Curry - bumped for Tinks

[reneenay]

My husband’s absolute favorite meal! Lots of ingredients but easy and quick to make.

Hope you all enjoy!!

Ingredients:
½ cup (125g) butter
3 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon of powdered cinnamon
5 whole cloves
2 kg (4lb) chicken pieces
2 tomatoes, quatered
1 ½ tablespoons salt
2-3 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon paprika
2 cups (500ml) coconut milk
1 cup (250g) yogurt
2 teaspoons ginger
2 tablespoons poppy seads
1 ¼ cups (300ml) cream
¼ teaspoon saffron
3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and sauté the onions and garlic until golden brown
2. Stir in the bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves and simmer for 5 min.
3. Add the chicken and cook for ten min.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, salt, curry powers, paprika, coconut milk, yogurt, ginger and poppy seeds. Cover and cook over a low heat until chicken is tender.
5. Stir in the cream, saffron and lemon or limejuice and heat through.

*Mild curry. Can be made hotter or milder by the curry powder used.

[chrysalis]

Yummo - can't wait to try it!!!

[Tigergirl1980]

Ooooh that sounds yummy, think I will have to give that a go, thanks Renee

[ll80]

Myself and my partner are currently on a curry binge. In the last two weeks I think curry has been my every meal except for breakfast and maybe a couple others.

I just can't stop eating curries, at the moment we are just chucking things in a pot and seeing how it turns out. Some very yummy, some not so, but they are always generally good or excellent the next day. yummmmmm.

I would love some recipes for a proper Indian curry.

[Pandora]

ll80 I will dig out Madhur Jaffrey and get back to you.

[ll80]

Thanks rayray, I am thinking of investing in a good curry cookbook, any recommendations?

[Phteven]

I make a yellow curry powder in bulk here is the recipe
1.5 tbs ground tumeric
.25 tbs ground cardamon
.5 tbs ground cinammon
.25 tbs ground ground cumin
.25 tbs ground ground coriander seeds
.25 tbs ground ginger

I just put it all in a glass jar and leave it in the cupboard then when it's time to cook just fry it on a low heat with garlic, ginger and lemon grass until it's fragrant then brown your meat and or veges and chuck in some coconut milk and palm sugar and fish sauce and boil it for a while until it thickened a bit. Or you can just chuck the whole lot into a slow cooker for a few hours. When I use the SC I find it tastes better if you brown the spices first then I stir the coconut milk into the frying pan to pick up all the browned bits.

Here are some other spice mixtures you can use - just adapt/adjust them to suit yourself.
Curry
6 dried red chillies (take the seeds out to reduce the heat)
8 tbs coriander seeds
4 tbs cumin seeds
2 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tbs ground tumeric
1 tsp ground ginger

roast or dry fry everything except the tumeric and ginger then grind them to a powder (a coffee grinder will do this really well or use a mortar) then put it in a jar and add the tumeric and ginger and shake it all about to mix them in.
You can reduce the heat by putting less chilli in and de-seeding the chilli.
You can also try adding a cinnamon stick, 6 cloves and 1 tbs fenel seeds before roasting.
It makes about 16 tbs.

Sambar powder
8-10 dried red chillis
6 tbs coriander seeds
2 tbs cumin seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp fernugreek seeds
2 tsp white split gram peas
2 tsp yellow split peas
2 tsp yellow mung beans
1.5 tbs ground tumeric.

Roast or dry fry the spices, repeat with the pulses (make sure they're evenly toasted - you need to shake them)
Grind the spices and pulses into a powder then mix the tumeric in and jar it up. It makes about 17 tbs.

Panch Phoran (Bengali 5 spices)
Mix equal quantities
Cumin seeds
Fennel seeds
Mustard seeds
Fenugreek seeds
Nigella seeds

You don't process it - just fry it in oil to flavour it before adding the main ingredients or fry it in ghee or oil and add it to vege and dahl dishes just before you serve.

Sri Lankan Curry Powder
6 tbs coriander seeds
3 tbs cumin seeds
1 tbs fenugreek seeds
5 cm piece cinnamon stick
1 tsp cloves
8 cardamom pods
6 dried curry leaves
1-2 tsp chilli powder.

Dry fry or roast the coriander, cumin, fennel and fenugreek seperately until they darken(they turn dark at different times).
Dry fry or roast the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom until they give off a spicy smell.
Remove the seeds from the cardamom then grind all the roasted ingredients with the chilli and curry leaves.
Makes about 12 tbs.

