Creamy onion warm-spiced winter sauce

ready for enveloping your favorite protein or vegetable

Winter is here. The cold is here. The grey days are here. The low moods are here. The feeling-of-the-cold-in-my-bones is here. The desire to hibernate is here.

The cravings of comforting, warming meals are here, in full swing.

On top of all this, some days are windy, harboring a biting cold that makes outside walks challenging. On one such day recently, I could not shake the cold or the resulting fog in my brain. I was craving warmth. Specifically, warm food. As I paced shivering in my living room after attempting a walk outside, a desire to create a comfort curry sauce that would warm me up from the inside overtook me and I dashed into the kitchen.

I played around with ingredients at hand and ended up making a sauce that hit the spot, providing much comfort and warmth that I was seeking. I share this warmth with you today.

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Ingredients (bold are needed, others are optional):

• Aromatics: seeds (cumin, fennel, nigella, cardamom, cloves, mustard), dried red chili, onions, garlic, ginger, serrano peppers

• Thickeners: cashews, chickpea flour, milk (omit for a vegan dish)

• Spices powders: turmeric, coriander, cumin, curry, red chillies, dried fenugreek, black pepper, sugar

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Step 1: Infuse the aromatics

Into hot olive oil on medium-high heat, I added the first layer of seeds (mustard, cardamom, cloves, red chilies). After about 30 seconds I added the rest of the seeds. About 30 seconds later the seeds began their dance (cumin) or violence (mustard) in the pan, accompanied by a lovely feint aroma of the spices. This is where I added the chopped onions and let them soften for ~5 mins with periodic stirring. Once the onions were translucent I added the garlic, ginger, serrano chilies (these ingredients look ‘cubed’ because I prepare a big batch and freeze them). I let these aromatics soften and infuse together for another ~5 mins with periodic mixing so they don’t burn or stick too much to the bottom.

Step 2: Mix in the thickeners

You could use cream, however, I am not a big fan of it. I didn’t grow up eating it and my stomach generally dislikes it. So, in order to thicken the sauce I made use of 1 tbsp chickpea flour and ~30 cashews (soaked in water ~15 min). I find this combination (or even cashews by themselves) gives a good nutty taste without the heavy cream flavor or dilution of spices.

I reduced the heat to low-medium, toasted the chickpea flour for ~1 min and then added 0.5 cups of water to generate a roux (similar to what you would do with regular flour). I cooked this roux while continuously mixing for ~8 mins, adding more water as needed (~0.25 cups). I then added the cashews along with 0.5 cups water and let this mixture simmer covered for ~5 more mins.

Step 3: Let the spices sing

I added all the spices along with salt to taste and let them cook covered for ~1 min before turning off the heat and letting the mixture cool for ~10 mins.

Step 4: Blend and adjust

All the contents went into the blender to generate a smooth sauce (add water as needed to adjust blending/thickness to your liking). I poured the sauce back into the pan on low heat containing a little bit of olive oil, and adjusted a few things after a taste test. I added 0.5 cups of milk to add another layer of creaminess/flavor to the sauce. I also added a pinch of black pepper, some salt, and a pinch of sugar to balance out the flavors. I let this warm over low heat for ~5 mins to complete the sauce.

Step 5: Dunk in your favorite protein or vegetable

I ended up building exactly the sauce I had in mind, something that would warm me and comfort me. I happened to have chicken meatballs on hand to dunk into this sauce (post on this coming next week!). I tossed in the meatballs and let them drown in the warm sauce for ~5-7 mins on super low heat with a lid.

In my view, the best thing about this sauce is it’s versatility. Any protein or vegetable of choice can be added to it. It can become a meat dish or easily convert into a vegetarian or vegan dish. The possibilities are endless. In the near future, I want to try:

• Protein: lamb meatballs, tandoori cod, grilled chicken/beef/pork pieces, etc.

• Vegetable: vegetable fritters aka pakoras, tofu pieces, tempeh tikka, boiled potatoes, steamed cauliflower, butternut squash, etc.

• Other uses: enjoy it with plain rice like a Japanese curry, use as a dip for bread, use as a pizza sauce, make a thinner version to enjoy as soup, etc.

I served my chicken meatballs in this creamy onion warm-spiced winter sauce over a luxurious bed of steamed basmati rice. Each bite felt tingly, spicy, silky, tasty on my tongue. I felt comfort and warmth envelope me over dinner, lasting into the rest of the night. This has now become my favorite comfort curry sauce during the winter.

Dish Debrief

• Is this my winner or disaster? Win

• How would I rate this dish out of 10? 8/10

• What would I change next time? Dunk in vegetables like steamed cauliflower or boiled potatoes or other ideas above

• Would I make this again? oh yes