Older Bolder Life

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the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Gochujang Curry Peanut Sauce (Dip)

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I’ve shared before that we’re big fans of spicy peanut sauces, particularly when we’re grilling during the warmer months and have great leftover proteins in the fridge on most of these blisteringly hot summer days. To hammer that point home, and tempt your taste buds today, there’s an image below featuring this wonderful sauce over the Original Recipe Chicken from last Friday’s Feast.

Curry and peanut flavors tend to play really well together, and while you could certainly make your own curry sauce, given the number of ingredients and time required to make a really great curry sauce, we much more often than not reach for one of the tasty prepared curries available today (scan ingredients carefully).

Curry, peanut, and coconut flavors also play very well together, and on a whim a few months back, brand-spanking new tub of gochujang in hand, I stirred a couple of tablespoons of gochujang into the peanut sauce I was crafting to serve as a dip for crudite for a little party at the house.

Gochujang is, among other things, an umami flavor bomb, bringing all sorts of deep, almost at times fruity peppery notes to a dish, without being ferociously hot.

Oh you can certainly add more heat to this sauce, either with fresh peppers (try minced serranos or jalapeños), or using cayenne or other spicy ground red peppers, and you do want this sauce to be fairly spicy, given that the foods you’re pouring it over or dipping in it typically aren’t. We’ve even thrown a little chipotle powder in a batch or two, and love the smokey heat that chipotles bring to the table.

Finally, a friend who took this recipe home from the party above likes to add a teaspoon or more or cumin as well – it’s not a typical peanut sauce ingredient but is damned tasty too.

1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
1/3 cup prepared red curry paste (maybe more)
1-3 tbsp gochujang paste
1 can full-fat coconut milk (14.5 ounce)
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
3 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp good fish sauce
1 tbsp honey (optional)
1 tsp ground cumin (optional)
Kosher salt to taste

Heat your oil of choice over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan, and the prepared curry paste and at least 1 tbsp of gochujang, and cook, stirring pretty much consistently, until the paste darkens a bit, is very fragrant, and just begins to stick to the pan.

Quickly add the entire can of coconut milk, stirring to combine well, and bring to a simmer. Continue to whisk occasionally until the mixture has reduced by 10-15%; it’ll darken a bit as it cooks as well.

Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the peanut butter, rice vinegar, fish sauce, and if you’re using them – the cumin, honey, and other spicy flavors (see above).

Let it cool a bit, then taste, and adjust seasons; we almost always add a bit more gochujang and/or cumin, even a little cayenne or chipotle powder occasionally.

Keep this one chilled in the fridge.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Curried Roasted Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Salad

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Like many (if not most) of you, we’ve been looking forward to a turn toward the summer season for a host of reasons this year, given the bizarre journey we’ve all been on for the past three months. Not to mention the simple fact that we all love the fun the summer season brings.

Astrological summer of course doesn’t being for another three weeks, though count me among those who sort of spiritually look at Memorial Day as the advent of summer. During all the time we lived and worked in Montana, as often as not it snowed sometime the last week of May, often in town but almost always in the high country. We’d chuckle at relatives down in Texas complaining of the early advent of summer’s heat, though now that we’re down in North Texas as I write this, with a forecast week of temps pushing 90 or better on the docket, the arrival of summer seems all the more real.

We love the summer (year round really) grilling season around our camp, and are almost always looking for great salads to accompany our favorite proteins off the grill.

I’ve been playing off and on with a roasted sweet potato and cauliflower salad for a few years now; we’ve found several flavor combinations that we resonate with, but I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of roasted and cooled cauliflower from a texture perspective. (Texture matters.)

We have a couple of raw cauliflower salads we often reach for, including this long time family favorite, so recently I stole a page from that recipe and left the cauliflower raw but roasted the sweet potatoes in this Curried Roasted Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Salad, adding in a healthy handful of roasted red peppers, crunchy celery, and red onion, along with a Southwestern themed spice array + good curry.

Leaving the cauliflower raw adds a delightful crunch, as does the celery, and crisp roasting (in a pan) the sweet potatoes adds a bit of caramelization to the equation too. This salad, like any and all you make at home, can be customized to suit your family’s tastes – for instance, in making this batch, my lovely wife had forgotten to grab a red onion on her last shopping excursion, so I just added a sweet onion (Vidalia’s are in!) instead. Next time around, I’ll probably add a tablespoon or two of capers as well….

