Sweet Potato Massaman Curry & Smoked Paprika Rice

I love Asian food…as if you couldn’t tell. What’s not to love. The flavors are super amazing. The ingredients are always fresh. And they have this really amazing ability to balance sweet, spicy, salty, and savory all in one bite. It’s really amazing. Also, true to form, this dish won’t have you in the kitchen all night either.

Let’s go!

Sweet Potato Massaman Curry
2 sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch of ginger, diced
2 red chilis, sliced
2 tablespoons of lemongrass paste
3 tablespoons of Canola oil
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
the juice of 2 limes
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
4 cups of vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups of coconut milk
fresh cilantro, to garnish

To make the curry, start by sauteing the bell pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass paste, and chilis in Canola oil until fragrant. This should take about 3-4 minutes on high heat. Then, add in the spices – turmeric, coriander, and cumin. Cook in the oil to toast the spices for about 2 minutes more. Than, add in the vegetable stock, brown sugar, lime juice, bay leaves, and sweet potatoes. Cook until the sweet potatoes are tender. This should take about 10 minutes. If you find that your liquid has gotten a bit too low, just add in a bit more vegetable stock.

To serve the dish, add in the coconut milk at the last 4-5 minutes of cooking and serve by topping with fresh cilantro and smoked paprika rice (recipe to follow).

Smoked Paprika Rice
2 cups of Basmati rice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 heaping teaspoon of smoked paprika
4 cups of vegetable stock
a good pinch of Kosher salt

In a large skillet, heat the oil. When the oil is heated, add in the rice and toast the rice in the oil until it’s a few shades lighter than golden brown. Then, add in the smoked paprika and cook for about 60 seconds more. Lastly, add in the salt and vegetable stock and cook until the vegetable stock has evaporated. Turn off the heat and add a lid. Allow the rice to sit for 10 minutes. Then, after 10 minutes, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.

If you need visuals, here’s a rice video: