Spiritedness Defined - Recipe: Vegetable Korma

A little heartbeat by my side, Cooper, and his sidekick, Count Grappa

What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight, what counts is the size of the fight in the dog.- Mark Twain

One of the standard questions that I ask people when I first meet them is whether they like dogs. And then I wait, sort of breathless, for the answer, because quite honestly, I'm never prepared for a "no". Growing up, we always had dogs. Big, small, mutts, pedigrees - barks and yelps were all part of the cacophony of sounds that made family life rich, chaotic and beautiful. One of the best decisions that I have made since coming to Singapore was finding Cooper. Because the breeder had considered him special, he kept him hidden in the back. After he screened me and saw that I was a genuine dog lover, he said, "I have someone very special for you." I picked up the little fuzzy ball of fur and cradled him in my arms, and in less than half an hour, he was in my car and on the way home. I soon discovered that despite his diminutive stature, Cooper was perhaps the most rambunctious puppy I had ever encountered. He quickly developed an affinity for biting my fingers and toes, which I slowly and painstakingly weaned him off. Alas, he seems to have decided for himself that he's not about to extend the same courtesy to anyone else, at least for the time being! To elaborate further, this is a dog that will sneakily fish my underwear out of the laundry basket and hide it under the coffee table, bound up to anyone and any dog without fear or favour, trample all over the flower beds, and squeak at the top of his voice for eight hours straight if he thinks you will cave in to his demands. This is the dog that I watch, every morning during our walks (and who are we kidding, Cooper walks me, not the other way around), tear down the patch of grass lining the swimming pool because he genuinely believes that he can catch the birds. He has not only dismembered B's spectacles, broken my brother’s earphones, but has chewed through my cell phone and computer chargers, my printer cable, and just about every book that I am reading. In short, Cooper is spiritedness defined, and he has found his way resolutely and squarely into my heart.

I sent him for sterilisation yesterday, and was extremely distressed when I brought him home and saw that he was shivering from the pain. He did not move from his position on the couch for several hours, and refused everything but a little milk, even though he hadn't eaten or drank for over 20 hours. Later, I covered him with towels and had a sleepless night listening to him whimper by my side. A part of me was worried that the surgery would change him forever. But this morning, he was finally up and after a meal he was more or less back to normal. In fact he has already figured out how to dislodge his Elizabethean collar (what a fancy name for a funnel, eh?) on his own and by this afternoon, was able to play fetch with his favourite toy, Count Grappa. The resilience of this 1.8 kg package of canine spirit melts my heart, and it was something that I really needed as I was having one of those days today where I just felt like giving up.

Cooper also happens to love sitting by my feet while I prepare food, waiting for bits of carrots, a stray cherry tomato or cucumber to fall from the kitchen station and become his pre-dinner snack. Below I am posting a recipe for Vegetable Korma, which has many of his favourite treats inside. It is a mild, rich curry dish with a nutty flavour that pairs well with rotis such as naan. 

Clockwise from 12 o'clock: Cashew nuts, curry leaves, toasted desiccated coconut, black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and almonds

Base paste A:
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
4 cloves garlic
1 2 inch piece old ginger, peeled and chopped roughly

1/2 cup water

In a skillet toast desiccated coconut until golden brown. Grind into a paste together with the garlic, ginger and water in a blender.

Base paste B:
8 blanched almonds
10 cashew nuts
1/4 cup water

Grind cashews and almonds together to make a paste.

Ingredients:
2 medium sized onions, sliced
1 large carrot, cubed
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small slender purple eggplant, cubed
150 g cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed
2 tomatoes, cubed
3 fresh green chillies, split in half, seeds removed
10 roasted cashew nuts
1 tbsp sultanas
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups thin santan (coconut milk)
2 tbsp korma powder or to taste
Salt and white pepper to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish

Aromatics:
4 stalks curry leaves
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
3 black cardamoms (substitute 4 green cardamoms if unavailable)

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet or wok. Add oil. Fry curry leaves and the rest of the aromatic spices until fragrant. Add onions, and fry until wilted and slightly golden brown. Add carrots and potatoes and korma powder. Mix well. Fry until the korma powder releases its fragrance before adding base pastes.  Add half of the coconut milk. Lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes  Add the rest of the coconut milk, as well as the eggplant, cauliflower, and chillies. Simmer for another 15 minutes or so until gravy is thick and vegetables are fork tender. Remove lid and add peas and tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes. Prick potatoes and carrots to make sure they are cooked.  Add roasted cashew nuts and sultanas and mix well. Adjust seasoning and garnish with coriander leaves.