So I decided to make some curries, and good curries they were from the Curry Bible (or as it probably should have been called the Curry Gita). Sadly this book is out of print, which explains why I got it so cheaply (though technically it should increase in price the rarer it is, but that’s not how bookshops view remaindered stock).
The book starts with information about cooking with spices, essential curry ingredients, and essential recipes (covering curry pastes and paneer). The entire book is written in a clear and sensible form, with no commentary on the recipes and rarely any optional ingredients. Overall it was great to cook from and the food was fantastic. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Peshawar-style Lamb Curry
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2.5cm piece of cinnamon stick
- 5 green cardamom pods, bruised
- 5 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 700g boneless leg of lamb, cut into 2.5cm cubes
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 tsp ginger puree
- 2 tsp garlic puree
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 125g thick natural yoghurt
- 2 tsp gram flour or cornflour
- 1/2 – 1 tsp chillie powder
- 150 ml lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
- naan bread, to serve
Method:
- Head a medium-sized saucepan over a low heat, then ad the oil. Add the cinnamon, cardamom pods, cloves and bay leaves. Leave to sizzle for 25 – 30 seconds, then add the meat, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the meat begins to brown and all the natural juices have evaporated.
- Add the onion, ginger puree and garlic puree, cook for 5 – 6 minutes, stirring regularly, then add the tomato puree, turmeric, ground coriander and cumin. Continue to cook for 3 – 4 minutes.
- Whisk together the yoghurt, gram flour and chilli powder and add to the meat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring to ensure that the sauce does not stick to the base of the pan, for 45 – 60 minutes, or until the meat is tender. Simmer, uncovered, to thicken the sauce to the desired consistency.
- Stir in the fresh mint and coriander, remove from the heat and service immediately with naan bread.
Notes on this recipe:
- Apart from making sure you have all the spice ingredients (which I do) this recipe is fairly straight forward. It’s also really tasty and my favourite dish of the night.
Garden Peas and Paneer in Chilli-tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 250g paneer, cut into 2.5 cm cubes
- 4 green cardamom pods, bruised
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 tsp garlic puree
- 2 tsp ginger puree
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 – 1 tsp chilli powder
- 150g canned chopped tomatoes
- 425 ml lukewarm water, plus 2 tbsp
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 125g frozen peas
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp single cream
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
- naan bread, to serve
Method:
- Heat a medium-sized, non-stick saucepan over a medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the paneer and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 – 4 minutes, or until evenly browned. Paneer tends to splatter in hot oil, so stand slightly away from the hob. Alternatively, use a splatter screen. Remove the paneer from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
- Add the remaining oil to the saucepan and reduce the heat to low. Add the cardamom pods and bay leaves and leave to sizzle gently for 20 – 25 seconds. Add the onion, increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 – 5 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the garlic puree and the ginger puree and cook, stirring frequently, for a further 3 – 4 minutes until the onion is a pale golden colour.
- Add the ground coriander, turmeric and chilli powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 – 5 minutes. Add the 2 tablespoons of water and cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes, or until the oil separates from the spice paste.
- Add the remaining water and the salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 7 – 8 minutes.
- Add the paneer and peas and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the garam masala, cream and chopped coriander and remove from the heat. Service immediately with some naan bread.
Notes on this recipe:
- Apart from many steps, this isn’t too complicated. It is important to remember the salt though, because it really doesn’t taste good without it (unsurprisingly).
- Frying the paneer really is an exercise in avoiding getting boiling oil all over the kitchen and you. Use a deep frying pan or a splatter screen to protect everything.
Chapattis
Ingredients:
- 400g chapatti flour (atta), plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 250ml lukewarm water
Method:
- Mix the flour, sat and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the oil and work well into the flour mixture with your fingertips. Gradually add the water, mixing at the same time. When the dough is formed, transfer to a work surface and knead for 4 – 5 minutes. The dough is ready when all the excess moisture ahas been absorbed by the flour. Alternatively, mix the dough in a food processor. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough in half, then cut each half into eight equal-sized pieces. Form each piece into a ball and flatten into a round cake. Dust each cake lightly in flour and roll out to a 15cm round. Keep the remaining cakes covered while you are working on one. The chappatis will cook better when freshly rolled out, so roll them out and cook them one at a time.
- Heat a heavy-based cast-iron griddle or a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat. Put a chapatti on the griddle and cook for 30 seconds. Using a fish slice, turn it over and cook until bubbles begin to appear on the surface Turn it over again. Press the edges down gently with a clean cloth to encourage the chapatti to puff up – they will not always puff up, but this doesn’t matter. Cook until brown patches appear on the underside. Remove from the pan and keep hot by wrapping in a piece of foil lined with kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining chapattis. Serve warm.
Notes on this recipe:
- I didn’t have atta flour. I wasn’t 100% sure whether atta flour was or was not a blend of flours and stupidly didn’t research it beforehand. I blended plain flour and gram flour – which tasted great but didn’t need as much water as the atta flour on it’s own would have. If you are unable to find atta flour, I’d recommend either breadmaker’s flour or plain flour with bread improved added. My version was still very tasty.
Bombay Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 500g new potatoes, diced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- pinch of salt
- 4 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
- 6 curry leaves
- 1 dried red chilli
- 2 fresh green chillis, chopped
- 1/2 tsp nigella seeds
- 1 tsp mixed mustard and onion seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida (also known as Heeng)
- 2 onions, chopped
- 5 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
- juice of 1/2 lime
Method:
- Place the potatoes in a large, heavy-based saucepan and pour in just enough cold water to cover. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the turmeric and the salt and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until tender, then drain and set aside.
- Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat, then add the curry leaves and dried red chilli and cook, stirring frequently, for a few minutes, or until the chilli is blackened. Add the remaining turmeric, the fresh chillies, the nigella seeds, mustard seeds, onion seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, asafoetida, onions and coriander and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes, or until the onions have softened.
- Add the potatoes, stir and cook over a low heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes have heated through. Squeeze over the lime juice and serve immediately.
Notes on this recipe:
- As it cooks in two stages – potatoes, then spices and potatoes – you can prepare the potatoes ahead of time and then do the remaining steps when you have 15 minutes to serving time.
- I have no idea where to obtain onion seeds – apart from a nursery, so I just used mustard seeds.
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