I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this, but I have a new addiction. Portuguese cooking shows. Or rather, one particular Portuguese cooking show, Ingrediente Secreto.
It’s really quite awesome to watch, even if you don’t speak or understand Portuguese I recommend seeing an episode because it’s extremely well done. Each episode begins with a segment on the origin of the ingredient and ends with fun cultural references to the ingredient. Thus it was no surprise when my Portuguese friend told me it airs on a channel similar to PBS in Portugal.
It’s also one of those cooking shows that’s convincingly real. It’s almost as if Henrique Sá Pessoa (the star of the show) is actually chopping everything, waiting for his dish to cook, and you’re in the kitchen right there with him. Maybe I don’t watch enough cooking shows to know that they’re all like that, but for some reason this one seems different.
I also like that he deals with just one ingredient throughout the program, hence the name Ingrediente Secreto. It’s great for looking up recipes on his website if I have a particularly large amount of tomatoes or spinach from Santiago’s central market, La Vega. Plus, I can watch bite sized parts of an episode, one recipe at a time if I want, whenever I want.
Clearly I could go on forever about this show but now about the recipe, Caril de Espinafres or Spinach Curry. I have made it a couple of times now and when I made it I adjusted things a bit. First off, I didn’t add the cream to it because I make enough fattening things on the weekend to know I don’t need things like heavy cream during the week (though it does say light cream...dunno if that exists). I think, however, you could add some coconut milk and that might be better for you. Anyone know?
Also, as suggested, I added lentils to give it a bit more since I had no tofu. I also added chicken one time in lieu of tofu. It turned out amazingly well. Just cook the chicken with a bit of oil, salt and pepper in a pan and add it to the spinach and lentil mixture to finish cooking and absorb the flavors.
Caril de Espinafres (Spinach Curry) (adapted from Ingrediente Secreto)
200g Tofu
800g Spinach
1 Onion
2 tomatoes
125ml (light) cream (does this exist?)
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
Vegetable oil, to taste
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Directions:
1) Saute the onion in the oil and fry lightly. Chop the spinach coarsely.
2) In the meantime, add the spices to the cooked onion, to activate the aromas.
3) Season with sea salt and add the diced tomatoes and spinach. Stir well. [Chef's Secret: At this time cooked lentils can be added to give the curry a bit more heft], (I highly recommend adding lentils)
4) Once the spinach starts to shrink, crush it and add the cream. (I didn’t add cream and it turned out fine) [Chef's Secret: if it gets too thick when you add cream, add 100ml water or vegetable broth]
5) Cut the tofu into cubes and add to the curry sauce. Let cook for 15 minutes. Or if you want to add chicken, cut the chicken into cubes and cook it halfway through in a separate pan before adding it to the curry sauce.
6) Serve with jasmine or basmati rice.
Caril de Espinafres (adaptado de Ingrediente Secreto)
200g Tofu
800g Espinafre
1 Cebola
2 tomates
125ml (light) Natas
1 colher de chá Garam Masala
1 colher de chá (em pó) Cominhos
1 colher de chá Açafrão-das-Índias
a gosto Óleo vegetal
a gosto Flor de Sal
a gosto Pimenta Preta Modo de preparação
Modo de Preparação:
1) Refogue a cebola no óleo e frite ligeiramente. Pique o espinafre grosseiramente.
2) Entretanto, junte as especiarias ao refogado, para activar os aromas.
3) Tempere com flor de sal e junte os tomates cortados em cubos e os espinafres. Mexa bem. [Sugestão do Chef: pode juntar lentilhas para enriquecer o preparado], eu juntei lentilhas e ficou bom.
4) Assim que o espinafre começar a "desaparecer", esmague-o e junte as natas. (Eu não juntei natas). [Segredo do Chef: se ficar muito espess uma vez que junte as natas, junte 100ml de água ou caldo de legumes]
5) Corte o tofu em cubos e junte ao molho de caril. Deixe cozinhar por 15 minutos. Ou se você quer juntar frango, corte o frango em cubos e cozinhar numa panela separada antes de juntar ao molho de caril.
6) Sirva com arroz basmati ou jasmin.
