Breaking Bread Over A California Curry

Many consider that a meal of any kind is not complete without bread of some kind — to fill you up, soak up good flavors, or transfer the last drops of appetizing sauce residue off your plate to your tongue. This fall and winter, as we reflect upon this same time last year, we are reminded to be grateful for the ability to see family and friends over a meal at all. Let us gather (safely) and break bread. 

Different from table to table, there isn’t a place on earth lacking some version of bread served with meals. Bread itself can represent memories, traditions, and sometimes complicated histories. In other words, bread is anything but just bread. ‍

Challah bread is famously braided to represent its intertwining with Jewish history and receiving a daily portion from heaven. In Turkey, bread is an act of kindness; one might buy two loaves of bread and tell the shopkeeper that the other is askıda ekmek, a tradition of paying it forward to those who cannot afford bread. Frybread is a complicated symbol of Native American culture, created from survival after the U.S. government forced Indians to relocate to New Mexico. During the Opium War in 1840, bread was mass produced in Japan to feed hungry soldiers and eventually turned into Japan’s own anpan (red bean bread). Ethiopia’s injera bread — made from an indigenous grain, teff — represents an authentic culture uninfluenced by outside forces as one of two African nations that were never colonized.

Halfway between the south Bay Area and Big Sur, bread represents childhood at Atoria’s Family Bakery in Gilroy. Atoria grew up in the Assyrian villages near Mesopotamia (thought to be related to the roots of the first breads), watching her mom and grandmother bake flatbread in a rustic hearth oven. Today, Atoria sells her traditional flatbreads — lavash, naan, and pita, up and down the west coast and online.

Just in time for your next casual get together, bedazzle your naan from her bakery or any other with almonds, and serve it with a coconut, vegan curry. This nourishing recipe is filling, hearty, and healthy. It’ll fill you up and inspire you to soak up all the good flavors on your plate… and every last drop of togetherness as you break bread. 

Thank you to Atoria’s Family Bakery for sharing this recipe, so we could share it with you. ‍

Vegan Coconut Curry by Atoria’s‍

Makes 3 servings 
Prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 sheets Atoria’s Family Bakery Naan 
• 1 green onion
• 1 tbsp curry paste
• 1 sprig cilantro 
• 13 oz can coconut milk 
• Florets from 1 head of cauliflower
• Toasted almonds 
• 1 jalapeno 
• 1 tbsp oil 
• Salt to taste 
• A pinch of sugar 
• Sliced chile (optional)

Instructions

1. Slice the green onion into thin rounds, keeping white and green parts separate.
2. Heat a splash of oil in a large pot with a lid over medium heat and saute the white parts of the onion for about one minute, until slightly softened.
3. Add a generous tablespoon of the curry paste and cook for about 20 seconds, then add the coconut milk, cauliflower, and a pinch of sugar.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes until the cauliflower is tender enough to pierce with a fork.
5. Stir occasionally and add a splash of water if the curry seems too thick or dry.
6. Season with salt to taste, adding more curry paste if you like a stronger or spicier curry flavor.
7. Halve and slice the jalapeño, and roughly chop a handful of almonds. Warm the Naan either in the toaster or in a dry frying pan over low heat, turning as needed until hot.
8. Serve the curry with a few cilantro leaves, some almonds, the reserved green onion, and (if you like it spicy) some sliced chile over the top.