Indian food

[jenny_haddow]

I did this with my Indian Cookery Class last night and it went down well. It's uncomplicated, quick and very tasty.

You'll need fresh prawns or chicken or veg/paneer if you are a veggie.
Clean the prawns, chop the chicken into chunks, likewise the veggie option.
Coat in a tsp or two of turmeric with some salt. Melt a 2-3 tblsp ghee or unsalted butter in a pan and gently fry a tsp of black onion seeds for a minute or two, add the prawns/chicken/or veg and fry until lightly browned.
Add two finely sliced large onions and a chopped green chilli or two or three. Stir well to coat the onions in the turmeric and ghee, add a good tsp of crushed black peppercorns and more salt if needed. Cover and cook slowly on a low heat until the onions are soft and brown and all the flavours have combined.
Serve with Pullao rice and a plain chapatti.

Dead simple, but good. Enjoy


Jen

[pokerpete]

I did this with my Indian Cookery Class last night and it went down well. It's uncomplicated, quick and very tasty.

You'll need fresh prawns or chicken or veg/paneer if you are a veggie.
Clean the prawns, chop the chicken into chunks, likewise the veggie option.
Coat in a tsp or two of turmeric with some salt. Melt a 2-3 tblsp ghee or unsalted butter in a pan and gently fry a tsp of black onion seeds for a minute or two, add the prawns/chicken/or veg and fry until lightly browned.
Add two finely sliced large onions and a chopped green chilli or two or three. Stir well to coat the onions in the turmeric and ghee, add a good tsp of crushed black peppercorns and more salt if needed. Cover and cook slowly on a low heat until the onions are soft and brown and all the flavours have combined.
Serve with Pullao rice and a plain chapatti.

Dead simple, but good. Enjoy


Jen

It might just be me but on my life I can't see the point of killing the delicate taste of shellfish with any piquant sauce, and certainly not stewing them in a curry sauce, and the same applies to most fish cookery. Simple is the best IMO.

[Paul Kribs]

Jen

It seems you like your curry, as do I.
Try this recipe, which Oddley sent me, it is superb.

Chicken Dhansak

3 Chicken Breasts Chopped into Bite Size Pieces
1 cup red lentils
1 Cup of Curry Massalla Gravy (see recipe below)
Quarter of an onion finely chopped.
2 Teaspoon Curry Powder
1 Teaspoon Chilli Powder
3 Tablespoons Mango Chutney
2 Finely Chopped Cayenne Chillies
1 Clove Garlic
Quarter Cup Pineapple Juice
5 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
4 Tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves
1 Tablespoon whole coriander leaves
1 teaspoon Garam Massalla
Juice of 1 lemon

serves 2

method

Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the lentils and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes until the lentils are soft and mushy. Drain the lentils. Make a paste of the curry powder and chilli powder with the lemon juice. Fry the onion and 1 cayenne chilli in the vegetable oil on a medium heat until golden. Add the curry and chilli powder paste and stir in and fry for a further 30 secs. Add the chicken pieces and seal well on all sides. Add half the Massalla Gravy and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Now add the lentils, Mango chutney and Pineapple Juice and simmer for a further 5 minutes, stirring constantly. If needed add more massalla gravy to prevent the curry becoming too thick. Now crush in the garlic clove, add the finely chopped coriander leaves and 1 cayenne chilli cook for a further minute and then add half the lemon juice, stir in and taste, add the rest of the lemon juice if needed. Serve with the whole coriander leaves sprinkled over the top.

Curry Massalla Gravy

1 Onion Sliced.
4 Cloves Garlic Finely Chopped
3 Tomatoes Blanched, Peeled, Cored and Quartered
1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 Teaspoon Garam Massalla Powder
Seeds from 4 Green Cardomom Pods
4 Table Spoons vegetable oil
1 cup of water
Pinch of Salt

method

Fry the onion, Tomatoes and garlic in the oil on a medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent and the tomatoes are beginning to go mushy (Approx. 10 Mins). Add half the water and simmer for 5 minutes then add the rest of the water and spices. Stir in well and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Keep stirring regularly throughout cooking. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool slightly before pureeing in a food processor.

ps. I did not add the pineapple juice and when eating couldn't see why it was needed, so now do it without. The addition of the pre-made massalla really lifts it. Knocks the local takeaway into a cocked hat.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Wohoki]

Pokerpete, you've obviously never had a good curry. Write off the cuisine of a quarter of the world if you wish, but please give it a try if the chance occurs.

