My friend Kusuma Rao is a personal chef and I’m continuously learning from her about the importance of layering flavors. A few years ago we hosted a class together where she gave a lesson on creating a curry and I instructed students on how to can their finished product. We were co-teachers, but I was lucky enough to also be her student. Just one day in class with her has influenced how I think about cooking and eating. I am grateful for her knowledge, friendship, and ability to create some of the best food I have ever tasted. This curry recipe is a result of watching her work to build a sauce with depth and dimension.
2 pounds tomatillos (about 25 medium tomatillos)
8 serrano peppers
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 medium limes)
2 cups yellow onion
8 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise pods
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
4-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely minced
2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
2 cups diced roasted fennel stalk (reserved from Pickled Roasted Fennel Bulb)
1 cup rice vinegar
Makes 6 half-pints
TIP
Use kitchen shears to dice your fennel stalks into 1/4-inch pieces. If they are any larger than that, they will wrap themselves around the blender blade.
Assemble the canning stations as described on pages 5–7, steps 2–4. At the food preparation station, soak the tomatillos in cold water for 10 minutes. Remove the husks and cores and compost them. Wash off the sticky residue from the tomatillos with warm water. Cut into large chunks. Wash the serranos under cold water and remove their stems. Juice the limes and set the juice aside. Peel the onion and garlic; dice the onion.
In a large, nonreactive saucepan, place the olive oil and cook over medium-high heat until the oil is fluid and hot. Add the cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cumin seeds, coriander, and mustard seeds. When the spices start to bubble and pop, move the pan off the heat for 2 minutes to infuse the flavors into the oil. After 2 minutes, move the pan back to the heat and add the onions, garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon salt. Let the onions, garlic, and ginger fry in the oil, stirring only to avoid sticking, about 4 minutes. With metal tongs, remove the cinnamon stick, star anise pods, and cloves.
Add the fennel stalk, tomatillos, serranos, the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt, and the rice vinegar. Let simmer and reduce for 10 minutes. Add the lime juice to the sauce and turn off the heat. Using either an immersion blender or standing blender, blend the sauce until completely smooth. Return to the heat over a low simmer. Taste the sauce to ensure that it is properly seasoned.
At the filling station, fill the jars with curry sauce, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove the air pockets, wipe the rim, and secure the lid. Place the jars in the water bath, covered by 1 inch of water. Once the water is boiling, process for 10 minutes (pages 11–14, steps 7–12).