This is the basic recipe for making a பால் (paal) or milk curry. In the homeland we would use freshly squeezed coconut milk. Because that is not accessible in a country like Australia – we us tinned coconut milk. I find tinned coconut milk too thick – so often sub it with soy milk (because I don’t like the taste of cow’s milk).
Below you will find the recipe for 3 பால் curries
– eggplant and green tomato
– eggplant, red tomato and green banana
– green beans and potato
INGREDIENTS – Eggplant and green tomato (Serves 4)
- 3 small eggplants (see photo)
- 1/2 medium red onion chopped
- 1/3 tsp turmeric
- 2/3 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1.5 cups water
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 2/3 tsp salt (add more at the end if you want to)
- 3 small green chillies
- 8-12 curry leaves
- 2 green tomatoes
- Cube the eggplants.
- Add all ingredients minus the coconut milk into a pan.
- Bring to boil on medium heat. Cover pan when boiling
- When eggplant and tomatoes have softened (about 10mins), mash it up with a spoon.
- Add coconut milk and bring to boil.
- Remove and serve.
If making this with green banana: use the same proportion of banana to eggplant. I used two of each. The eggplants weighed 200g and when i diced them they weighed about 180g (stems removed). We also added red tomatoes which weighed about 180g. For these measurements you need 1 tsp salt.
- Cut 1 green banana in quarters length ways and then cube it (like the eggplant). See photo above.
- Cut the tomato into quarters.
- Cube the eggplant.
- Add the all ingredients to a pan minus the coconut milk, bring to boil and then reduce to medium heat. Cover.
- When eggplant is soft (after about 10min), mash it up with a spoon for about 30seconds You want the eggplant and banana to blend together but still hold their form. It should not be a soup or look like pulp.
- Add coconut milk, and bring to boil.
- Remove and serve.
Below photo taken before step 5.
INGREDIENTS – green beans and potato
- 2 medium potatoes
- 3 cups chopped beans
- 1/2 medium red onion chopped
- 1/3 tsp turmeric
- 2/3 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1.5 cups water
- 1/2 cup of coconut milk
- 2/3 tsp salt (add more at the end if you want to)
- 3 small green chillies
- 8-12 curry leaves
- Cube the potatoes.
- Add all ingredients to a pot minus the coconut milk into a pan.
- Bring to boil on medium heat. Cover pan when boiling.
- When potato has softened, remove and add the coconut/soy milk and bring to boil.
- Remove and serve.