The Big Book of Curry Recipes (73 page)

Ingredients:

3 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a cleaver and finely sliced

4 slices of ginger, finely shredded

2 onions, cut into 1cm dice

500g (1 lb) chicken breast meat, cut into 1cm dice

4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm dice

2 carrots, scraped and cut into 1cm dice

6 tbsp groundnut oil

3 tbsp
Gai Lei Fan (Chinese yellow curry powder)

2 tsp salt

800ml (3 1/3 cups) chicken stock

2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)

2 tbsp water

Method:

Place an empty wok over high heat and heat until you can see the heat rising from its surface. Add the oil and swirl to coat the surface of the wok. Heat the oil until almost smoking then add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for 1 minute, or until fragrant then add the onion and curry powder.

Stir fry for 2 minutes then add the chicken pieces. Continue stir-frying until the meat is nicely browned then add the potatoes, carrot and salt. Stir to mix and cat in the oil then add the chicken stock.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover the wok and cook for about 12 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Whisk together the cornflour and water to give a smooth paste. Stir his into the contents of the wok, bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens.

Serve hot, accompanied by plain steamed rice. Typically the curry is served poured over the rice.

Chinese-style Takeaway Curry Sauce

Chinese-style Takeaway Curry Sauce is a traditional Chinese recipe for the classic base curry sauce used in many Chinese restaurants.

This is the curry sauce as served in many of the better Chinese restaurants and takeaways in the US and UK. This one is made from scratch, rather than being the bulk mix many restaurants use. Chinese curry sauces are not typically very hot and often have a lot of turmeric in them, which yields their distinctive colour. This recipe is based on one given to me by a friend who ran a Malay restaurant in London.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp groundnut oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 onion, thinly sliced lengthways

3cm length of ginger, peeled and grated or puréed

2 tbsp plain flour

2 tsp
hot curry powder
(
Jalfrezi curry powder
,
Madras curry powder
,
Vindaloo curry powder
etc)

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)

1/2 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)

1 tsp paprika

600ml (2 1/2 cups) water

2 tbsp tomato purée (optional)

Method:

Mix together the curry powder and plain flour in a cup then set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok and when almost smoking use to fry the garlic and onions for about 4 minutes, or until very lightly browned. Scatter over the flour and curry powder blend. Mix to combine and cook, stirring constantly for 20 seconds. Stir in the salt, paprika, turmeric and chilli powder then work in the water, a little at a time, whisking until smooth.

Bring to a simmer then work in the tomato purée (if using). Return to a brisk simmer and cook until the mixture is thickened to a sauce. Take off the heat.

Either use as a base for a curry (add stir-fried chicken (or prawns), onion, bell peppers and cashew nuts) or pour into a dish and use as a dipping sauce for noodles or chips (french fries). Alternatively it can be served hot on a bed of rice or noodles.

Sichuan Chilli Sauce

Sichuan Chilli Sauce is a traditional Chinese recipe (from the Sichuan region) for a classic hot sauce made from a mix of ginger, onion, chillies, rice vinegar, Sichuan peppercorns and tomato ketchup.

The Sichuan region of China is famous for its hot dishes and this is a classic chilli-based sauce from the area.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3cm (1 in) length of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

6 fresh red chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped

60ml (1/4 cup) Chinese red rice vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

6 Sichuan peppercorns, ground

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 tbsp Chinese yellow rice wine

2 tsp salt

water, as needed

Method:

Heat the oil in a wok then add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the onion and stir-fry for another minute. Now add the chillies and vinegar and simmer for 10 minutes, adding a little water if the mixture becomes too dry.

Add all the remaining ingredients (except the water), bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and pulse to a fine purée. Add a little water if the mixture is too thick.

Transfer the sauce to clean bottles, stopper and store in the refrigerator until needed.

Guai wei ji si (Bang-bang Chicken)

Guai wei ji si (Bang-bang Chicken) is a traditional Chinese recipe for a classic dish of boiled chicken that’s de-boned served on a cucumber base and topped with Sichuan peppercorns and a spiced sauce.

Ingredients:

500g (1 lb) chicken meat (skinless thighs, legs and bone-in breasts)

1 cucumber

1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks

1 tsp toasted Sichuan pepper

For the Sauce:

2 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar (red is best)

1 tbsp sesame seed oil

1 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp hot chillies, minced

1 tbsp spring onions (white part only), shredded

Method:

Bring a large pan of water to a boil (there should be enough water to cover the chicken pieces). Add the chicken and continue boiling for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken has turned white and is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.

Once it can be handled, de-bone the chicken and cut into small strips (these should be as thin as possible). Peel the cucumber then slice into thin rounds (these should be the same thickness as the chicken). If desired, you can salt the chicken at this point, but it’s not necessary (if salting, you will need to prepare the cucumbers 30 minutes ahead of time, place in a colander, salt them and allow to drain before wiping dry).

For the sauce, combine the tahini, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame seed oil, sugar and chillies in a bowl.

To serve, arrange the cucumber pieces on a serving dish then arrange the chicken pieces on top. Scatter over the Sichuan peppercorns then pour over the sauce. Garnish with the carrot matchsticks and the shredded spring onions.

Serve immediately.

Spicy and Hot Simmered Fish Fillet

Spicy and Hot Simmered Fish Fillet is a traditional Chinese recipe for a classic dish of fish fillets cooked in a sauce flavoured with black bean sauce, Sichuan peppercorns, chillies, chilli powder, ginger, garlic and caraway leaves.

