The Big Book of Curry Recipes (19 page)

1 onion

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

1 1/2 coconuts

350g parthade slices

1 tbsp
tamarind paste

salt to taste

Method:

Extract 250ml (1 cup) thick coconut and 750ml (3 cups) thin coconut milk from 1 coconut as follows: Grind the fresh coconut to a paste and when the paste is smooth add 300ml (1 1/4 cups) water (and the juice of 1 coconut) and mix thoroughly. Squeeze as much coconut milk from the resulting mixture as possible. Then add a further 800ml (3 1/2 cups) water, mix and squeeze the coconut milk out into a separate bowl to give you a thin coconut milk.

Roast each spice separately in a dry frying pan and when fragrant place in a coffee grinder and grind finely. Then add to 500ml (2 cups) of the thin coconut milk. Fry the grated flesh from the remaining coconut and 1 onion, finely sliced, in a little ghee. When the onion is soft and translucent add the thin coconut with the spices. Cook for five minutes then add the remaining thin coconut milk. Season with salt and simmer for a few minutes. Finally, add the tamarind paste and the parthade. Cook for 15 minutes and serve with rice and/or naan bread.

Mysore Bonda

Mysore Bonda is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic curry of black lentils and green chillies.

Ingredients:

115g (1/4 lb) black gram dal [lentils] (urad dal)

2–3 green chillies

a few sprigs of coriander leaves

1 sprig curry leaves (or 6 dried curry leaves)

10g (1/3 oz) grated coconut

5g (1/4 oz) freshly-grated ginger

2–3 black peppercorns

salt to taste

oil for frying

Method:

Soak the dal in water for an hour. Drain completely then grind to a fine powder, along with the chillies and salt. Chop the coriander leaves and curry leaves very finely and add to the ground paste. Form the paste into balls, about the size of a small lime).

Meanwhile, heat oil in a wok until very hot and drop the paste balls into this. Fry until a deep golden brown then drain on kitchen paper and serve.

Sambhar  (Lentil Curry)

Sambhar (Lentil Curry) is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic lentil and vegetable curry that can be served either as an accompaniment or as a dish in its own right.

Ingredients:

For The Curry:

1 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala

1/2 tsp Cardamom Seeds, crushed

225g (1/2 lb) Cauliflower Florets (Or substitute broccoli)

225g (1/2 lb) Mooli, peeled and thickly sliced

10 Okra, ‘topped & tailed’

1 Onion, thickly sliced

225g (1/2 lb) Red Lentils

1 Red bell pepper, de-seeded & chopped

Sea Salt, to taste

4 Tomatoes, quartered

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp Unrefined Light Muscovado Sugar

For The Tempering:

1/2 tsp black mustard seeds, crushed

Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

2 Garlic Cloves, crushed

2 tsp Red Chillies, finely chopped

3 tbsp Vegetable Oil

1/2 tsp White cumin seeds

Method:

Place the lentils and turmeric in a large pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer until the lentils are mushy, (about 20 minutes) ensuring that the water is topped-up. Once done, drain and mash the lentils, then add the okra, cauliflower (or broccoli), mooli, onion and Muscovado sugar. The consistency you’re aiming for should be that of a thick soup — add more water if needed.

Mix in the crushed cardamom seeds and Garam Masala and simmer until the vegetables are tender, (about 15–20 minutes). Add the tomatoes, red pepper and sea salt, cover and keep warm.

For the tempering, heat the oil in a frying pan then add all the spices and garlic and fry until they begin to crackle. Immediately pour over the sambhar and serve garnished with coriander.

Aloo Dhaniya  (Balti Potatoes and Coriander)

Aloo Dhaniya (Balti Potatoes and Coriander) is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic curry of potatoes that can be served as an accompaniment or a vegetarian main course.

Ingredients:

250g (9 oz) Fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves

2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

125g (5 oz) Onion, finely chopped

1 tsp ground garlic

350g (12 oz) Potatoes cut into 3cm (1 in) dice

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp Nigella seeds

1 tsp green chillies, ground

1 tbsp Ghee (or Olive oil)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Root ginger, freshly grated

Method:

Prepare the coriander by taking the leaves off the stalks, placing in a large bowl with plenty of water and soaking for 20 seconds, so any silt can settle to the bottom. Gently remove the leaves and chop finely or blend in a food processor.