If your schedule allows, make this an hour or more ahead of time to let the flavors meld, and my clan thinks it’s even better the next day.

1 and 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 and 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp good curry powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne powder

4 cups cauliflower florets, cut into 3/4-inch pieces if needed
2 medium sweet potatoes, trimmed, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 cup roasted red peppers, well-drained, diced
3/4 cup celery, including tender leaves, thinly sliced
1/2 small red onion, trimmed, julienned
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup avocado oil mayo
1/3 cup full fat Greek yogurt
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Garnishes: 2-3 green onions thinly sliced, more chopped cilantro, more diced red pepper

Trim and cut the sweet potatoes to size, then sauté over medium-high in avocado oil until browned and beginning to caramelize around the edges. Set aside to cool.

In a clean, dry small skillet over medium heat, toast the three seeds until fragrant (keep them moving in the pan). Transfer carefully to a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Transfer to a small dish with the curry and cayenne powders.

Into a large bowl go the toasted spices, diced peppers, celery, onion, cilantro, lemon zest and juice, mayo, yogurt, salt, and pepper; stir to combine well, then add the potatoes and cauliflower and stir until evenly coated. Taste and adjust for salt, pepper, and curry.

Transfer to a serving bowl if desired and garnish using any and/or all of the garnishes.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Miso Curry Chicken and Snap Pea Stir Fry

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Even though the interval between the feast of Thanksgiving and the revelry of the Christmas and New Years week is shorter this year, that’s no reason to not keep slinging some varied and interesting dishes out of your kitchen the next few weeks.

One of my fly fishing buddies sent in a version of this Miso Curry Chicken and Snap Pea Stir Fry a few weeks ago, the week before Thanksgiving in fact, and we’ve just gotten around to fiddling with the recipe this past week here in our own kitchen.

While I’m a big curry fan, my wife typically isn’t, objecting to some curry dishes’ overpowering curry-ness (to the point sometimes of being bitter). The addition of a bit of miso and fresh ginger here seems to soften the curry a bit, and makes for a very interesting, almost subtle, and damned tasty variation that we’d never enjoyed at home before.

Fresh sugar snap peas happened to be piled high in the bin as I shopped a few days back, though this dish plays very well with snow peas or haricots verts (the thin French-style green beans) too.

Don’t skimp on the garlic or ginger, and I think this one’s better with a little more heat as well…

3 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
2 and 1/2 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp white miso
1 tbsp good fresh curry powder
2-3 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
4 tbsp avocado oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or mixed with thighs) in 1/2-inch slices
Kosher salt, see notes
3/4 pound prepped and trimmed sugar snap peas, snow peas, or green beans
1/2 cup frozen or fresh (not canned) baby peas
3 green onions, thinly sliced

Combine together the garlic, tamari, miso, curry powder, ginger, red pepper flakes if using, and 2 tbsp oil in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat a tbsp or so oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and then sauté the chicken in a single layer until browned, turn and cook for another minute. You just want the second side of the chicken to become opaque; it won’t be cooked all the way through but remove to a plate anyway-there’s more cooking to come.

Now add the final tbsp of oil to the pan and cook the prepped beans (still on medium-high heat) until they brighten in color and begin to char in spots, 2-3 minutes. Remove to the plate with the chicken.

Reduce the heat to medium, and pour the curry-miso mixture into the same pan, and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Look for the garlic to soften a bit and the curry to darken in color. Now add the peas and 1/2 cup of water, then return the chicken and beans to the skillet and toss to coat.

Cook another 3-4 minutes until the sauce has reduced by about half and thickens, tossing occasionally to coat the chicken and beans. Serve hot sprinkled with the chopped green onions/scallions.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salad Monday: Curry Vinaigrette

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We’re always on the lookout for interesting and flavorful vinaigrettes, not only for the obvious use as salad dressing, but as a quick dip or drizzle for proteins and vegetables, and even for folding into homemade avocado oil mayo to fancy things in the spirit of a high-brow, flavored aioli.

I’ve shared recently that we’ve also been on something of a curry blitz of late now that the weather has finally cooled off here in North Texas, and this Curry Vinaigrette has caught my wife’s eye in particular.