I've posted some other curry recipes at some point.
I'll see if I can dig them up.

[Phteven]

Also....
you can do puppadoms in the microwave. just give the a spray with olive oil spray then zap on paper for about 40 seconds

My quick cucumber yogurt stuff
Chop up a lebanese or telegraph cucumber really fine, chuck it in a bowl with natural yogurt, put a squeeze of oregano (I buy the tubes in the fruit & vege section) and stir it up.

[ll80]

Thanks Dachlostar, I'll definitely be trying all of these I would say, they all look really nice except I might go a bit easier on the chili, I'm trying to build up my heat tolerance but it tends to set off my asthma.

I'm a bit of a foodie.
When DP and I build our house hopefully sometime towards the end of the year I am thinking of putting in a Tandoor which I think is Pakistani, i think it will go nicely next to my wood fire oven and spit.

[Phteven]

Bumping for Tinks.... (and since none of the links work I'll repost the other recipes - once I find the file on my messy computer)

Red and Green Curry Pastes
Green curry paste uses the same ingredients as the red but with green chillies not red, white onion not red and coriander leaves to boost the colour.

Makes about 175g
10 fresh red (or green) chillies seeded and sliced
115gm of dark red onions or shallots sliced
4 garlic cloves
3 lemon grass stalks - the lower end sliced and bruised.
1 cm piece galangal peeled, sliced and bruised
4 corainder sprigs (without leaves for the red paste)
1-2 tsp nut oil (or substitute)
1 tsp dried magrut or dried citrus peel
1 cm blachan (fish paste - you need to fry lightly first or you could use fish sauce as a substitute because it's easier to find)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
salt to taste (not important you can add it when you cook the curry).

Use a food processor or mortar and pestle to bash everything except the magrut or dried citrus peel blachan/fish sauce, coriander seeds and cumin seeds to a paste.
Add the fishy stuff and citrus peel and bash that into the paste.
Dry fry the cumin and coriander until it is aromatic then add that and bash it into the paste.

Use the paste at once or store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 4 weeks or in portions in the freezer.

To make your paste into curry. Fry onion lightly and then add garlic and paste (until aromatic - don't burn it). Add coconut cream then veges and meat if you want. Cook it all up. Serve with rice and coriander leaves to garnish. Lime wedges are nice too.
You can add extra ginger, lemon grass, garlic, kaffir lime leaves as you fancy.

[Phteven]

CHICKEN-VINDALOO - Spicy chicken curry

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cardamom seeds
3 in stick cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp whole black mustard seeds
1 tsp whole fenugreek seeds
5 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp light brown sugar
10 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 large yellow onions, peeled and cut into half-
rings
6 Tbsp water
1 in cube of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
8-10 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp ground coriander seeds
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized
pieces
8 oz tomato sauce
1/2 lb new potatoes, peeled and quartered

PROCEDURE

(1) Grind cumin seeds, black pepper, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, black mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds together in a spice grinder. In a small bowl, combine ground spices, vinegar, salt, cayenne pepper and brown sugar. Set aside.

(2) Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Fry onions, stirring frequently, until they are a rich, dark brown. Remove onions with a slotted spoon and put them in a blender. Turn off the heat, but do not discard the oil. Add 3 Tbsp water (or more if necessary) to the onions and blend until you have a smooth paste. Add this onion paste to the spices in the bowl. This mixture is the vindaloo paste.

(3) Put the ginger and garlic in a blender. Add 3 Tbsp water and blend until you have a smooth paste.

(4) Heat the remaining oil in the saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the ginger-garlic paste. Stir until the paste browns slightly. Add the coriander and turmeric. Stir a few seconds. Add the chicken, a little at a time, and brown lightly.

(5) Add the vindaloo paste, tomato sauce and potatoes to the chicken in the saucepan. Stir and bring to a slight boil.

(6) Cover the saucepan, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about an hour, or until potatoes are tender.

(7) Serve over rice.

NOTES

Don't undercook the onions. They should be cooked until dark brown. If the onion paste turns out gray rather than brown, then the onions were not cooked enough.

This dish is very, very hot. It may not seem so at first, but the spices have a cumulative effect that builds up over the course of the meal.

