(Keema Curry with Beyond Ground Beef)

Let’s keep this short and sweet: few skaters have the timeless and inimitable style that Kareem Campbell still exudes (yeah that’s right, we were blessed with a Berrics sighting not too long ago).  Whether checking his pager in the middle of a line or showing the world the correct way to do a ghetto bird, Kareem is able to make skating simultaneously an art and a science. And while we may only get the occasional morsel of footage nowadays, every millisecond of screen time is a delicious reminder of what true mastery of a skateboard looks like.

 I was lucky enough to meet Kareem once at a demo my local shop was hosting circa 2005 and I can say that on top of being a living legend, he was also incredibly humble, super approachable and friendly enough to take a photo with a geek like me.  Thanks, Kareem!

But what does all this have to do with curry?  Kareem shows us that skateboarding—which has the potential to be extremely robotic when reduced to the concrete steps in a trick tip video—is all about style.  Yes, the technical aspects of his flick are the same as everybody else’s, but the devil is in the details.  Put simply, style is everything.

Well, curry is the same way.  From a culinary perspective, curry is not a difficult dish and a lot of recipes all call for the same few basic ingredients, namely coconut milk, tomatoes, curry powder and veggies or meat.  But when you start to play around with the spices and really make something your own—that’s  the culinary equivalent of Kareem’s style.

This week’s recipe—keema curry—is a curry of Indian origin, traditionally made with meat, potatoes and peas.  This being a vegan blog, however, we’ll swap animal carcasses with some Beyond ground beef.  If you haven’t tried this stuff, it’s amazing.  It cooks like beef, it tastes way better than I ever remember beef tasting and it packs a nice punch of protein to add to your dishes.  All in all, very worth the price tag.  On top of that, we spice up the traditional coconut milk base with curry powder, coriander, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and a touch turmeric.  This gives it a spicy zing that’ll keep your spoon digging furiously until you find the bottom of the bowl.  Dressed with some lime and cilantro and served on top of a bed of fragrant basmati rice, this dish is the perfect companion to another viewing of World Industries’ Trilogy.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 large russet potatoes, cubed
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb Beyond ground beef, thawed (or other vegan beef substitute)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 tbsp. curry powder
• ½ tbsp. coriander (can substitute cumin)
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 can (14 oz) coconut milk (full fat or light, depending on taste)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 ½ cups frozen peas
• Rice, lime, cilantro and other optional garnishes for serving

Directions:

1. Nobody likes uncooked potatoes in their curry, so first thing’s first: crank your oven to 400° F. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil on stovetop and toss the cubed potatoes in for 5-10 minutes. Dry them off, then toss them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until they start to look slightly crisp on the outside. Once done, take them out and set them aside for step 4.
2. While the potatoes are baking, bring the olive oil to medium heat in a large skillet on stovetop and start cooking the Beyond ground beef for 5-7 minutes or until it looks cooked all the way through. I’ve found that smaller crumbles work best with this dish, but crumble it up however you like.
3. Once the beef is cooked, toss in the onions and cook for 3-5 minutes until they start to brown. Add the garlic, ginger, tomato paste, curry powder, cayenne, red pepper, turmeric, coriander, salt and pepper and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring often.
4. Once the spices are warm, toss in the coconut milk and diced tomatoes and stir it all up. Bring the pot down to a simmer and let it cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Once the sauce has thickened, add the potatoes and peas and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Add a squeeze of lime and some cilantro and serve on top of basmati rice. Enjoy with a splash of Hennessy if you feel like replicating Kareem’s Trilogy

Happy shredding,

Johnny