My Culinary Adventures: Coconut Curry Vegetables

I was extremely pleased to find that coconut milk is readily available in my site, and suddenly had the craving for curry one day.  I made a huge mistake with this recipe though and have definitely learned my lesson.  Tomato paste is NOT the same as tomato sauce.  As I added in the coconut milk, the curry started to smell delicious and I couldn't wait to try it!  But then I added in the whole bag of tomato paste thinking I could substitute tomato sauce for that, and then I watched as my wonderful coconut milk-smelling curry changed from a lovely yellowish color to a deep orange-red and smelled strongly of tomato =(.  It still tasted okay, but next time I am definitely diluting the paste with water and adding only what is necessary.  It was also too soupy.  Whoops!

Recipe
Adapted from Allrecipes.com
Obviously don't do what I did with the tomato paste.  I didn't include paste in the recipe below, don't worry =].

Ingredients
1 tsp each salt and pepper
1 1/2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tbs curry powder
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed, diced tomatoes (I had to stew my own tomatoes, recipe is below)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
3 tbs sugar
1 head broccoli, broken into florets and stem pieces

2-3 carrots, chopped

2 potatoes, cut into small chunks

1. Heat salt, pepper, oil, and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes. 
2. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more.
3. Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. 
4. Add broccoli, carrots, and potatoes. 
5. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

What I would do different: Less sauce and more veggies!  Must figure that out though..

Stewed Tomatoes Recipe

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

Tomatoes

Salt

1. To peel the tomatoes, place them in boiling water for 1 minute and then immediately transfer to cold water. 
2. Peel and quarter tomatoes, and place in a large saucepan with the salt. 
3. Slowly simmer over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.