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Topics - Curry King

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Lets Talk Curry / Todays Saturday kitchen - Indian Special

« on: October 29, 2005, 09:16 AM »

This mornings Saturday kitchen is an Indian cusine special as far as I know has anyone got the means to capture it on a dvd recorder by any chance, I don't mind helping distriubte it?

Lets Talk Curry / Who bought the Indian Restaurant Recipes book from amazon?

« on: October 23, 2005, 10:24 AM »

I had this reserved in my basket and someones gone and bought it

Theres another couple on there but they want 30 and 65 quid each

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0572017030/ref=ord_cart_shr/026-1272118-1708437?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Anyone got it?

Madras / Chicken Madras

« on: October 12, 2005, 06:42 PM »

Chicken Madras

1: heat two or three tblsps of veg oil (tesco cheapo variety)
2: I then put in two cubes of ginger and one of garlic (i mince and freeze them in ice cube trays, probaly a tblsp per cube)
fry til just browning slightly
3: put in a few tablespoon of base - lower heat
4: Put in tblesp of the MDH powder - fry for few minutes - low heat - add water if it sticks
5: Put in precooked chicken cubes (i fry fast until sealed and white - but only barely cooked)
6: Put in the rest of the base sauce
7: Simmer / splatter for 10mins
8: Put in creamed coconut - stir in
9: Simmer another 5mins, put in the fromage frais stuff or yogurt ( Stir the fromage frais in well bit by bit)
10: turn off heat
11: put in 1/2 tsp of garam masala - NOT COMMERCIAL MIX - equal weights of cloves, cinnamon, blk cardomon seeds, pepper
12: put in methi
13: squeeze juice of a lemon in

Hey presto!

Notes:
I notice that lemon juice is not used a lot in recipes - but i think it makes a big difference

I also think that the usual garam masala with cumin and coriander ruins a curry as it makes them all taste the same.
It is basically a curry powder, whereas the one i use is very fragrant and not like a curry powder.

the methi is a great ingredient and smells soo good!

I know that creamed coconut is usually soaked to make a milk - but I cant be bothered and just use it stright from the package

The chilli amount I use suits me, I have found that the chilli amounts used in most recipes here to be way too hot.

I use at least twice ot three times the amount of ginger as most recipes use - I love the zing

I do not have a lot of experience with various curry powders as I usually do the dry-fry spices and grind for each dish
(I used to only make authentic curries with a full dish recipe rather than the base and final dish BIR style)
the MDH Chicken Curry masala powder seems very good though

Let me know if anyone trys it, I thought is was superb

Regards

niall

Tandoori Dishes / CTM - Chicken Tikka Masala

« on: October 11, 2005, 07:32 PM »

Here is a CTM as I make it and it always goes down as a favorite, I should make it more often

This should serve around 3 people.

Ingredients:
2 or 3 tbsp Oil (veg or olive)
1 tsp garlic & ginger puree
Half a tbsp tomato puree
Pinch chilli powder
1 Heaped tsp spice mix
1 level tsp tandoori masala
3 Large ladles of curry gravy (Will clarify how much exactly)
1 portion pre-cooked chicken tikka (3 or 4 chicken breasts)
3 or 4 tbsp cream (More if prefered)
2?x1? piece of creamed coconut (or to taste)
1 tbsp sugar
Red food colouring (optional)
Small handful of chopped coriander

Method:
Fry the garlic and ginger puree for a few seconds in the oil.
Add the tomato puree and fry for a minute or 2.
Add the chilli powder, tandoori masala and spice mix, cook for a minute or 2 moving round the pan.
Add a ladle of curry gravy and stir in.
Add tikka chicken mix in and then add the rest of the gravy.
Add the sugar and coconut stir in until the coconut has dissapeared.
Take of the heat and add the cream, stirring in as you go.
Stir in the red food colouring and return to the heat.
Cook through for a couple of mins.
Garnish with the chopped coriander.

I will update the exact quantity of gravy used next time I make it.

I will hopefully make one this weekend and put up some pictures to go with it.

Starters and Side Dishes Chat / Fine Indian Dining

« on: September 28, 2005, 01:08 PM »

Heres a few recipes I found during my latest trawl of the interweb.

