Malvani Rus-Golichi Amti

Here’s my take on a classic curry from Maharashtra, with summer squash standing in for the traditional fish. I adapted (read: bastardized) this recipe from the one found in Monica Bharadwaj’s Indian Cooking Course, which is an absolute must-have for anyone looking to enrich their understanding and knowledge of Indian cooking. Aside from the squash-fish substitution, I took another apocryphal leap by modifying the curry paste with—wait for it—hot sauce.

Let me explain: I treated myself to a bottle of Clark + Hopkins Assam Pepper Sauce while shopping for a new sofa at World Market with the wife yesterday. The sauce contains Assam-native bhut jolokia (ghost pepper) in it, along with tamarind, black mustard seeds and various other curry seasonings. On the bottle they write: mix with coconut milk to make curry!—and I thought: challenge accepted.

Malvani, or malvani masala, is the name of the spice blend used in Maharashrian cooking. Rus-goli means coconut milk mixed with spice paste. I sold this curry with mackerel as a special at work and it was always well received. I figured the hot sauce would make a natural pair with this  Maharashtrian dish thanks to some overlapping ingredients—namely the tamarind. I am very happy with the results. While less cost effective than following the recipe as is written in Indian Cooking Course, the hot sauce lends a tremendous depth of flavor and heat, and you can enjoy rich, spicy curry in almost no time at all.

By the way, ghost pepper hot sauce curry is pretty damn hot. Enjoy at your own risk.

Serves 4-5

• 1 large summer squash with skin intact, cut into 2-inch pieces, seeds removed
• 1 1/2 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil
• 2 teaspoon turmeric
• Salt, to taste
• Rice, to serve

For the curry paste:

• 2 large yellow onions, finely diced (1/3 reserved)
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tablespoon coconut milk, or 1/2 freshly grated coconut, or 5 tablespoon dried coconut (soaked in hot water for 20 minutes)
• 1/2 bottle Clark + Hopkins Assam Hot Sauce
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder, for color (optional)

Braise the squash: Heat ghee or coconut oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the squash and turmeric powder and stir to coat. Allow the squash to braise while you prepare the curry paste.

Form the curry paste: Meanwhile, add 2/3 of the diced onion to a food processor or blender, along with the hot sauce, garlic and coconut and process until uniform. Unlike most “coconut curry” recipes out there, this paste should remain on the thinner side. The coconut is more for flavor, and not for adding a thick consistency. It’s better this way. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a saute pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the remaining diced onion and cook until softened. Next, pour in the curry paste. Splash enough water into the blender or processor needed to remove any excess curry paste and add that to the pan as well. Bring the mixture to a simmer and season with salt, to taste. It shouldn’t need much.

Finish the curry: Remove the cooked squash from the heat. Transfer the squash to the pan with the curry and allow the vegetables to simmer in the paste for a few minutes. The dish is done! Serve hot with a side of rice and a nice, cool drink to help temper the heat of this dish. For me, that was Fat Tire Belgian Wheat Ale. Dairy or non-dairy milk works too.