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Sri Lankan White Zucchini Curry

Even though this is called a white curry, it is slightly yellowish in color from the small amount of turmeric in it. In Sri Lanka, it is made with ridge gourd, which looks like a ridged, long, slightly curving cucumber, pointy at the ends. It is sold in Indian, Southeast Asian, and Chinese markets. If you can find it, peel it with a peeler, concentrating mostly on the high ridges, and then cut it crosswise into 3/4-inch segments. It cooks in about 3 minutes. I have used zucchini instead because it is just as good and we can all get it easily. Serve with rice and perhaps Stir-Fried Chettinad Chicken.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4¿6

Ingredients

4 medium-sized zucchini, about 1 1/2 pounds total, trimmed, cut in half lengthways, and then cut crossways into 3/4-inch segments
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
15 fresh curry leaves, lightly crushed in the palm, or 10 fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium shallot, peeled and cut into fine slivers
1 1/4 cups coconut milk from a well-shaken can

Preparation

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a very large frying pan or sauté pan and set over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer. Turn heat to medium and cook about 5 minutes, stirring and spooning the sauce over the zucchini.

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Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the full book from Amazon.
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