Short Cut Slow Cooker Curry

This is my "I'm in a hurry and I have some left-over meat" curry.  I've sort of combined two recipes and a couple of techniques that I've learned to love after being addicted to curry for several years.  The first recipe is a completely unauthentic Betty Crocker recipe from a book in my vintage cookbook collection, the second is from 50 Great Curries of India, and is a starter recipe that the author says is similar to what modern Indian women keep popped in the refrigerator to be added to to make all sorts of curries.

 First in a blender I combine 1 chopped onion, once small can of tomato sauce, 1 cup of milk or coconut milk, 1 cup of your choice of broth, 1 tsp garam masala, 1.5 tsp, curry powder (for the best curry power make sure that coriander is the first ingredient)1 tsp garlic powder, and a little salt.  The resulting combination should look sort of like thin cheese dip.

 Next I add whole spices, a couple star anise, 4 or 5 green cardamom pods, and 1 Indian bay leaf.  And some salt to taste.

I roughly grind a half teaspoon of coriander, and a half teaspoon of cumin and add it to the pot.

Then I toss a combination of frozen veggies from the freezer.  In this case I used a whole bag of cauliflower and half a bag of peas.  I tend to think of peas more as an herb than a veggie, so I don't want them to over power the curry.

 Then I toss in whatever left over meat, I'll be using--in this case I cubed a humongous pork chop that was part of my freezer full of left overs from my Mother-in-Laws New Year's Dinner.  I add a tsp 

Sriracha Rooster Sauce

for heat and then I stir everything up in the crock-pot and cook for 3 or 4 hours on high, or 6 to 8 hours on low.  A couple hours in, I'll check for salt and heat, and possibly add more salt or sriracha.

This is one of my curry in a hurry recipes.  But it was too unauthentic to use without a lot of fiddling!

I usually serve my curry with another unauthentic recipe, in which I mix Mexican Sopa Seca and Indian Pilao:

Ingredients:

6 TB butter
2 cups rice
1 onion
1 tsp garlic powder
4 cups broth
3 Indian bay leafs
6 green cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp whole cloves
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
Salt to taste 

Directions:

On medium melt the butter and then fry the rice and the onion until golden, add the broth and the flavorings and bring to a boil.  Once it comes to a boil turn it to low and let it simmer for a half an hour or until the rice kernels have separated.

I utilize the sopa seca technique because I have never mastered traditional pilao and this one comes close for me!