Curry recipes

[ViroBono]

I have found this a successful method of producing restaurant style curries at home. The basic sauce freezes very well, and I tend to make a large batch at a time. I don't follow recipes slavishly, so I haven't given precise amounts. Curry is something to have fun experimenting with, and producing it how you like it.

To make the basic sauce (enough for 4-6):

1 large onion
1 can plum tomatoes
1 head garlic - adjust amount to taste
chopped fresh ginger - adjust to taste, but the same amount as garlic
Ghee (clarified butter, available from Asian shops)

Spices:

Garam Masala (2 teaspoons)
Turmeric (1/2 teaspoon)
Coriander (1 teaspoons)
Cumin (1 teaspoons)
Chilli powder (small amount)

Chicken, cut into 1.5 in cubes

Fresh chillies
Fresh coriander
Spinach leaves


Chop the onions roughly, and fry gently in ghee until translucent. Put the onions, tomatoes, garlic and ginger in a blender and whiz for about a minute or until smooth. At this stage the sauce will be an alarming orange colour.

Transfer the sauce back to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the spices and stir in well. Note that you may want to vary the amounts of the spices to suit your own taste. The sauce will now have turned a satisfying shade of brown. Simmer very gently for about 15 minutes, then add the chicken. Most importantly, don't pre-cook or brown the chicken. Doing it this way will keep it succulent and full of flavour. Continue to simmer until the ghee floats around the edge of the sauce, usually around 20 minutes. After the chicken goes in, chop the fresh chillies and blend them with a little water. The amount you use will, of course, depend on how hot you like your curry. Add the blended chillies to the pan and stir in, along with the spinach. If necessary, check a piece of the chicken to make sure it's cooked, sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander, and serve.

To make a mild curry (korma), add coconut milk just after the chicken. Plain yoghurt also works well.

Variations:
There are many variations on the theme. Lamb is excellent, or you can use beef - just don't brown or pre-cook the meat. For fishy variations use prawns or firm fish like monkfish. The basic sauce can be varied by adding roughly chopped onions, peppers, fresh tomatoes or courgettes (zucchini).

It may take a little experimenting, but you will soon find your perfect curry.

 

[Fabienne]

Thank you.  My favorite Indian dish is Moghlai chicken (almonds, cardamoms, cinnamon, raisins, yogurt, etc.) It is also very simple and pleases even those who profess not to like Indian cuisine.

I will try yours this weekend.

You may want to define what you mean by chilli powder.  Here in the US, it would probably be understood by most as a blend of spices commonly used in "Mexican" dishes.  You mean some kind of red pepper powder, don't you?

One head of garlic = one garlic clove?

 

[artdeco73]

You may want to define what you mean by chilli powder. Here in the US, it would probably be understood by most as a blend of spices commonly used in "Mexican" dishes. You mean some kind of red pepper powder, don't you?

Chili powder is tricky. You will find something called chili powder on any supermarket's spice rack, but it's not that good. It will do in a pinch, but the flavor is one-dimensional and not particularly strong. If you can, find a good chile powder -- pure dried red chiles ground up. Ones from New Mexico are the best, although there are some very good ones from California and Arizona also. The flavor and aroma are a whole different world. They are available in specialty shops or on-line (I am sorry I cannot give web sites off the top of my head -- I buy mine in Arizona when I travel there). If you find some of the hot chile powder, be careful -- it is VERY hot. Regards, Tony

 

[ViroBono]

Fabienne is correct, it's the ground dried chillies that are used, not a blend.

 

[Fabienne]

This will be Saturday night's dinner, so it had better be good, VB. Â

I'll be paying a visit to my favorite Indian store at lunch for the few ingredients I am missing. Â I might get tempted by new bangles. What size, for the can of tomatoes?

 

[ViroBono]

I use a standard sized 140z can, with another in reserve if required. You can thicken the sauce with tomato puree or coconut milk if necessary.

 

[Fabienne]

I use a standard sized 140z can, with another in reserve if required. Â You can thicken the sauce with tomato puree or coconut milk if necessary.

That's not standard size for the US.

I had to get the ghee with the funny French translation for the Canadian market: Ghee vache (mean-spirited ghee) Narrowly escaped buying a silk sari. Wheew.

 

[Stu]

That's a nice sauce Viro Bono. I might add a few Indian Kashmir chilis in the front end for some more color and a bigger zip. Or you might also jazz it up with some serrano chiles. They are Mexican, but work well when you want green chilies in an Indian dish.

Also, you might try substituting a handfull of shallots instead of onions. The shallots better approximate the distinctive tasting onions used in India.

 

[ViroBono]

Glad you liked it. I will give it a try with shallots - sounds interesting, and different chillies. One of the great things about curry is the endless experimental possibilities. Fabienne - I took the size from a US website, thinking you wouldn't be able to get the Euro size.

 

[Fabienne]

And the verdict is: EX-CELL-ENT.. You can really taste the Garam Masala, which is what stands out for me. After the initial blended sauce (without spices added), I could have seen myself using it right then. Bright and pungent. Later, spices added, it was more like an old bottle of Burgundy.

I made it with coconut milk. We have leftovers. Thank you very much for sharing it.

 

[Fabienne]

Sunday evening. Last minute review from my son (who didn't have it on Sat. night, as he went to bed before the two of us had dinner):

"Miam, miam, c'est bon ."

And a little later, as only basmati rice remained on the plate:

"Maman, encore ?"

 

[Stu]

Sunday evening. Last minute review from my son (who didn't have it on Sat. night, as he went to bed before the two of us had dinner): "Miam, miam, c'est bon ." And a little later, as only basmati rice remained on the plate: "Maman, encore ?"

Glad to see you are raising the lad up right, getting him on the curry at an early age

 

[ViroBono]

Fabienne

Thank you for your kind words, and I'm glad you and your family enjoyed the curry.

 

[oscarthewild]

Way back in the days of the FTP internet (pre web.), I was a graduate student. There was a compilation of indian recipes by indian graduate students. These are now on the web part 1 and part 2 These are easy to make. The makhni chicken was when you had company you wanted to impress (i.e. the ones you actually cleaned up the apartment for).

 

[PeterMetro]

I thought I'd post a simple Thai curry:

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (you can substitute sliced fish or chicken or anything, really.
1/2 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
Carrots, sliced
Baby corn
Water chestnuts
(Note: you can use any kind of vegetables you like, within reason)
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp curry powder
Minced garlic

Coat shrimp with a teaspoon of cornstarch, let stand. Mix coconut milk, oyster sauce and curry power, set aside.

Heat wok (or frying pan) to HIGH heat, add oil and add shrimp. Cook until done, remove and set aside.

Reheat pan and add oil, then garlic, then vegetables. Sautee until just cooked. Add shrimp to pan, then coconut/curry mixture. Mix and serve immediately with white rice.

Tips for effective stir frying:

1 - Make sure the pan is as hot as possible. Chefs in China routinely warp their woks because the fire they use is so hot.

2 - Cut everything small, and try to make them all the same size. This will ensure even cooking.

3 - Don't crowd the pan. If you have to do it in batches, do it. Too much stuff in the pan will cool it down too much and make everything bleh.

4 - Prepare everything first. Because the fire is so hot, it doesn't take long to cook, so you won't have much time.