The Love Food Give Food team is very excited because it’s National Curry Week, an excellent excuse to cook and eat a delicious curry whilst fundraising for Action Against Hunger’s programmes. Getting the facts out of the way: national curry week was established in 1998 as a dual initiative to promote the cuisine alongside raising funds for charities concentrating on hunger and malnutrition. So the link with our Love Food Give Food appeal could not be more ideal.
National Curry Week provides a great way for all you food lovers out there to get involved by hosting a curry banquet for friends and family in your home. After a wonderful evening of food and entertainment, you can invite guests to give a donation towards Action Against Hunger reflecting the value of their curry. You can even upload pictures of your curry night on our website via Instagram. Remember, every penny you raise will be doubled by the UK Government and funds raised will help us to reach 100,000 children in Burkina Faso, Liberia and Niger.
Children like Hajaboukah, a little baby who struggled to feed when she was born. Here in the UK we know where to seek help when our children are ill but in certain parts a Liberia, it is more difficult to access post-natal care. Thankfully Hajaboukah’s mother Nancy, who lives in the Chicken Soup Factory area of Liberia’s capital Monrovia, knew about our nutrition programmes in the area and immediately sought help. The specially trained nurses weighed and measured Hajaboukah and monitored her progress closely. They offered helpful advice as well as gentle support and encouragement for Marie to breastfeed her baby. There is still a long way to go for Hajaboukah to get to the healthy weight that she needs, however now she is enjoying her mother’s nutritious breast milk every day, she is definitely on the right track.
Get involved with Action Against Hunger’s Love Food Give Food appeal to help more children like Hajaboukah by cooking a curry for friends this week. Visit our get involved section for more details on hosting your own Love Food Give Food event. Or if you’re feeling too lazy to cook, you can always check out hungryhouse.co.uk who, in honour of the occasion, will be donating 10p to Action Against Hunger for every takeaway order from an Indian restaurant placed through them this week.
If you are feeling creative and in the mood to host your own event for curry week, we have a recipe suggestion for you to try at home inspired by our work in the field and provided by our chef ambassador, Jun Tanaka.
Jun Tanaka’s Indonesian-Style Spiced Coconut Mussels Curry (serves 4)
Indonesia is made up of more than 13,600 small islands, with cooking techniques and flavours influenced by India, China and the Middle East. This recipe comes from Jan Tanaka’s time spent in Bali, in the western region of the Sunda Islands.
You will need:
1 tbsp groundnut oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp chopped red chilli
4cm piece galangal, chopped (if using dried galangal, rehydrate in warm water for 10 minutes)
1 lemongrass stick, outer leaves removed and thinly sliced
4cm piece of fresh ginger, chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp ground cumin seeds
75g fresh coconut, grated
4 kallir lime leaves
500g mussels, cleaned and de-bearded (discard any that don’t close when gently tapped)
400ml coconut milk
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
Cooking instructions:
- Pour the groundnut oil into a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, chilli, galangal, lemongrass and ginger, then cook over a gentle heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the turmeric, ground coriander, cumin, grated coconut and lime leaves. Cook for 3 minutes more, stirring so it doesn’t burn.
- Add the mussels, followed by the coconut milk and 200ml of water. Cover with a lid and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the mussels are open. (Discard any that don’t open when cooked).
- Taste, adjust the seasoning if needed, then squeeze in the lime juice and finish with fresh coriander. Serve Immediately.
Recipe courtesy of Delicious Magazine. For more inspiring curry recipe ideas try: