EAT NOW HERE!

Today’s lunch special at the Spring Green General Store and Café somewhere in deepest Wisconsin is chicken korma.
That’s the kind of thing that makes me want to go there.

Tomorrow’s special is Pad Thai salad – no, not quite as exciting – but on Thursday it will be soft polenta with shiitake cream.

Still, korma. Sounds good.


KORMA

Indian or Indonesian? Afghani?

The term 'korma' derives from a Turkic word that meant to seethe in its own fat, as would be done to goat. Once the meat had been browned, the grease would be extended by the addition of ground up nuts, spices, and yoghurt or cream. Nowadays, Indian restaurant korma is often chicken or lamb in a rich creamy gravy, only mildly spiced.

The Sumatran versions usually rely on kemiri nuts and coconut milk for the sauce, with the addition of the darkly fragrant spices (including both kinds of cardamom), and will have a couple of split green chilipeppers floating in the dish for a bit of extra zing.

Indian versions may use turmeric as one of the spices, but that is something that only a Javanese or Malay cook would do in Indonesia. Turmeric in korma just doesn’t seem quite right. That’s what gulai and kalio are for.

For a really tasty sauce, also add lightly toasted shredded coconut, smoothly ground. And then sprinkle it generously with serundeng before serving.

Plain rice is recommended, but for festive occasions a pilaw is suitable.
Not nasi kebuli, however – too much of a good thing, in that you already have one goat lamb dish on the table.

Judging by the menu at the Spring Green General Store and Café, they eat well in Wisconsin

Korma is also made in Sulu, by the way. The Tausug spice mixture is largely ground toasted coconut.

Coriander, cumin, fennel, cinnamon, star anise, clove......
Garlic, ginger, lemon grass……
Green chilies……
Goat......

Or chicken.

Spring Green Café
137 South Albany Street, Spring Green, WI 53588
608-588-7070


Dang, hungry again!
And I just ate, too!

In other developments, earlier at the elevator:
“Going up?”
Hippity hoppity hippity hop.
“Gotta catch these things when they land!”
Discomfiture on both sides.
Me because of the middle-aged office worker's fairy-like hippity-hopping, her due to my having made a comment that nergens op sloeg.


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