Found here: http://www.fineindiandining.com

BHINDI MASALA
Serves four?
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Course salt
2 whole tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder, or more to
taste
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon Garam Masala (recipe
follows)

1. Grind ginger into a paste using a small food processor.

2. Heat oil in large skillet, over medium heat, add onions, and saut? until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, coriander, cumin, and salt; cook, stirring 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, chili powder, okra, and green peppers. If mixture appears dry, add 1/4 cup water. Add garam masala, and cooked covered, 15 to 20 minutes.

Garam Masala
Makes 7 1/2 teaspoons?
1 teaspoon cardamom pods
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 stick cinnamon
1/2 whole nutmeg Toast all spices for garam masala in
small saut? pan, over medium heat,
about 5 minutes until fragrant. Allow to
cool in the pan. Transfer contents to a
spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.

CHICKEN MALAI KABAB
The preparation of Chicken Malai begins with garam masala, a blend of several aromatic spices essential to most Northern Indian cuisine. The most interesting aspect of garam masala is that no single recipe for this spice combination exists, since each cook has a his or her own blend. Our Executive Chef shares his recipe for a Mughal garam masala, a mellow blend accented with cardamom that originated in the courts and palaces of the Moghul emperors of Northern India. Mughal garam is often used in cream - and yogurt-based dishes, such as this Chicken Malai Kabob.

Yogurt is as important as the spices in Indian cuisine. It's used as a meat tenderizer and flavor enhancer. The yogurt used in India is made with buffalo's milk, which has a fuller fat content and creamier consistency than most commercial cow's-milk yogurts can be used interchangeably in the marinade to give this dish a more authentic consistency and taste.

CHICKEN MALAI KABAB
Serves four?
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic
1 teaspoon Garam Masala (recipe
follows)
1/4 cup cashew paste (recipe follows)
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch saffron, soaked in 2 tablespoons
lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed
lemon juice, from 1 lemon
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
(optional)
Fresh lemon slices, for garnish
Metal or wooden skewers 1. Grind ginger and garlic into a paste using a small food processor.

2. Combine all ingredients in large bowl, add chicken, and cover with yogurt- spice mixture. Add cream if marinade seems too thick. Marinate, covered in refrigerator for 2 hours. If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 1 hour.

3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Skewer chicken, leaving space between pieces on each skewer. Place skewers on baking sheet, and bake 20 to 30 minutes. To serve, remove chicken pieces from skewers. Arrange on plate with lemon slices, and top with coriander leaves.

Garam Masala
Makes 7 1/2 teaspoons?
1 teaspoon cardamom pods
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 stick cinnamon
1/2 whole nutmeg Toast all spices for garam masala in
small saut? pan, over medium heat,
about 5 minutes until fragrant. Allow to
cool in the pan. Transfer contents to a
spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.

Cashew Paste
Makes 1/4 cup?
1/3 cup unsalted cashews
Soak cashews in 1/2 cup warm water for 10 minutes. Drain. Grind to a smooth paste in a food processor.

ONION KHULCHA
COOKING: INDIAN BREADS

All of our restaurants bake its delicious breads like onion khulcha in a tandoor, a traditional rounded-top oven made of brick and clay. Foods and breads are baked over the direct heat of a smoky fire inside the tandoor. The chef stretches the dough until it's flat and then sticks it to the sides of the oven with specially designed metal skewers. Since you probably don't have a tandoor oven at home, you can replicate the effect by baking onion khulcha and other Indian breads in a conventional oven on a pizza stone or quarry tiles. Though onion khulcha rises, the dough does not contain yeast. The natural bacteria in the yogurt activates the fermentation process and gives a pleasant tart flavor to the bread.

ONION KHULCHA
Makes four 8-inch breads?
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for
kneading
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1/4 cup milk, warmed
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1/4 cup coriander, finely chopped
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), melted

1. Mix flour, egg, baking powder, sugar, salt, yogurt, milk, and oil until combined. Gradually add 1/3 cup water,
and knead dough until firm but not too soft. Let dough rest in a bowl covered with damp cloth for at least 2 hours.

2. Place pizza stone in oven, and heat to 350 degrees. Divide dough into four pieces, and knead each piece on a floured surface until smooth, forming into a ball. Let rest 10 minutes.