Admittedly the tablespoon (or a tad less) of curry powder sounds like a lot – it is – but the acids (vinegar of your choice below and the lemon juice) really balance this dressing out nicely, as do the garlic and dijon mustard notes. By the way, I’ve made this using a coarse-grind Creole type mustard and it was delicious as well.

Given the use of fresh garlic this dressing should be used within a week of making it; ours is always gone within a day or two!

1/2 cup avocado or good olive oil
1 tbsp (scant) good fresh curry powder

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, your choice
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp good Dijon mustard
A grind or two of fresh ground pepper
Good salt to taste

To get started, bring the curry powder and your oil of choice to a gentle simmer over medium heat in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and cool.

When the oil has cooled, combine your vinegar of choice, the lemon juice, the prepped garlic, and the Dijon in your trusty blender, then stream in the curry oil (with the motor running of course) to make a smooth, thick emulsion. Add the salt and pepper, adjust to taste, and go to it.

Will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Vegetable Monday: Curry Dressed Carrot and Beet Salad

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Here’s a somewhat unusual salad we’ve recently been playing around with as part of our all things curry run we’ve been enjoying the past few weeks – a Curry Dressed Carrot and Beet Salad. It’s one you can put together any time of year given the availability of the root vegetables, and would certainly fit very well on a well-rounded holiday table these next few months.

While I happen to love beets in just about any form, my lovely wife is a bit more skeptical, and she originally thought this dish might be too ‘beet-forward’; no problem – slicing the beets very thinly (mandoline ideally or by a careful hand) and salting them for a short time softens them yet keeps the beets delightfully crunchy.

We thought the real star of this salad was the curry vinaigrette; it’s ridiculously easy to put together, very well balanced (not bitter at all with the amount of curry), and delicious. We’ll be pouring this dressing over salads and other roasted vegetables all winter…

1/2 cup avocado or good olive oil
1 tbsp good fresh curry powder (see note above)

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 tbsp good Dijon mustard

3 -4 small to medium beets, peeled, thinly sliced on mandoline
3-4 medium carrots, peeled, shaved into ribbons with a veg peeler or a spiralizer
Lemon juice to taste
Good salt to taste

Optional
1/3 to 1/2 cup toasted pistachios

Over medium heat in a small saucepan, bring the curry powder and you oil of choice to a simmer, then remove from heat and cool.

While the oil is cooling, we like to go ahead and prep the beets, place them in a medium bowl, sprinkle with generous pinch of salt and let them rest for 10-15 minutes (they soften slightly). When the time has passed, come back and prep the carrots and add to the bowl.

To make the dressing, combine the ACV, the prepped garlic, and the Dijon in your trusty blender, then stream in the curry oil (with the motor running of course) to make a smooth, thick emulsion. Taste for salt and adjust, then pour over the vegetables, tossing gently.

Season with a spritz of lemon juice, taste and adjust for lemon and salt one final time, and top with the toasted pistachios if using.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Sauce Monday: Garam Masala and Cucumber Dip

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I don’t know what it’s been like around your neighborhood this summer, but after a short break from the summer heat here in North Texas, we’re back to typical scorching summer days this week.

Summer is prime time grilling season of course (though thinking about it, when is it not grilling season?) and we’re always looking for a nifty sauce, salsa, slather, or dip to make things more interesting.

Here’s a great one – Garam Masala and Cucumber Dip, a kissin’-cousin to my wife’s favorite tzatziki and my personal go-to in this flavor arena, Bebe’s Curry Mayo and Dip. This one couldn’t be easier to stir together, and with a few simple options you can fancy up this very simple prep to suit any occasion.

By the way, the crispy shallots are a nice touch our friend Chef Libby in Austin uses; she’s always reminding us how easy they are to make at home, and what an amazing vinaigrette the shallot oil makes when you’re done sautéing the shallots. If you’ve not done this before to garnish salads or Thai dishes at home, try it using this technique.

Of course this one is for the daily tolerant, and I’d encourage you to track down some sheep’s milk yogurt as my lovely wife did last week….

