Kiri hodi with red & green sambal

Ingredients

serves 2

Kiri hodi

• 30g fresh green chilli*
• 1 red onion (150g)
• 30g fresh ginger
• 2 fat garlic cloves
• 10-15 curry leaves, fresh or dried
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp Sri Lankan masala mix*
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1x400g tin coconut milk
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 scant tsp sea salt
• 500g butternut squash
• 70g fresh mangetout
• 70g garden peas - fresh or frozen

Pilaf rice

• 100g basmati rice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 5 fresh kaffir lime leaves*

Tomato sambal

• 1 small red onion
• 2 red bird's eye chillis
• 3 ripe medium tomatoes
• Pinch salt & sugar to taste

Green sambal

• 2 large kale leaves
• 2 tbsp small bunch of parsley
• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 1 small red onion
• 2 small green chillis
• ½ lime: juice only

to finish

• Dry roasted coconut shavings
• Dry roasted cashews
• Lime wedges

Method

For the kiri hodi, start by preparing a curry paste with the onion, green chillis, ginger, and the garlic cloves - place them in food processor and blitz to a fine paste. Then heat a large pan and add the oil. Gently cook the curry leaves to release their aroma before adding the curry paste cook and stir for 3 minutes. Then break the cinnamon stick in half and add it to the pan. Stir in the masala mix and the turmeric powder. Cook off the spices for 2 minutes and then pour in the coconut milk and add the sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

For the roasted pumpkin, preheat the oven to 200ºC (180ºC fan). Cut the pumpkin flesh in to bite-sized pieces, sprinkle over a little salt and drizzle over a little olive oil. Toss together and spread out over a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until browned and al dente. While the pumpkin is cooking, roast the cashews and coconut shavings - watch them carefully as they will only need a few minutes! Remove from the oven and set aside until needed.

For the pilaf rice, heat the oil in a meadium saucepan before adding the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the rice and stir to coat. Add the fafir lime leaves. Pour in enough water to be 3 centimetres above the level of the rice (about 200ml). Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to minimum and cook with the lid on for 10mins. Turn off the heat and allow the rice absorb the remaining liquid.

For the green sambal, place the desiccated coconut in a small bowl and pour over some boiling water. Leave for 10 minutes. Remove the kale leaves from the hard stem, chop the onion and chillis. Drain the coconut and place it, along with the other ingredients, in a food processor and pulse to a rough mix - this will tenderise the kale and create sulforaphane.

For the tomato sambal, roughly chop the onion, chillis, and peel and roughly chopped the tomatoes. Heat a small pan before adding the oil. Add all to the pan and gently cook for 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and blitz to a rough puree.

Once you are ready to serve, bring the kiri hodi up to a simmer and add the peas and mangetout, remove from the heat and add the pumpkin. Spoon the kiri hodi over the pilau rice and finish with a sprinkle of roasted cashew and coconut shavings. Serve the sambas as side dishes along with some lime wedges to add a spritz to the dish.

JAMx