Apr 9
2014

The Blender Girl’s Penang Curry + A Giveaway!

in Blender Recipes, Book Reviews, Giveaway, Gluten Free, Thai, Vegan, Vegetarian

The Blender Girl Penang Curry

Is everyone enjoying spring as much as I am?  I’m currently enjoying it even more than usual, because the Fuji family is in Japan for spring break right now, and the cherry blossoms, which are currently in bloom right now here, are one of my all-time favorite things to enjoy in life.  I’ll be sharing more about my trip later (though you can follow along if you’re on Instagram, because I’ve been sharing odds and ends from our trip), but today we’re talking about another part of the world—Thailand.

The Blender Girl by Tess Masters

Penang curry, a type of Thai curry that usually isn’t as spicy as other Thai curries, packs a flavor punch, traditionally made with ingredients such as dried chili peppers, galangal, lemongrass, and shrimp paste.  Penang curry is one of the first recipes I tried out of my friend Tess Master’s new book, The Blender Girl, which just came out yesterday.  What makes Tess’s Penang curry extra special, besides the fact that it’s delicious, is the fact that it’s vegan.  Her book features 100 gluten-free, vegan recipes for everything from smoothies to meals.  The recipes are quick and easy, and each one uses the blender in some way.  The book does an amazing job and helping you discover why your blender is good for more than smoothies and milkshakes and can help save you a lot of time in the kitchen.  In the case of Penang curry, the blender makes a beautifully silky curry paste, and makes it quickly.

Penang Curry Paste

I’ve known Tess for a while now, and she is a walking vault filled with a wealth of information.  I called her, in fact, about 10 months ago for advice on blenders, because I had been having issues with mine, and she helped me make a decision on what to buy, and I’m so glad I listened!  That wisdom definitely comes through in the book.  Not only is the book filled with tons of information, but it will make you hungry too.  The pictures are beautiful and reading through the recipes will make your mouth water—Apple Pie in a Glass, Fresh Spring Rolls with Orange-Almond Sauce, Flourless Triple Pecan Mousse Pie . . . how can you resist?  It doesn’t matter if you’re not gluten-free or vegan, the bottom line is that the food in this cookbook is just plain delicious.

The Blender Girl

So here’s the recipe from her book for Penang Curry, you won’t be sorry that you tried it!  Tess is currently giving away 3 Vitamix blenders to celebrate the launch of her new book. Enter the giveaway here!!  While you’re at it, I’m giving away a copy of her book (details on how to enter are after the recipe)!  If you can’t wait, you can order the cookbook here!

Penang Curry 2

Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

Penang Curry

Recipe from The Blender Girl, by Tess Masters (reprinted with permission)

Makes 4 servings

For the curry paste:
3 large (20g) dried New Mexico or California red chile pods
1/4 cup (60g) raw almond or cashew butter
1 tablespoons finely chopped garlic (about 3 cloves)
2 tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro root, or 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro stems
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots (about 2 shallots)
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon natural salt

For the curry:
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 1/2 cups (600ml) canned coconut milk (shake, then pour)
1 tablespoon wheat-free tamari or soy sauce
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
4 cups (570g) diced butternut squash, pumpkin, or orange-flesh sweet potato
12 ounces (340g) extra-firm tofu, cubed
1 bunch green chard, cut into ribbons or roughly chopped, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more to taste
1/2 cup (70g) raw or toasted cashews, to garnish
1/2 cup (14g) Thai or other basil (large leaves chopped; small leaves left whole), to garnish

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1. To make the curry paste, toast the dried chiles by holding them with tongs directly over a low flame for 5 to 10 seconds, or over a hot electric burner for about 60 seconds, until they puff up and pop. Allow the chiles to cool, then chop them into small pieces, discarding the stems. Fill a bowl with 1/2 cup (120ml) of water, add the chiles (and their seeds), and soak for 10 to 15 minutes, until softened.

