Vegetarian Curry Pastel

It has been a while since I shared a culinary post. Nowadays, we have been eating more vegetables available in the local market. This is not your usual curry nor is it a typical pastel. The taste is more adapted to the Filipino palate and it is a cross between a Filipino curry and a pastel. If it were a song, it's more like a mash up. I like throwing things together and wondering what they would taste like and the first time I made it, it was a hit so I'm making another batch today while it's raining outside.

You can actually use coconut milk instead of all purpose cream and any vegetable you want but I just used what I have in hand. I wanted it to be more keto as well so I didn't add potatoes, but do so if you want it more starchy and thick.

Here are the main ingredients:

2 big carrots roughly chopped into bite sized cubes
2 large eggplants (aubergines)
1 green or red bell pepper chopped
1 large red onion or medium sized yellow onion roughly chopped
2 large cloves of garlic
knobs of butter
olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 cup or 1 carton of Nestle all purpose cream
Squeezed juice from 3-4 calamansi (philippine lime)
Salt and pepper
Curry Powder
Optional : Thai fish sauce
Optional: Add chilli flakes if you want it spicy
Optional : 1 tablespoon of flour to create roux if you want the sauce to be thicker

Let's go do it!

In medium fire, throw in butter and olive oil in a non stick pan

Saute' carrots and onions until they become tender. Add salt and pepper.

Once they're tender, add the rest of the butter and the minced garlic. I add a table spoon of flour to create a roux if you like the sauce to be thick and creamy.

Add bell pepper and eggplants until they're half cooked

Mix vegetable broth, fish sauce and calamansi.

Pour in the all purpose cream.

Add curry powder

If you want them spicy, sprinkle chilli flakes and season them more with salt and pepper. Serve on a bed of hot brown rice. Or if you're like me, I eat this creamy vegetarian dish as it is.

Bon Appetit!

Love & light,

Arni