Making a good Curry
Making a Good Indian Curry / Making a Curry
If you are anything like me you will love Indian Curries, not just the curry but all the associated things that go with the meal, Onion bhajee, Nan bread, Bombay potatoes and all the other lovely things you can eat with your Indian meal. The best books around I have found for making authentic tasting Indian meals, as you would get from your local resturant or take-away, are The Curry Club series of books by Pat Chapman.
I have been using these books for over 20 years to make lovely Indian meals for me, my family and friends. Most of my friends have also purchased the books because the results are so good. I hope you will also take a look at them and maybe purchase them.
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Madras Curry Base
The Madras curry is the standard hot,but slightly sour curry most people would eat at the local resturant, you will not find the recipe in any authentic Indian cook book, but most people who like a hot curry will like this.
The mild curry base.
2 tablespoons Ghee or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Garlic puree
1 tablespoon curry paste or mild curry powder
1/2 to 3/4 pint(300-450ml)curry masala gravy
2 teaspoons tomato puree
1 teaspoon salt
water as required
1. heat the ghee, and stir-fry the garlic for 1 minute.
2. add the curry paste or powder, and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
3. add the masala gravy, stir-fry for a couple of minutes then add the tomato puree and salt.
4 To obtain the wateriness you require add the water to taste(you may need to add a little oil as well to keep the correct texture.
5. add your principal ingredient ie Beef, Chicken, Lamb or Prawns.
(curry masala gravy will be covered later)
Curry Masala Gravy
Hers how to make Curry Masala gravy, it will make enough for approx 10 curries. If you dont have the room for any excess, just make the ingredients smaller as required, the rest is the same.
1/2 pint or 300ml ghee or vegatable oil
5 tablespoons garlic puree
4 tablespoons ginger puree
10 onions coarsely chopped boiled in water for 3 mins and blended until fine texture
6 tablespoons tomato puree
1 teaspoon of salt
spices
2 tablespoons turmeric
4 tablespoons curry powder
1-6 chilli powder(to taste)
2 tablespoons ground cumin seeds
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
1. mix the spices with water to make a paste, of the consistancy of tomato sauce.
2. heat the oil, stir-fry the garlic puree for 3 mins, then add the ginger puree cook for another 3 mins. Add the spice paste and stir-fry until the water has evaporated and the oil separates, approx 5 mins. If it needs it add water to make the gravy pourable.
3. add the onion puree and stir-fry for 10 mins. Then add the tomato puree and stir-fry for another 10 mins. then add the sail.
4. portion into 10 and freeze any you dont immediatly require, or just adjust amounts to make less.
Putting it all together for your Madras curry
Right here we go with how too make the Madras curry.
1 recipe mild curry base(see above for this)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 spanish onion, peeled and thinly sliced
4 fresh(or strained canned) tomatoes
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 tablespoon dry fenugreek leaves
1 tablespoon ground almonds
1 tablespoon fresh or bottled lemon
1. Proceed with stage 1 of mild curry base(see above)
2. make a water paste of the first four spices then add and fry for 1 min. Add onion and fry for 2 mins.
3. Continue with stages 2 to 5 of mild curry base(see above).
4 add the fresh or canned tomatoes at the end of stage 5. When simmering add the remaining items including your choice of meat such as beef,chicken lamb or prawns you can even make it vegatarian replace the meat or prawns with vegtables of your choice.
5. serve after a minimum of 5 minutes simmering or when you are ready.
Pat Chapmans Curry Club Books
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More Curry Club Books by Pat Chapman
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Another Chicken curry recipe
making curry paste
Discount Cooking Magazine Subscriptions
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