Local chefs showed us how to add extra crunch to our favorite dishes this month with crispy grains like quinoa, amaranth, kamut and more. The Restaurant at The Cheshire‘s chef Rex Hale shared his recipe for Squash Curry with Crispy Quinoa in print, and if you really want to go the extra mile, try your hand at Hale’s own curry paste and roti, too.
Yellow Curry Paste Courtesy of The Restaurant at The Cheshire’s Rex Hale Makes 2 cups
4 Tbsp. fresh turmeric root*, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large onion, peeled, trimmed and quartered
3 Tbsp. chopped ginger root
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh coriander root or cilantro stems
3 Tbsp. chopped garlic
3 Tbsp. sliced lemongrass
2 to 3 Tbsp. fresh Scotch bonnet chiles, chopped and seeded (or habanero, bird’s eye or serrano peppers)
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. ground coriander
3 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. course ground black peppercorns
2 tsp. sea salt
½ cup vegetable oil
• Add chopped turmeric root, onion, ginger, coriander roots, garlic and lemon grass to a blender. Blend to a rough, dry consistency.
• Add the chiles and lime juice to the blender and puree. Add in coriander, cumin, peppercorns and salt and blend again.
• Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over low heat. Fry the paste, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until fragrant. Let cool. Curry paste will keep, refrigerated, up to 1 month.
*Fresh tumeric root is available at most international grocery stores. Roti Courtesy of The Restaurant at The Cheshire’s Rex Hale 8 rotis
8 oz. whole-wheat flour
8 oz. quinoa flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
5 oz. cold butter, diced
4 oz. cold water
About ½ cup olive oil, divided
• In a large bowl, sift together the whole-wheat flour, quinoa flour, baking powder and salt. Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Slowly add the water and mix together with your hands to form a ball. Knead the dough on a floured surface 2 or 3 minutes, then place it in a bowl, cover with a towel and let it rest 30 minutes.
• Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead again for 2 to 3 minutes. Divide the dough in 8 equal portions and roll into balls. Flour the work surface and a rolling pin and roll out a ball into a disc as thin as a tortilla. Stack the rotis, flouring well between each so they do not stick together.
• In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil and griddle the rotis 1 to 2 minutes, until the underside is slightly brown. Flip, brushing the pan with oil between each side, and cook another 1 to 2 minutes, until the surface bubbles up and browns slightly. Repeat with the remaining roti discs. Cover the cooked rotis with a towel while cooking the next one. Serve immediately. Rotis will keep, refrigerated, for up to 24 hours.
-photo by Carmen Troesser
This article appears in October 2014.