2. Pour the chiles and their liquid into your blender; add the almond butter, garlic, lemongrass, cilantro, shallots, ginger, spices, lime juice, and salt and blast on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until creamy. Store the paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use, or for up to 1 week.

3. To make the curry, heat the grapeseed oil briefly in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste and stir with a wooden spoon for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant and just bubbling.

4. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the coconut milk, tamari, and coconut sugar. Add the squash and cook, covered (but stirring occasionally), for 15 minutes.

5. Stir in the tofu and cook for 10 minutes more. Add the chard and stir gently until the greens are wilted and the squash is cooked through, about 5 minutes more.

6. Remove the pan from the heat and add the lime juice, plus more to taste. Serve garnished with the cashews and basil.

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The Blender Girl Cookbook Giveaway

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{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }

Kay April 9, 2014 at 8:56 am

Mmm, this looks delicious! I hope you’re having a wonderful time in Japan!

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Rosa @HHR April 9, 2014 at 9:02 am

Looks delicious! I will have to try my hand at making curry paste! :)

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Fuji Nana April 9, 2014 at 9:28 am

Oh my. This looks fantastic. We are so making this.

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Kenny April 9, 2014 at 9:50 am

That looks yummy! I need to use my blender more often.

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Becca F April 9, 2014 at 2:12 pm

Looks delicious. I eat mainly gluten free and vegan so this is perfect for me

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Ashlin W April 9, 2014 at 5:09 pm

Sounds yummy and perfect for the lifestyle change I’m trying to implement!

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Satoko April 9, 2014 at 8:22 pm

looks so yummy! I can’t wait to make it!

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Jayne @ Tenacious Tinkering April 9, 2014 at 8:43 pm

Penang curry is pretty famous over here with the thick spiced broth and silky noodles. Very interesting to see Tess’ interpretation of it!

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) April 12, 2014 at 9:51 pm

It has phenomenal flavor for being vegan and using easily accessible ingredients!

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Lauren April 9, 2014 at 8:46 pm

This looks a-mazing! Definitely a recipe I want to try asap!

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Sarah H.P. April 9, 2014 at 8:47 pm

The Blender Girl’s cookbook looks amazing!

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Kim Porter April 9, 2014 at 8:51 pm

This curry looks INCREDIBLE! Can’t wait to try it.

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Kelsey S (Elica) April 9, 2014 at 9:54 pm

Oh the things that can be done with a blender. This looks so yummy!

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Olivia April 9, 2014 at 10:53 pm

My sister loves anything you can make in a blender! She would love this!

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Iryna Boehland April 9, 2014 at 11:38 pm

Wow! This looks delish and colorful! Thank you for the recipe!

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Nancie McDermott April 10, 2014 at 5:05 am

I am loving following y’all around Japan on instagram, but this side-trip is fantastic, too! You know I love this one. What a beautiful sight, I want to see that jar of golden aromatic curry paste beckoning from the fridge shelf. Almost-instant deliciousness.

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) April 12, 2014 at 9:52 pm

You are the sweetest Nancie! XO

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Ilana April 10, 2014 at 7:51 am

This book sounds really interesting.

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[email protected] April 10, 2014 at 8:16 am

This looks amazing and I’m looking at more curry recipes.

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DA F. April 10, 2014 at 9:35 am

Interesting book and giveaway

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Michelle April 10, 2014 at 12:01 pm

i would love to use my blender for more than green smoothies every morning!

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Jan R April 10, 2014 at 4:26 pm

Would love to own this book…PLEASE!

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Nina S April 10, 2014 at 7:39 pm

I love curry! Thanks for the chance!

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Beth April 10, 2014 at 8:58 pm

That looks delicious!

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Anthony Heath via Facebook April 11, 2014 at 4:03 am

I don’t know if you know this? but the soybean isn’t good for the human body, you can look it up. I love your page though all the same =)

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Anthony Heath via Facebook April 11, 2014 at 4:04 am

And the great recipes.