[Phteven]

How to cook Chicken Biryani

This is a delicious Pakistani/Indian rice dish which is often reserved for very special occasions such as weddings, parties, or holidays such as Ramadan. It has a lengthy preparation, but the work is definitely worth it. For biryani, always use long grain rice. Basmati rice with its thin, fine grains is the ideal variety to use. Ghee is butter that has been slowly melted so that the milk solids and golden liquid have been separated and can be used in place of vegetable oil to yeild a more authentic taste. "


Ingredients

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 small potatoes, peeled and halved
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons ground cardamom
1 (2 inch) piece cinnamon stick
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken pieces cut into chunks


Directions

1 In a large skillet, in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or ghee) fry potatoes until brown, drain and reserve the potatoes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and fry onion, garlic and ginger until onion is soft and golden. Add chili, pepper, turmeric, cumin, salt and the tomatoes. Fry, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add yogurt, mint, cardamom and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes are cooked to a pulp. It may be necessary to add a little hot water if the mixture becomes too dry and starts to stick to the pan.
2 When the mixture is thick and smooth, add the chicken pieces and stir well to coat them with the spice mixture. Cover and cook over very low heat until the chicken is tender, approximately 35 to 45 minutes. There should only be a little very thick gravy left when chicken is finished cooking. If necessary cook uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the gravy.
3 Wash rice well and drain in colander for at least 30 minutes.
4 In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil (or ghee) and fry the onions until they are golden. Add saffron, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger and rice. Stir continuously until the rice is coated with the spices.
5 In a medium-size pot, heat the chicken stock and salt. When the mixture is hot pour it over the rice and stir well. Add the chicken mixture and the potatoes; gently mix them into the rice. Bring to boil. Cover the saucepan tightly, turn heat to very low and steam for 20 minutes. Do not lift lid or stir while cooking. Spoon biryani onto a warm serving dish.

[Phteven]

Butter Chicken
This is a cheat's version that uses Patak's sauces instead of mixing your own.

Serves 2
Heat level - Mild

Ingredients

Marinade:
400g Diced Chicken
70g Pataks Tandoori Paste 312g
50g Yogurt
5g Salt
10g Crushed Garlic
Sauce:
30g Oil
100g Diced Onions
300g Chopped Tomatoes
100ml Cream
10g Sugar
15g Chopped Fresh Coriander
100ml Water
30g Butter
70g Pataks Tikka Masala Paste (Medium) 283g
Salt to Taste


Method:

In a bowl mix together the yogurt, Patak's Tandoori Curry Paste, salt and garlic. Add the diced chicken and marinate for approximately 2 hours (the longer the better).

Cook the chicken in a pre-heated oven 190 - 200 degrees C for 20 - 30 minutes or until cooked.

Sauce:

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the diced onions for 2 minutes, add the Patak's Tikka Masala Curry Paste and chopped tomatoes and continue to cook for a further 5 - 10 minutes. Add the butter, cream, sugar and salt and cook for a further 2 minutes adding a little water if necessary. Add the cooked chicken to this sauce and cook for a few more minutes until the chicken is well coated in the sauce and warmed through.

Garnish with the chopped fresh coriander and serve with Rice and Naan Breads.

[Bumperstump Cummerbund]

Okay, this may seem dumb but I am totally serious - could you please put a hotness warning on each of them, just for reference?

[Phteven]

The hottest one has a warning. It's the vindaloo.
The mildest is the mango chicken.
For lots of them you can dial the heat up or down by varying the amount of chilli or taking the seeds out of the chillies, or using mild or hot chillies or a mild or hot paste and so on.
The biriyani you could just leave out the chilli powder and it would be as mild as a baby lamb having a nap on a spring day.

[Junglemum]

For a sensational ridgy didge curry, make your own paste using this recipe.....

This is from Madhur Jaffrey's curry bible..... yum.

Mussaman curry paste

7 dried hot red chilli's (preferably long ones)
1/2teaspoon white pepercorns
1/2t whole cummin seeds
1 teaspoon whole corriander seeds
2 1/2cm cinnamon
140g shallots
1 Tablesppon fresh lemon grass, sliced thinly
5 large cloves of garlic
2 1/2 cm piece of fresh ginger
1 teaspoon of curry powder
1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste- or 3 tinned anchovies.
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric

Soak chillies in hot water for 1-2hrs
Put peppercorns, cumin seeds, corriander seeds and cinnamon in a small fypan over a medium heat, stir until the spices become fragrent and turn a darker shade.
Empty into a bowl and cool. Once cool grind as finely as possible in a clean coffee grinder or spice grinder. (could use a mortal and pestle)
Put chillies and their liquid in a blender and blend with all remaining ingredients. Blend, pushing sides down until you have a smooth paste.

