Curry Elvis Cooks - Fusion Cuisine Recipes and Food Philosophy

You might get the impression that I'm on an okra kick right now, but honestly, this recipe is something I concocted 2 years ago. While my original recipe used the Vietnamese beef balls (bo) that you find the Vietnamese pho soup, you can pretty much use any meatballs. I just happen to like the texture of bo, which is very firm at first, until your teeth pierce the beef ball, at which point it is very densely spongey. Bo doesn't usually have a lot of flavour, so it's great in soups where the broth is flavourful, or in curries, where the sauce is flavourful. Enjoy.

Cuisines

• Vietnamese
• East Indian
• Chinese
• Fusion

Result
Dry dish, varied textures, spicy.

Ingredients

• 2-3 tbsp of cooking oil, preferably something like canola. Do not use pure olive oil, sunflower oil or safflower oil. They have a very low smoke point and will burn quickly, which in turn will burn the curry powder, cause you to gasp uncontrollably, and more than likely turn on your smoke alarm, as I've learned the hard way. Many times. You can, however, mix 2 parts canola with one part of olive oil, which I do regularly. (You can use peanut oil, but for healh reasons, I don't use it.)
• 1-2 tbsp butter
• 1 medium potato, pre-boiled, diced. It's not absolutely necessary for the potato to be pre-boiled, but since the bo (beef balls) are pre-cooked, you'd have to change how you prepare this dish. It's just a bit easier to use boiled potatoes. What my mother likes to do, on Sunday nights, is boil up a bunch of potatoes for the rest of the week. Eat 'em within 4-5 days, though.
• 1/2 cup of okra, fresh or frozen, cut or whole. (Cut okra gets gooey faster, as I've mentioned in another post.)
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Crushed red pepper flake. Hey, if you're about to make this curry dish, what's a bit of flake going to hurt, huh?Vietnamese beef balls (bo), cut in quarters. There are two types of bo: beef and beef tendon. I don't find too much difference in taste or colour. I've never seen a price difference, either. Again, if you can't find them, substitute other meatballs, or even veggie meatballs. (I've come across only one brand that has any taste and firmness. As soon as a I recall the brand name, I'll mention it in a future post.)
• 1 tbsp curry powder [any strength: mild, medium or hot]
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped fine.
• Sesame seeds [optional]. They add a subtle bit of texture, if you dust on enough before serving.

Preparation

• Heat oil and butter in non-stick pan or skillet, on med high.
• Add potatoes and let caramelize on one side, about 1-2 minutes.
• Add okra, salt, pepper, and red pepper flake (to taste), and toss. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add bo (beef balls) and curry powder. Cook for 3-4 minutes, tossing every minute or two.
• In the last minute of cooking, add the green onion and toss.
• Turn off heat, sprinkle sesame seed on top, serve.

Presentation
Because this is a dry dish, you may want to serve this with a small bowl of soup or Chinese rice porridge (congee).

(c) Copyright 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://curryelviscooks.blogspot.com