Ingredients:

500g (1 lb) carp fillets

4 tsp rice wine

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)

60ml (2 1/2 cups) groundnut oil

1 tsp caraway leaves, finely chopped

2 tsp black bean sauce

50g (1 1/2 oz) dried chillies

50g (1 1/2 oz) Sichuan peppercorns

2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp chicken stock powder

1 tbsp ginger, grated

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp caraway leaves, shredded

Method:

Whisk together the rice wine, salt, cornflour and 60ml (1/4 cup) water until smooth. Dip the fish fillets in this mixture to coat then set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.

Heat the groundnut oil in a wok, add the dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns and fry for a few seconds then stir in the black bean sauce and chilli powder. Turn into a bowl and set aside. Add a little more oil to the wok and fry the ginger and garlic until aromatic. Return the black bean mixture to the wok, add about 60ml water and bring to a simmer.

Stir in the caraway leaves and add the fish fillets. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and arrange in a serving dish. Garnish with the shredded caraway leaves and serve.

Japan

In Japan curry typically comes in a ready-made paste that you add to your dishes. It was the British who introduced curry to Japan during the in the Meiji era. As a result, curry was categorized in Japan as a ‘western’ dish. Its spread across the country is commonly attributed to its use in the Japanese Army and Navy which adopted it extensively as convenient field and naval canteen cooking, allowing even conscripts from the remotest countryside to experience the dish. As a result, the base of Japanese curry spice blends is garam masala, but with the unique Japanese addition of allspice, dried oregano and cocoa.

Karē Raisu (Japanese Curry Rice)

Karē Raisu (Japanese Curry Rice) is a traditional Japanese recipe for a classic curry of mixed vegetables, chicken and apple in a lightly-spiced sauce that’s thickened with a spiced roux and typically served with sticky rice.

Ingredients:

For the Curry:

2 tsp groundnut oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

1kg (2 lb, 3 oz) chicken thighs, skinned, boned and cut into chunks

2 carrots, scraped and cut into chunks

1l (4 cups) water

2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 small apple, peeled, cored and finely grated

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp
Japanese curry powder

50g (2 oz) garden peas

For the Roux:

3 tbsp butter

45g (1 1/2 oz) plain flour

2 tbsp
Japanese curry powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

1 tbsp tomato purée (or ketchup)

1 tbsp tonkatsu sauce (see the
Cutlet Curry with Black Curry Sauce
below for how to make this)

Method:

Heat the groundnut oil in a wok or large saucepan over medium-low heat. When hot add the onions and fry for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and well caramelized.

Increase the heat to high, add the chicken and fry until nicely browned all over. Add the carrots and the water then bring the mixture to a boil. Skim off any scum from the surface then reduce the heat to medium and add the potatoes, grated apple, salt and curry powder. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender, as tested with the point of a knife.

In the meantime, melt the butter for the roux over medium-low heat. Scatter over the flour, curry powder and cayenne pepper. Season to taste with black pepper and stir into the flour. Add the tomato purée and the tonkatsu sauce and stir to combine.

Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for a coupe of minutes then take off the heat and set aside as the meat and vegetables cook.

When the vegetables are tender, add two ladlefuls of the stock to the roux mixture. Whisk until smooth then pour this mixture back into the curry mix. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until thickened. Add the peas and cook for about 3 minutes more then serve.

Serve with steamed sushi rice or sticky rice.

Karē-pan (Japanese Curry Bread)

Karē-pan (Japanese Curry Bread) is a traditional Japanese recipe for a classic bread-like bun that’s stuffed with left-over curry, breaded, deep fried and finished by oven baking.

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

300g (2/3 lb) strong white bread flour

70g (2 1/2 oz) plain flour

1 packet active, dried, yeast

2 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs, beaten (reserve 1 tbsp for egg-wash)

160ml (2/3 cup) milk

40g (1 1/2 oz) butter, softened

For the Filling:

1l (4 cups) left-over curry (as made for Karē Raisu (Japanese Curry Rice)) recipe (above)

For the Coating:

200g (7 oz) dry panko crumbs (or Italian bread crumbs)

milk

groundnut oil for deep frying

Method:

Combine the flours, yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl. Form a well in the centre and add the eggs and the milk. Work the ingredients together until you have a dough then turn onto a floured work surface. Finely chop the flour and work into the dough, a little at a time, as you knead until it’s completely incorporated.

The dough will start out very sticky, but do not add too much flour. Use a scraper to bring it together, and as you work it will come together (rather like a brioche dough). When the dough has come together, form into a ball, place in a lightly-greased bowl, cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and set aside in a warm place to rise for about 80 minutes, or until doubled in volume. Knock the dough back then re-cover the bowl and set aside to rise for a further 45 minutes.

Whilst the dough is rising, place the curry leftovers in a pan. Use a potato masher or a drilled spoon to mash the chunks of vegetables and meat as small as possible. Bring to a gentle simmer, and cook, stirring frequently, until the volume has reduced by half and the curry mixture is thick and paste-like. Take off the heat, allow to cool then refrigerate until stiff.

When the dough has risen a second time, turn onto a lightly-floured work surface and knock it back. Knead lightly then divide into 10 pieces. Form each piece into a ball and set aside, covered with a damp cloth to rest for 15 minutes.

After this time, take one piece of dough, and using a rolling pin, roll it out into a circle about 18cm in diameter. Roll from the centre to the edge so that it rolls out evenly and the centre is thicker than the edges.

Mix the 1 tbsp reserved egg with 1 tbsp milk and use this to brush the edges of the dough. Put a tablespoon of the chilled curry mixture in the centre of the dough then gather up the opposing edges and fold them over so that they meet in the middle, above the filling (think Cornish pasty).

Pinch the dough all the way around the edges to seal and crimp then push the crimped edge down to one side so that it no longer sticks up in the centre then set aside..