Topic: My favourite Patak's potion!!

[sistermoon]

Well guys - I have to admit, whenever I cook this, people who try it groan with pleasure, so it has to be good!  ;D
As you connoisseurs know yourselves, altho onions are tasty, they are also vital in the production of sauce base for most curries so I do tend to use alot - I find if I use 3 large onions, I get a thick sauce which can obviously be thinned out by water or yoghurt, depending on the type of curry I am doing.
Not wishing to teach grandma to suck eggs, I have added comments for some of my uses for those who are just starting out!
And the best tip I can give - NEVER RUSH ANYTHING - it's an artform that should be done with patience and pleasure! 

Ingredients:
Olive oil, ghee or vegetable oil
3 large onions - chopped *very* finely
half teaspoon (tsp) mustard seeds
quart tsp of fennel seeds
6 green cardamons
8 black pepper corns
tsp of minced garlic
fillet of  raw chicken breast (at least a 1lb!), cubed
2 large potatoes, cubed and par boiled (say 3 mins boiling time)
tin chopped tomatoes (if you dont like the chunkiness of toms, strain them through a sieve - gives a lovely smooth tom paste)
1-2 tsp of sugar (optional)
jar of Patak's Madras (or Vindaloo) curry paste
Greek style yoghurt (I find natural yogurt tends to curdle or separate in the heat of the sauce)
Bird's eye chillies (ground) - you know how hot you want your curry, so use at your discretion!

In a large cauldron (well, arent we all witches/wizards at hearts mixing up our potions??), put enough oil in to cover the base of the pan (dont worry if you put too much in, it can be poured off later). Heat for a short while and add the onions, mustard seeds, fennel, cardamons and black pepper.  Fry them on a medium heat for approx. 20 minutes - stir occasionally, until the onions are just going brown.  Add the garlic and stir well.  Then add the chicken and chillies and stir fry until the meat is well sealed (has gone white all around - this can take a good 5 mins).   Turn the heat down a little and add a third of the jar of Patak's curry paste, and a bit of water to stop the paste from sticking to the pan. and stir well.  Wait until the oil rises to the surface of the mixture before adding the tomatoes and sugar.  Stir well.  At this point you will need to ascertain how much sauce you require.   If you like quite a dry mixture then leave it.  But if you like alot of sauce then add water.   I think about half a mug of water is normally sufficient.  Stir well again and put the lid on.
I always put a lid on my pot - I know condensation can make the sauce runnier, but I would rather that than have a curry dry out on me too fast (hope that makes sense?).  Leave for approximately 20 mins on a low simmer then add the par-boiled potatoes and simmer for another 10 mins.  Add a generous dollop of the yoghurt, if you so wish, and stir gently so not to mash the potatoes up.
Take pot off heat and leave for a few hours (hey, even a day or two if you wish!) before serving, then reheat for a tasty curry!  Mind you, *I'll* eat it cold, me!!!      ;D
If at end of heating time if there appears to be too much oil on the surface, just get a spoon and carefully siphon off the excess oil.

At the fried onion stage, I have been known to add my own secret combination of ground spices - depends what mood I am in - I am hooked on cumin - the smell takes me back thousands of years (must be a past-lfe thing!) and I love the aroma that ground fenugreek seeds can leave all around the house - some people's noses wrinkle up at that characteristic *curry* smell and others wanna know where the curry is, with fork in hand!!

I do have a roasted rice recipe too but you are just gonna have to wait for that - I have RSI now!!!  LOL

Well, hope you like my recipe - I am sure it is similiar to many other people's method - I just find it very tasty.