	7.49	+27		Add the remaining vegetables – carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes plus the tin of chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook for a further couple of minutes
	7.51	+29		Add enough boiling water from the kettle to cover all the vegetables, and bring to the boil
	7.53	+31		Put serving plates near cooker to warm
	7.58	+36		Vegetable curry should be boiling by now – turn down to simmer for 20 minutes
	8.00	+38		Take the salad off the heat and serve onto individual plates; Scatter the toasted pine nuts on top
	8.17	+55		Wash and chop the coriander leaves
	8.19	+57		Drain rice in colander and put into bowl to serve
	8.20	+58		Take vegetable curry off heat and stir in 115g (4oz) of creamed coconut
	8.21	+59		Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves into curry, pour into serving bowl; stir and serve with rice

F. Post-Serving Notes

The Meal

Variations

· Original recipe suggests also adding the following spices – 1 tsp of asafoetida, 2 small pieces of tamarind, 2 small pieces of cassia. It also uses potatoes rather than chickpeas, suggesting the author didn't pay attention during Domestic Science lessons when teacher was discussing protein.

· Try pecans or walnuts instead of pine nuts on the hot salad