Put the oil in a
karhai
, round-bottomed wok or deep frying pan, add the onions and fry until transparent. Then add the garlic and Nigella seeds and fry for 1 minute, before adding the potatoes, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric. Cook on the lowest heat setting for 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are part done. Add the coriander and fresh chillies and mix once.

Simmer on low heat, for 10 minutes or until potatoes are fully cooked (stir from time to time to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom). If the potatoes are cooked but liquid remains, cook uncovered until it evaporates.

Add the ghee and grated ginger to a small frying pan and cook on low heat for 1 minute or until brown. Pour on top of the vegetables in the wok (this mixture is called
tark
).

Take to the table and serve without mixing. Serve with warm naan bread or chapattis brushed with some oil or butter, and a bowl of natural yoghurt and thin slices of mooli.

Tarka Dal

Tarka Dal is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic curry of lentils flavoured with garam masala prepared as it would be in an Indian restaurant.

Ingredients:

115g (1/4 lb) Red Split Lentils

4 tbsp melted vegetable ghee

700ml (3 cups) water

1 Small onion, chopped

1 tsp Salt

3 garlic cloves, finely-chopped

pinch of turmeric

1/2 tsp
Garam Masala

1 tomato, chopped

2 tbsp Fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method:

Wash the lentils in several changes of water then place in a saucepan, add the 700ml (3 cups) of water and the salt then bring to a boil. Once the water boils turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook uncovered for the first 20 minutes, and skim-off any froth that collects during this time. At the end of this time partly cover the pan with a lid. Cook for a further 40 minutes, stirring occasionally (at which point the mixture should resemble a pale yellow soup).

While the dal (lentils) are cooking heat the vegetable ghee (alternatively use concentrated butter or vegetable oil) in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic until the onions turn a pale brown in colour. Add the turmeric and garam masala to the onions and fry for a few seconds before turning off the heat.

Finally stir the fried onion mixture into the cooked lentils, sprinkle with the chopped tomato and chopped coriander then serve immediately.

Paneer Cheese

Paneer Cheese is a traditional Indian recipe for the creation of a simple curd cheese that’s a staple of Indian vegetarian cookery.

Paneer is a very simple to make Indian curd cheese that’s a staple of many Indian dishes. It can be difficult to source in the shops, but is so ridiculously easy to make that there’s no reason not to prepare it yourself.

The name itself, though Hindi, is derived from the Persian
panir
and is the most common form of South Asian cheese. It is also known as
Chhena
in Bengali and
Chaman
in Kashmiri (both words that derive from the Hindi
Chhaan
‘to strain’ and effectively describe how the cheese is made).

Ingredients:

4l (8 cups) full-fat milk

lemon juice (or 1 tsp vinegar)

a cheese cloth or clean tea towel (or, at a pinch a clean T-shirt)

Method:

Add the milk to a pan and warm gently then add a little lemon juice to it. The aim here is to just add enough lemon juice for the milk to curdle (you’re not trying to give the cheese a lemon flavour). Gently mix with a wooden spoon. As you do so, the milk should separate into a transparent liquid (the whey) and lumps of congealed white matter (the curds).

Use your cheese cloth (or other cloth) to line the inside of a strainer. Place this over a large bowl and tip your split milk into it. Allow the liquid to drain away naturally then lift the free ends of the cloth and twist so that the cloth tightens down on the cheese. This will force any moisture out of the cheese.

Twist the cloth as much as possible to remove as much of the excess liquid as you can, then open the cloth package. Gently lift out the cheese and place in the bottom of a flat-bottomed bowl. Place a saucer on top then weight the saucer down with a weight (traditionally a filled iron teapot is used). Place in the fridge for about 3 hours so that the cheese has a chance to dry and set. If more water comes out, simply discard.

When done your cheese is ready to use. Just cube and use as you would any store-bought paneer.

