Two questions about Indian Food

researcher

I posted this recipe for a curry sauce earlier in the year - its very easy and delicious. (I got it from Kerala when I went on holiday there). You can use it for any meat of vegetable.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=262207

dronid

Studentphil, do you not like curry? Just a question as you say you never make it for yourself. If you do like curry it's a great way of using up leftover meat and vegetables. When I cook a roast at the weekend I always (as one of the things I make from it) make a meat curry and a vegetable curry with brown rice and freeze it up for instant meals when I don't feel like cooking. The only things that you really need to remember are to gently fry onions until well browned (a lot of flavour comes from this)and then gently fry the curry powder (if you're using it - paste is better and freshly ground spices better still - but they still need to be fried). There are loads of great curry recipies around on the site and the web.

I normally make a Saag Gosht (sp?) which is mild/medium with Spinach and Meat in quite a rich sauce. It's not too overpowering and tastes great.:D

:beer:

tigs78

I have copied this from another thread I posted on, it's a really simple recipe for an authentic curry, I have since made it using lamb aswell, both variations were lush and miles better than anything I have ever bought in a shop. I would honestly say it was on a par with a proper Indian takeaway.


This is my Mum's recipe for a Lamb Rogan Josh but I used Beef as it was loads cheaper, no ready made sauce here this one is made from scratch

Because I am such a cooking dunce it has VERY simple instructions. My Mum knows this hence the slightly patronising comments about using a larger quantity of meat to make more portions to freeze!

Recipe for Lamb Rogan Josh follows. Remember, you do not have to have ALL the ingredients, or even include them in the quantities given. A curry, or any meal can be different every time! Quantity of lamb = if you put quite a bit in you can make more than one meal at a time and freeze some! I use Neck of Lamb - I think Tesco call it Lamb Fillet, costs about £2.00 a pack EDIT: It might have done in 1983 but was about £4.50 in Tesco, went for Beef at £2.50 instead which could feed 4 in a curry.

Quantities are to feed 4.

1 pack Lamb Fillet, cubed
2 tablespoons oil [2 desert spoons is about the same]
2 oz butter
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly [optional] A clove is a 'slice' not a whole head.
3-4 heaped tablespoons of Sharwoods Medium Hot Curry Powder [or mild will do, in fact any curry powder will do]
1 can of chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons mango chutney [I don't think Tesco sell Sharwoods Green Label any more] any will do.
1 green pepper, chopped quite small. [or red or yellow - the red and yellow ones are a bit sweeter tasting]
Salt to taste


1. Heat the butter and oil together and brown the meat quickly. It cooks really fast and will continue to cook in the curry.

2. Remove the meat from the pan and put it aside

3. Fry the onions and garlic on a medium heat in the remaining oil/butter mix in the pan till soft and slightly brown

4. Move the onions and garlic to one side of the pan, make sure there is plenty of oil/butter - add more if necessary as the curry powder needs to absorb it to 'cook' the bitter taste out of it.

6. Add the curry powder and mix into the oil/butter and make sure you cook it for at least 2 minutes, over a low heat, stirring to prevent sticking.

7. Mix the onions and garlic with the curry paste you have made

8. Return the meat to the pan

8. Add the tin of tomatoes and their juice

9. Add lemon juice

10. Add chutney

11. Add chopped pepper and stir the lot up and cook on the stove top for a few minutes to soften everything

Cook at Gas Mark 4 or equivalent for about half an hour

Serve with rice or Paratha

To make Paratha: [remembering that it has lots more calories than plain rice, but is delicious]

Some plain flour [a dollop in a bowl]
Some salt [a pinch]
Some water [enough to make a stiffish dough - a bit at a time]
Some butter, softened in the microwave to make it spreadable

Mix the flour, salt and water [a little at a time] to make a pliable dough. If it gets too wet, add more flour.
Put it on a floured board and roll it into a circle
Spread half with butter and fold over
Re-roll and do the same about four times, this layers the dough and the butter.
Roll it out to about plate size or frying pan size and fry in some hot oil till it goes a bit brown
and a bit stiff!

Serve it under your curry, you won't need any rice.

ashli_2

The Ingredients

Main
1 Chicken (medium size)
Cooking onions (2)
Olive Oil (2 tablespoons)
Spinach Leaves not puree (1 tin) -optional
Kebab Masala (1/2 tsp)
Garam Masala (1/2 tsp)
Coriander fresh (Big handful) - chopped

The masala mixture
Garlic (4-5 big cloves) - chopped
Ginger (about the size of a fist, quiet a lot) - chopped
Plum tomatoes (1 tin)
Green Chilli (3) - chopped
Turmeric (½ tsp)
Chilli powder (1 tsp)
Curry powder (½ tsp)
Salt (1tsp)
Alum Geer masala (3/4 tsp) (optional)
Whole Black peppercorns (5-6)
Cinnamon bark (2 sticks)
Bay leaves (2-3)
Cumin Seed (1 tsp)
Coriander seed (I tsp)
2 black cardamon pods



• Chop onions thin and fry in oil. Do this until the onion colours to slightly brown, about 10 mins on high heat and a lot of stirring.

• Now add the masala mixture described above and the chicken and the spinach. You can do this without the spinach to have a plain chicken curry, or add any other veg that you like. If you don't use the spinach then you may need to add ½ a cup of water later if it begins to dry out.

• Cook on a medium heat for about 40-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. You should see a bubbling of the oil on the surface when it is cooked. It needs very frequent stirring because there is not that much liquid and it will burn.

• About 20 minutes into this process when the chicken is slightly cooked add the kebab masala (optional, like all the spices, this is very cheap in asian grocery shops).

• Once cooked add the garam masala and the fresh coriander. Switch off the heat and cover the curry.


Edited to add, the masala mixture is basically what you get in your jar of curry paste. After the initial outlay for the dry spices you can make endless curries from them so it works out much cheaper in the long run.