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Brad April 11, 2014 at 4:57 am

Interesting book

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The Peace Patch April 11, 2014 at 5:57 am

We’re having a smoothie-filled springtime and Tess’ site is our favorite resource…so many recipes and helpful tips! I love her nut butter recipes too. I think the cookbook would be a fabulous read, especially after seeing this yumful curry recipe! :)

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Mary Driscoll April 11, 2014 at 5:59 am

I’d love to try new recipes from this book!

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CindyR April 11, 2014 at 6:01 am

Would love this book to help get more use from my high speed blender. This curry recipe looks amazing!

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Lynn Briand via Facebook April 11, 2014 at 6:38 am

Just read your book, outstanding!

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Kaitlyn April 11, 2014 at 7:05 am

I loveee curry. This recipe looks great!

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TLM April 11, 2014 at 8:19 am

Looks tasty!

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Nancy April 11, 2014 at 8:39 am

Thanks for sharing the recipe

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Ruksana Mohd via Facebook April 11, 2014 at 8:56 am

Thanks for the great book :)

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Magda April 11, 2014 at 10:22 am

Sounds yummy. I look forward to trying it out.

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Kat Denton via Facebook April 11, 2014 at 1:12 pm

This is one of the best and most gorgeous cookbooks I have ever seen…you rock!

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Leslie April 11, 2014 at 2:49 pm

Wow, this really looks yummy!!!!

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amila April 11, 2014 at 4:12 pm

Would be nice to win this book :)

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Michaela April 11, 2014 at 6:05 pm

My favorite curry ever!

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Nancy April 11, 2014 at 7:36 pm

love these new recipes

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Jess April 11, 2014 at 8:06 pm

This recipe looks amazing.

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Liz B. April 12, 2014 at 12:03 pm

I am so thrilled to have found your website. I am a law student in DC from CA who lived in Tokyo for a time during college and similarly fell in love with the culinary traditions of Japan. Over the past few months, I’ve really made the push to turn my kitchen “full” Japanese and have been eating almost exclusively Japanese and Korean. I’d always made myself ramen and different noodle bowls, but once moving to DC I started really digging in: a pot of steamed rice always on hand, natto, dashi from scratch, raw eggs, yamaimo, everything. I read websites like Bebe Loves Okazu and Just One Cookbook like textbooks.

After some positive feedback on Instagram, I decided to start my own blog, http://thatumamilife.wordpress.com. It’s about what’s going on in my kitchen and good food/city living in DC, or wherever I am. I would love for you to check it out! I also consider myself a Japanese food advocate and often wonder why the US, with it’s refreshing newfound emphasis on clean eating, has not caught on to the wonders of Japanese cooking.

Thanks for being such an inspiration, and take care!

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amanda hardesty April 12, 2014 at 11:16 pm

I am always looking for something new to make. Thanks!

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Wendy Hatton April 12, 2014 at 11:48 pm

This curry sounds delicious. I’m looking for a few easy to do vegetarian recipes especially for one of my daughters who doesn’t want to eat any more so I’m going to give it a try.

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Helena April 13, 2014 at 5:00 am

Thank you for this lovely giveaway!
I m new on your blog and very happy to follow your beautiful world!
Fingers crossed!

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Alison April 13, 2014 at 11:05 am

Can’t wait to check out the recipe, looks awesome!

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Mai Tran April 13, 2014 at 1:20 pm

I’m looking for recipe book for my newly bought blender :) thanks for sharing.

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Michelle April 13, 2014 at 2:18 pm

I’ve never made Thai food at home! This looks so satisfying!

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Mijika April 13, 2014 at 2:24 pm

The curry looks so delicious!! <33

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kat April 13, 2014 at 9:12 pm

Would love to get my hands on this book! :)

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Ruth April 14, 2014 at 9:57 am

Looks delicious. I’ve been dreaming about curry.

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