1 cup unflavored whole milk yogurt
1 large garlic clove, finely grated
1/2 to 1 tbsp garam masala
1/2 to 1 tsp good salt
1 4-to-5 inch cucumber (Persian if you can), small dice or grated

Optional
Crispy shallots, see note above
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Add the yogurt to a small bowl, grate in the garlic, and add the garam masala and salt. Stir to combine well, then fold in the grated or diced cucumber. Taste for seasoning, remembering that the curry/masala flavors will intensify a little over time; I almost always end up using a full tablespoon of the garam masala.

Top with the optional goodies, grab the crudite platter, and go to it.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Friday Feast 1 March: Coconut Curry Braised Chicken Legs

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With much of the country is still hip deep in winter today, let’s talk about a warm, rich, tasty, and easy dinner to get on the table tonight – Coconut Curry Braised Chicken Legs.

Braised foods score big points on so many fronts. Braising allows one to take a humble cut of meat, one packed with tooth and connective tissue, and with the magical application of gentle heat, time, and liquid to convey both heat and flavor, turn that protein into a tender, moist, deeply flavored delight.

Probably my most remembered home dish from childhood was a beer-braised brisket; we have several great brisket recipes, but that’s the one we keep going back to. And how about those Thai-inspired Slow Roasted Short Ribs from a few weeks back? By the way, I just did a chuck roast using that recipe, and it was astoundingly good (post in the queue already).

My professional photographer daughter has been braising chicken legs in coconut milk and curry for years, and we’ve lately been using this amped up Coconut Curry Braised Chicken Leg recipe as later winter battles early spring here in North Texas.

We like spicy, full-flavored food, of course you can ramp up or tone down the spices in this recipe, but remember the chicken legs are a mildly-flavored blank slate here. This recipe yields big results for about 10 minutes prep time before it slides into the oven…

1 can full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
2-4 tbsp prepared Thai curry paste
1-3 lemongrass stalks, outer layer peeled, crushed (see note above)
2-3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled, coarsely grated
4-6 garlic cloves, crushed
4 chicken legs (thigh+drumstick)
Good salt to taste

Optional
1-2 chopped serrano or jalapeno peppers
1-2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar

To serve
Chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
Lime wedges and/or zest
Toasted unsweetened coconut flakes
Cauliflower rice

Prep the chicken, lightly season with salt and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400.

Stir the coconut milk, curry paste, and grated ginger together in a baking dish large enough to hold the 4 chicken legs. Add the lemongrass and garlic, then add the chicken legs and spoon the mixture over.

Bake for 60-75 minutes (depends on the size of the legs), basting with the cooking liquid/sauce every 15 minutes until the chicken is browned and cooked through (the joint will move fairly easily).

Plate, spoon some sauce over, and top with the cilantro, zest, and coconut flakes.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Snack Wednesday 13 June: Bebe’s Curry Mayo and Dip

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It’s been part of the family food lexicon for so long, I honestly can’t remember who it was back during my high school years that introduced by family to what we’ve come to call Bebe’s Curry Mayo and Dip.

Long ago (and before we knew better) we stirred this together with either Miracle Whip or the Southern staple Duke’s Mayo, though it’s even far better with a freshly homemade avocado oil (or olive oil) mayo – here’s the absolutely fool-proof method we use that takes all of three minutes start to finish to make it at home.

This dip is perfect for a serving alongside a big tray of freshly sliced vegetables; you’ll laugh but my favorite with it has always been thinly sliced raw turnips, though it’s sublime on radishes, bell peppers, raw cauliflower or broccoli, and just about another other raw vegetable you’d care to snack or dine on.

If you can stir, you can make this in just a minute or two. And be prepared to adjust the ingredient amounts to suit your or your family’s tastes – we always add more onion, more curry, and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes.

By the way, it’s incredible slathered across that cold grilled chicken you were saving for lunch tomorrow…

1 cup homemade avocado oil mayo (or your fave store brand)
1/4 sweet onion, grated (may want more)
1-2 tbsp good, fresh curry powder
1-2 tsp of your favorite hot sauce
Optional: 1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

A big plate of vegetables of your choice

This one couldn’t be easier, even if you’re whipping up a fresh batch of avocado oil (or olive oil) mayo with your immersion blender at home.

Grate in the onion, add 1 tbsp of curry powder, and a big splash of hot sauce, stir well, and then taste for spice.

We always add more curry, though note that as the dip rests, the curry flavor intensifies.

Keeps tightly covered in the fridge for up to a week.

Enjoy.