What you don't use you can freeze.

If that seems a bit hard, go and find a good delicatessen that sell some locally made curry pastes and buy one. A homemade paste makes all the difference imo!

To make the curry..... i'd recommend the one on the taste website. sounds good.

[LimeSlice]

Thai Massaman Chicken Curry

Massaman Paste:
* 10 big dried chilies, roasted, soaked and seeded
* 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, roasted
* 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, roasted
* 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted
* 2 cloves, roasted
* 2 cardamom pods, roasted
* 1 teaspoon shrimp paste, roasted
* 1/2 teaspoon powdered nutmeg (not roasted)
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon Kaffir lime skin
* 1 teaspoon galangal
* 1 tablespoon coriander roots
* 1 tablespoon lemongrass
* 1/4 cup shallots
* 2 tablespoons garlic

Ingredients:
* 4 tablespoons curry paste
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 3-4 chicken thighs
* 1 cup coconut cream + 1 cup coconut milk
* 1 cup potatoes
* 1 cup onions, or peeled whole shallots
* 4 cardamom pods
* 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, whole
* 1 tablespoon palm sugar
* 1" piece of cinnamon stick
* fish sauce to taste


1. Dry roast the dry spices in a pan on medium heat until fragrant, about 2-4 minutes. It’s best to roast each thing one at a time until fragrant. The chilies should be browned. Roast the shrimp paste wrapped in tin foil for a few minutes too.

2. Soak the dried chilies until soft, then take out the seeds and inner bits and chop fine.

3. Pound the paste in a mortar & pestle. Start by grinding up the dried spices until powdered, then set aside. Put the chilies in the mortar and pound until uniformly smashed, then add the rest of the ingredients, starting from hardest and driest and working up to softest at the end. Then add the dried spice powder back in and the shrimp paste. Mix well.
You can use a food processor, just add them all together.

4. Cut the potatoes and onions into bite-sized pieces and wash the chicken.

5. Add the oil to the pan and turn on to medium high. Fry 4 tablespoons of the paste until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.

6. Add the whole chicken pieces. Fry until the chicken is sealed on the outside, about 2-3 minutes.

7. Add 1 cup of the coconut cream (top part of the can if using canned – don’t shake the can). Simmer until the oil separates, about 2-3 minutes. You’ll see reddish oil starting to float to the top.

8. Add the potatoes, peanuts and onions and the 1 cup of coconut milk. Simmer for a few minutes.

9. Add the cinnamon, cardamom seeds, cassia leaves. Mix well.

10. Simmer (and stir well) until the mixture browns and a good deal of oil comes to the top. About 15-20 minutes. If it gets too dry, add some water. Add the fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind juice at the end. Taste – you may need to adjust the flavor if it’s not salty or sour enough.

11. Serve with rice or roti. Also is great with ajaat (slightly pickled cucumber salad) on the side.


Love this site, use it whenever I want a real Thai recipe (Real Thai Recipes ) The recipe for the Ajaat is there too...and the Clear Mushroom and lemongrass soup is sooo good!

HTH! And kick some butt lol

[Rouge]

I would make my own. This is a really generic easy curry paste that you can make (indian inspired) and then freeze (in 2 tbsp batches) and thaw as needed. You can doctor it to be mild by adding less chili.

Curry paste - From Taste

Preparation Time
10 minutes

Ingredients
125ml (1/2 cup) white vinegar
80ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
2 long fresh red chillies, deseeded, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbs finely grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup ground cumin
1/4 cup ground coriander
1 tbs freshly ground black pepper
1 tbs garam masala
1 tbs black mustard seeds
1 tbs ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method
Place the vinegar, oil, chilli, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, pepper, garam masala, mustard, turmeric and cinnamon in a bowl and stir until well combined.
Notes
To freeze (for up to 4 months): Place curry paste in an airtight container and smooth the surface. Drizzle with vegetable oil to cover. Label, date and freeze.

To thaw: Place in the fridge for 2-3 hours or until thawed. Stir to combine.