[jenny_haddow]

That sounds like a good one Paul, I'll give it a go. Its a great cuisine, so diverse in both ingredients and cooking techniques. I teach several cooking courses, including Indian and we have a great time. Do you ever grind your own masalas from scratch? I have a coffee grinder for spices only, once you grind your own you'll not buy ready ground again. Bit like making sausages, bacon and cheese really!

Jen

[Wohoki]

I'm a home masala maker, and would recommend it to anyone. Fresh curry powder makes aa massive difference.

[pokerpete]

Pokerpete, you've obviously never had a good curry. Write off the cuisine of a quarter of the world if you wish, but please give it a try if the chance occurs.

I did say that it was a personal preference, and I do like nice curries, always have done.

[Paul Kribs]

Jen

As of yet I haven't ground the garam massala myself, but have recently purchased one of those all singing and dancing Braun sets (after watching an assessment on Food Uncut). I have only used the whisk attachment thus far, and keep my old Braun processor for making the massallas.. The white and clear plastic is a pretty shade of yellow now.. no doubt down to the turmeric. I may get around to grinding my own but at present I am using up a premade one.. which is quite good.

Actually, Oddley sent me a zip file called Curry Expert which is about �mb, if anyone wants me to send it, just PM me your email address. It has loads of curry related recipes. Too many to try, but if you collect recipes like I do then no doubt they will be of interest.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[jenny_haddow]

Let's go fom the simple village fare of the first recipe I posted to one fit for a moghul emperor, for whom such food would have been cooked.

To serve 4 you will need:
4 chicken breasts rubbed with garam masala
2eggs beaten
6 tblsp ghee
1 large onion finely chopped
1 piece fresh ginger crushed
4 cloves garlic crushed
6 cloves
6 green cardamom pods cracked
Cinamon stick
2-3 bay leaves
good pinch of saffron
quarter pint plain yoghurt with 1 tsp cornflour mixed into it
5 tblsp double cream
2-3 oz ground almonds
salt to taste.

Dip the chicken in the beaten eggs and fry in the ghee, remove and keep warm.
In the same ghee, fry the onion, ginger, garlic, cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon and bay leaves. When the onion turns golden remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool a little, then add the saffron and yoghurt. Mix well to stop the yoghurt from curdling.
Return the chicken to the pan along with any juices from the meat and gently cook until the chicken is tender. Season according to taste. Just before serving fold in the cream and ground almonds.

I usually serve this with plain rice as the flavour of the saffron and almonds is all you need. This is also a great one to do for people who don't care for firey hot food.

Enjoy

Jen

[Paul Kribs]

Rik

You will have to let me know your email address through the PM. I don't think there is a way of sending it through PM.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Oddley]

I have recently found out this software is not freeware. The people who make it want �9.99 for it. I have deleted the software from my machine. I'm sorry paul I forgot I sent you it.

I made the mistake after searching on google, there were links to the software all over the place. I naturally thought it freeware as there was not a password to download it or install it.

[Paul Kribs]

Oh dear, and I have made laminated 'hard' copies.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Oddley]

Not to worry paul all the recipes are on the website. It's only the software that is copywrite.

[dougal]

IMHO its a real wonder of the interwotsit that it happens to give access to sites like this:
http://www.andhrakitchen.com/recipes.php?catid=14
(and BTW there's a 'next' (page) link at top right, without which the site seems much less impressive.)
I think it's fair to call it "authentic"...

Its a kind of magic to be able to drop in the daily life of people half a world away.
Anyone else still find it amazing?

[jenny_haddow]

Of course it's magic! It certainly makes my job more interesting and versatile though.

Jen