Christmas leftover curry

The Recycled Cook

By Adrian Sleeman

Christmas leftover curry

Well we are now getting into that time of year where all of us have a lot of left over food from Christmas and Boxing day. What better time to look at making some interesting dishes from some of those leftovers.
The most obvious item to start with is of course the, often overly large, Turkey (or any other bird for that matter) that was bought for Christmas day. Increasingly people are sensibly buying crowns or smaller birds but even then, with all the extras that went with it the chances are you will have enough meat to produce some really interesting meals.

For me there is nothing quite like a post-Christmas curry but be inventive, but don't just reach for the jar of Madras curry paste, make up your own blend of herbs and spices. Try making a Thai curry with coconut milk, red or green curry paste, some fresh chopped red chillies (de-seeded if preferred), a bunch of coriander leaves, lime juice and some Thai 7 spice powder.

The one ingredient that immediately makes oriental food authentic is Fish sauce (Nam Pla) although not to everyone's taste, without it, for me at least, the balance is never quite right. This is readily available in your local supermarket. I find that shredding the meat, seasoning well and then pan frying with shallots, garlic and onions gives a nicer flavour to the turkey than just shredding straight into the curry. Most Thai curries are made from pre-cooked meat so there is also an element of authenticity about this process.

Serve the curry with a timbale of rice and top with roasted chopped leftover nuts and some basil leaves if available. You can also top the rice with crispy fried onions to add that extra finishing touch.

There is of course no limit to the kind of curry you can make with such a wealth of ingredients to hand. Try a vegetable curry, perfect to accompany any Biriani or Pilau dish (I will focus on these in a later blog). Use anything you have available, lamb, ham, chicken or vegetables (if adding cooked vegetables leave them until the end of cooking or they will break up too much). Add pre-roasted chopped potatoes for that "Massaman" (Muslim) curry from the Southern Thailand, Malaysia borders. Add fruit and tomatoes for that Goan, Southern Indian flavour, Sri Lankan influence but above all else add inspiration. 

 Don't forget to flavour your rice too, use lemon juice, chopped peppers, diced coconut, garlic or onions to lift that accompaniment to another level.


Disclaimer: The suggestions and tips on these blog pages are meant to be used in conjunction with common sense. Keeping your family healthy is the priority. Do not use food that is unfit for human consumption and always follow sensible food hygiene guidelines.  




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