This is very much a basic recipe for a plain paneer and you can add flavourings such as cardamom, cumin seeds etc, as you wish.

Mattar Panir

Mattar Panir is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic curry of paneer (curd cheese) and peas in a spiced cream-based sauce.

Ingredients:

500ml (2 cups) Whole Milk

4 tbsp Lemon Juice

175g (6 oz) Frozen Peas

275ml (1 cup + 2 tbsp)
Curry Sauce

1/2 tbsp turmeric

1/2 tsp
Garam Masala

1/2 tsp Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tbsp Single Cream

400g (1 lb, scant)
paneer
(curd cheese) cut into 3cm (1 in) cubes

2 tsp Fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method:

First you will need to make curd cheese. Add the milk to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Immediately add all the lemon juice and stir into the milk until the milk appears to curdle. At this point the solids should be clearly separate from the liquid whey. Strain through muslin and place the curds (still in the muslin) onto a tray. To dry the curds put a large flat object (like a chopping board) on top and weight it down with bricks or a pan filled with water. Leave for fifteen minutes so that as much liquid as possible is squeezed from the curds.

At the end of this time remove the curds from their muslin wrapping and cut the curds into 1cm cubes. Meanwhile heat about 1l (4 cups) of cooking oil in a wok. When the oil is sizzling deep fry the cheese cubes in this and cook until golden brown in colour. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Heat about 5 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan and add the peas. Fry these gently for about three minutes before adding the curry sauce. Bring to a simmer then add the salt, turmeric, ground coriander and chilli powder. Simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes.

At the end of this time add the cheese cubes and garam masala. Simmer for a further ten minutes then stir in the cream. Finally garnish with the chopped coriander and serve.

Paneer Maza

Paneer Maza is a traditional Indian recipe for a rich and aromatic curry of vegetables and paneer (curd cheese).

This is a classic, rich, dry, Indian curry made with Paneer cheese and peas. The dish itself is served in a sauce that’s almost dry in consistency.

Ingredients:

225g (1/2 lb)
paneer
(curd cheese), cubed

2 onions, finely chopped

2 green chillies, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

1 tbsp groundnut oil

1 tbsp hot chilli powder

1 tbsp turmeric

2 generous pinches of powdered green cardamom

generous pinch of cumin seeds

1 tsp
Garam Masala

1 1/2 tsp
ginger-garlic paste

1 tbsp tomato purée

salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

120ml (1/2 cup) water

100g (3 1/2 oz) frozen garden peas

Method:

In a bowl, mix together the paneer, turmeric and cardamom powder then set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.

Heat the oil in a wok or deep pan and add the cumin seeds followed by a pinch of cardamom powder. Immediately add the onion and fry until soft and golden (about 8 minutes). Then add the green chillies and ginger garlic past and fry for 3 minutes.

Now add the tomato, chilli powder and the garam masala before seasoning with salt and black pepper. Mix well to combine then add the tomato purée and stir to combine before adding the water and the paneer.

Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until the paneer is soft then add the garden peas and cook until heated through (about 5 minutes). Serve with
roti
(Indian flatbread).

Paneer Makhani

Paneer Makhani is a traditional Indian recipe for a rich cheese curry in a milk-based sauce.

This is a classic, rich, dry, Indian curry made with Paneer cheese and peas. The dish itself is served in a sauce that’s almost dry in consistency.

Ingredients:

225g (1/2 lb)
paneer
, cubed

4 ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 ripe tomato, ground to a paste

10g (1/3 oz) freshly-grated ginger

2 tsp oil

3 green cardamom pods

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp
Garam Masala

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp tomato purée

4 cashew nuts, ground to a powder

240ml (1 cup) whole milk

4 tbsp single cream

salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:

Heat the oil in a wok or deep frying pan and add the ginger and chopped tomatoes. Stir-fry for 2 minutes then add the ground tomato. Cook, stirring all the while, until the tomatoes break down to form a sauce then stir-in the ghee. Crack the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar then add to the sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the sugar, chilli powder and garam masala before seasoning with salt and black pepper.