3. On a lightly floured surface, press each ball into a disc, eight inches in circumference. Cover entire surface with onions, peppers, and coriander. Place on pizza stone in oven, and bake until bread puffs up and brown blisters form on the surface, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and brush w/melted butter

Curry Sauce, Curry Base , Curry Gravy Recipes, Secret Curry Base / More recipes from a chef

« on: September 20, 2005, 09:47 AM »

During my usual trawl of the net for anything curry I haven't seen, I stumbled across this posting on a forum that I happen to be a member of and never knew was there? ;D

This is the link to the post on the forum, I'm not sure if you need an account to see it but I've cut and paste it all below anyway:

http://www.anothersubcontinent.com/forums/index.php?s=df29a3130e77636723f8f3a819c662d4&act=ST&f=10&t=1343

I haven't tried it myself yet but probably will give it a go this weekend, here is the posting including a two part base and a few curry ideas at the end.

Speaking of Indian restaurants, I once took a cooking class from an Indian restaurant chef (who claimed he was the chef of indian cuisine served on British Airways, BTW) who used the concept of a Mother Sauce to create restaurant style Indian dishes. He taught us two mother sauces: one tomato based and the other onion based. You create a batch (like they do in restaurants) of each, freeze (if you are a home cook) and use in various proportions. From these two mother sauces you get mixed vegetable curry, chicken/beef/shrimp curry, vegetable or meat korma, or a meat pasanda. All you do is add the main ingredient(s) and either coconut milk, yogurt, or cream to the combination of mother sauces.

While this explains why food in most Indian Restaurants tastes the same, I have to admit the sauces make a decent quick meal when one is not up to spending the time for a good slow-cooked meal.

Mother Sauce #1

2 cups chopped fresh onions
3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
4 OZ ginger-garlic paste (see below)
1 t cumin seeds
6 whole cloves
4 pods large (black) cardamoms
1 T corriander powder
1 T cumin powder
1 t chile powder
4 OZ vegetable oil
1 T garam masala (see below)
2 OZ turmeric powder
to taste salt

1. Heat a thick-bottomed pot, add oil
2. Add all the dry spices, saute
3. Add onions, saute until golden brown
4. Add turmeric powder + some salt, stir for 30 seconds
5. Add garlic-ginger paste
6. Add tomatoes and all the remaining ingredients, simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours
7. Let it cool. Blend in a blender.

Mother Sauce #2

1 28 OZ canned crushed tomatoes
1 T garlic ginger paste (see below)
1 t turmeric powder
1/2 t chile powder
5 pods large (black) cardamoms
5 whole cloves
1 t cumin seeds
1 stick cinnamon
oil

1. Heat pan, add oil.
2. Add cumin seeds, cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon stick. Saute
3. Add garlic-ginger paste. Simmer. Add salt.
4. Add tomatoes. Cook for 1 to 1.5 hours until oil rises.
5. Remove cinnamon stick and cardamom, and puree.

Storing Mother Sauces for easy use

Typically, you will be using the two sauces in each dish. So,
it is more convenient to pre-mix the sauces and freeze them
in usable portions. Then you can use as desired.

10-12 4 OZ sealable jars (use the ones you get for storing baby-food servings)
Mix 2 OZ of Mother Sauce 1 and 1 OZ of Mother Sauce 2 (or any other proportion,
experiment!!). Altenately, just mix the entire batch of the two sauces and
divide into the containers. Freeze.

You can add the frozen sauce directly to the dish at the time of preparation.

Some Recipes for dishes

Mixed Vegetable Curry

1 to 1.5 lbs of mixed vegetables (blanched)
choose any, for example: mushrooms, peas, carrots,
1 cup diced onions
2 OZ of Mother Sauce 1
1 OZ of MOther Sauce 2
OR a mixture of the two in any proportion
oil

1. Heat oil, fry onions until golden
2. Add vegetables stir fry
3. Add the mother sauces, a little water if desired
4. Simmer until vegetables are tender, not overdone

Chicken/Beef/Shrimp Curry

12-16 oz of meat, cut in bite sized pieces
1 t cumin powder
1 t corriander powder
2 OZ of Mother Sauce 1
1 OZ of Mother Sauce 2
oil for saute

1. Heat oil in a pan, add meat and saute until brown
2. Add the cumin and corriander powder, saute another min or two
3. Add the mother sauces, a little water if desired
4. Simmer until meat is just done.

Korma (vegetables, meat)
Follow all steps in the above recipes.
Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream towards the end for a really nice
and creamy texture.

In the meat recipes above, feel free to add some vegetables: peas, tofu,
carrots, fresh tomatoes, etc. Experiment and play. Adding a bit of yogurt will give you a very different dish (pasanda?), or try (cream) for a heavier sauce.