Monday, May 24, 2010

South-East Asian inspired, sweet potato, basil & chicken ravioli in a curried coconut tomato sauce

The great thing about pastas and sauces is, it's not a precise science. You can add a dash of this and a little of that, or omit an ingredient entirely to personalize to your tastes. This dish is inspired by a personal love of the flavors of South-East Asia, and a fondness for making my own pasta. Something about the craft really appeals to the child in me. :) Without further ado, I give you the recipe.


INGREDIENTS

Sauce
  • 1/4 C Olive Oil
  • 1 Medium Onion, diced
  • 3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
  • 1 tsp Chili Flakes
  • 2 Cans Diced/Peeled Tomatoes
  • 1/4 tsp Sugar
  • 1 Can Coconut Milk
  • 1 1/2 tsp of your favorite Curry Powder/Mix (I make a homemade blend)
  • Salt, to taste
Filling
  • 1 Mashed/cooked Sweet Potato
  • 1/4 C Plain Yogurt (I use the thick non-fat European variety)
  • 3/4 C Shredded Mozzarella (or paneer or similar soft mellow cheese)
  • 1 1/3 C Boiled Chicken** (or 2 cans of chicken, or sub tuna or crab if you prefer)
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Fresh Basil, julienned
  • 1/2 tsp of your favorite Curry Powder/Mix
Pasta Dough
  • 3 1/2 C Flour (plus more for rolling dough out)
  • 5 Eggs
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil 
  • A few leaves of Fresh Basil
  • Pinch Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Water
DIRECTIONS

Sauce
  1.   Combine olive oil, onion, and garlic in a pot and heat until translucent.
  2. Add chili flakes, sugar, and tomatoes and cook down to soften tomato pieces.
  3. After about 15 minutes, add can of cocount milk, curry, and salt to taste.
Filling
  1. Mash sweet potato with yogurt. 
  2. Once soft and blended and while still hot, add cheese. 
  3. Add chicken (or whatever you chose to include), salt, basil, and curry and mix together.
  4. Reserve to fill dough.
Dough
  1. In a food processor, add flour, salt, sugar, and basil.
  2. In a another small dish, blend 4 eggs and the olive oil.
  3. Set processor to pulse, and add egg mix gradually until the dough begins to pull together in a rubbery smooth texture.
  4. Roll dough out using pasta machine. 
  5. Blend last egg and water for egg-wash and set aside for assembly.
Assembly
  1. Once dough is rolled out, brush corresponding sheets with egg wash.
  2. Drop 1 Tbsp of filling onto dough, spaced out about an 1-1.5 inches apart
  3. Lay corresponding sheet over top of the sheet with filling on it so that egg-washed sides meet, careful to press out air bubbles that may be trapped between sheets.
  4. Cook in pot of boiling and salted water until al dente.
  5. Serve, Eat, Enjoy!
** I boil my own chicken for the filling. To do so, I boiled water with salt, basil, and garlic powder, and added chicken breast. Once cooked through, I put the cooked chicken in a food processor. Be careful not to make a puree... unless that's your thing.

The sauce is super easy, and if you'd rather use wonton wrappers found in your local grocery store or Asian market instead of making your own dough, that would work as well. 

Recipe Makes 36 Raviolis