@espressojim HOLY CRAP that grocery store looks awesome and your soup looks delicious. I’m very envious!!
@RichVR I completely agree with Christien; what an awesome story :-D
And @Tman I think I’ve heard those referred to as Dutch Babies, maybe? Which is a super weird name for a food, but whatever. Yours looks awesome! Sounds like a pretty fabulous way to celebrate once or twice a month, especially with the hooting, lol
I’m of the (perhaps biased) opinion that Indian and Asian cuisines are good candidates for going low-carb. It’s a little weird having a good curry or stir fry without rice or noodles underneath, but if you’re looking to A) Jack up flavor of “boring” meats and veggies, B) have a wide variety of taste profiles to draw from, C) make-ahead food for a couple-few days at a time, and D) do fairly nutrient-rich food, all of those can definitely apply.
In addition to the stuff above (I’d cut the oil/butter by half and swap in lowfat plain yogurt in place of cream for health reasons, unless you’re doing a keto high-fat diet), I wrote up a stir-fry/quick curry base you could work from. It collects most of my thoughts on the subject succinctly!:
Category
|
Chinese |
Thai |
Indian |
Cooking Fat
|
Canola Oil
|
Coconut Oil
|
Ghee or Butter
|
| Aromatics |
Green Onions (white parts) Garlic, Ginger (minced)
|
Shallots, Garlic, Galangal/Ginger (minced)
|
Onion (minced), Ginger + Garlic later (Grated/Blended), add Green Chilies near the end
|
| Primary Flavorings |
Red Pepper Flakes and/or Szechuan Peppercorns, crushed
|
Curry Paste (e.g., Red, Green, Masaman), for simplicity's sake
|
Curry Powder, Paprika, and/or Individual Spices (usually 1:1:2:3 mixture of Turmeric, Chili Powder, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder), plus Salt
|
Proteins
|
Chicken, Pork, or Beef strips, marinated 30m in 1:1:1:2:3 mixture of Baking Soda, Cornstarch, Sugar, Rice Wine, and Soy
|
Chicken (thin slices), Tofu (cubes), or Shrimp, marinated 30m in 1:3:3 mixture of Sugar, Fish Sauce, and Lime Juice
|
Chicken, Paneer, or Fish (cubes), marinated 60m in 1:1:3:3:6 mixture of Salt, Pepper, Curry Powder, Lime Juice, and Plain Yogurt
|
"Slow" Vegetables
|
Broccoli Stalks and/or Carrots, sliced into thick ovals, Celery (chopped)
|
Potatoes (cubed and steamed separate) and/or Carrots, sliced into thick ovals
|
Potatoes (cubed) and/or Chickpeas, boiled until fork-tender in Salted Water separately
|
"Fast" Vegetables
|
Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, or Onions (slices), Green Beans, and/or Broccoli Florets, Bok Choy, or Cabbage (chopped)
|
Onions (slices), Green Beans, Broccoli Florets (chopped) and/or Snap Peas
|
Chopped Tomatoes, Spinach, Green Beans, Carrots, and/or Bell Peppers; Corn Kernels or Lima Beans
|
Sauce
|
3:3:3:3:1:1 mixture of Soy Sauce, Rice Wine, Oyster Sauce (optional), Chicken Broth, Sugar, and White Pepper, combined with 3:1 slurry of Water and Cornstarch. Boil briefly to thicken.
|
(If Wanted) Coconut Milk with enough Water to achieve desired texture. SImmer to thicken.
|
(If Wanted) Water, Chicken Broth, and/or Coconut Milk, to desired texture. Simmer to thicken as desired.
|
Finishing Touches
|
Bean Sprouts, Green Onions (green parts--sliced), and/or Toasted Cashews, as desired
|
Fish Sauce, Lime Juice, and Sugar to "season" to desired flavor; Crushed Peanuts and/or Cilantro as desired
|
Cilantro (chopped) and Garam Masala, and/or Qasuri Methi (powdered with hands), Honey, and/or Cream/Yogurt, as desired
|
To use (generally) begin by heating the cooking fat in a deep skillet and/or dutch oven over medium-to-medium-high heat. Add in the aromatics and cook until softened and–well–aromatic. Then add in the primary flavorings, stirring into the mixture until fragrant (30 seconds tops, generally), then you’d normally add in your protein (if using meat, tofu, or paneer) and sear the outside of that.
Add in slow-cooking vegetables and let those get started for ~1-2 minutes. If using shrimp, add that now. Then, in go the fast-cooking vegetables, which get another minute or two, depending on overall heat levels.
If you’re gonna do a sauce (recommended for the Chinese-style stir fries, though, of course, how much of that you add is up to you!), add those ingredients in now and boil and/or simmer as instructed. Finish off with, well, finishing touches and plate up, with brown rice, quinoa, or just on its own!
You can generally either keep chopped ingredients handy in the fridge and whip together a true stir fry in about 15m on the stovetop, or you can go with a saucier curry and make it in bulk at the start of the week and be good for quite some time.
