The Big Book of Curry Recipes (8 page)

2 green chillies, finely chopped

2 onions, chopped

600ml (2 1/2 cups) water

115g (1/4 lb) ghee, butter or mustard oil

1 tbsp vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

Method:

In a bowl, mix together the ginger, chillies, onions and salt. Arrange the meat on a work surface and spread a layer of the onion mix over each slice.

Combine the oil, water and vinegar in a pan. Lay in the beef, bring to a simmer then cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer gently until all the liquid has evaporated and the meat is very tender. Arrange the meat slices on a warmed dish and serve.

Buffado

Buffado is a traditional Indian recipe (from Goa) for a classic stew of cabbage and duck with vinegar.

Ingredients:

1 plump duck, oven-ready

1 cabbage, quartered and cored and each piece halved again

1 tsp ground turmeric

600ml (2 1/2 cups) water

1 tsp salt

6 large onions, peeled and halved

1 tbsp butter, ghee or mustard oil

3 green chillies, sliced lengthways into strips

6 garlic cloves, chopped

thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely sliced

120ml (1/2 cup) vinegar

Method:

Arrange the cabbage in the base of a large, deep, saucepan. Arrange the dock, whole, on top. Stir the saffron and salt into the water and pour over the duck then add the onions, chillies, ginger and garlic. Pour over the butter or oil, bring to a boil and cover with a tight-fitting lid.

Continue boiling for 60 minutes, or until the duck is tender. At this point, check that the duck is cooked through. If not, cook longer. If the duck is cooked, add the vinegar and serve immediately.

Methi Kalia  (Spicy Fenugreek Meat)

Methi Kalia (Spicy Fenugreek Meat) is a traditional Bangladeshi recipe for a classic dish of red meat cooked slowly with onions in a spicy fenugreek stock base until almost completely dry and which is served with flatbreads and rice

Ingredients:

1kg (2 lb) cubed meat (beef, mutton or goat, typically)

1 large onion, sliced

100g (1 cup) onion or shallots, pounded to a smooth paste

3 tbsp ginger, pounded to a paste

1 tbsp garlic, pounded to a paste

1 tbsp ground coriander seeds

1 tbsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin seeds

2 tsp fenugreek seeds, dry fried until aromatic and pounded to a paste in a mortar

5cm (2 in) length of cinnamon stick

1 bayleaf

120ml (4 oz) ghee or groundnut oil

salt, to taste

Method:

Combine the onion paste, ginger paste and garlic paste in a bowl then work in the chilli powder, turmeric, cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds. Stir well to combine then add 2 tbsp of the oil and salt to taste. Add the meat to this mixture and toss to coat. Add the cinnamon stick and bayleaf then cover the bowl and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

When the meat has marinated sufficiently, add the remaining oil to a wok or kadhai. When the oil is hot, add the sliced onions and fry for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown.

Now add the meat and its marinade and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture is almost dry. At this point, stir in 120ml water, bring back to a simmer, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook gently until the meat is tender. Check every now and then and add more water, as needed. Typically, you will need about 1.2l water and it will take about 60 minutes.

Adjust the salt, to taste then take off the heat and turn the curry into a serving dish. Serve immediately, accompanied by
rotis
,
parathas
,
naan breads
or rice.

Serpathala

Serpathala is a traditional Indian recipe (from Goa) for a classic curry of pork and pig offal in a spiced pig’s blood base acidified with vinegar and tamarind juice.

Essentially this is a vindaloo-style dish, in that the base flavours remain vinegar, tamarind and garlic, with the exception that this dish is made from pig offal cooked in pig’s blood.

Ingredients:

30g (1 oz) tamarind pulp

600ml (2 1/2 cups) pig’s blood

1 pig’s heart

1 pig’s liver

115g (1/4 lb) boneless pork

120g (4 oz) ghee or mustard oil

6 dried chillies, finely ground

1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper

1 tsp ground cumin seeds

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

12 cloves, ground to a powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

10 banana shallots, thinly sliced

150ml (3/5 cup) malt vinegar

6 green chillies, finely chopped

1/4 tsp ground ginger

3 garlic cloves, mashed

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Method:

Place the tamarind pulp in a bowl, pour over enough boiling water to cover, mash the pulp then set aside to soak for an hour. After this, strain through a double-layer of muslin, squeezing to extract as much of the liquid as possible.

Pour the pig’s blood into a pan, bring to a boil and continue boil until it turns black. Take off the heat and set aside. Trim the pig’s heart and liver, removing any vessels, membranes and valves. Bring a pan of water to a boil, add the salt, along with the pork offal and meat and continue boiling for 20 minutes. Remove the meats from the liquid and chop finely.

Melt half the ghee in a pan, add the pork meats along with the saffron and fry until browned. Turn into a bowl and set aside. Add the remaining ghee to the pan and use to fry the shallots for about 6 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Stir the dried chillies, pepper, cumin, mashed garlic, cloves and cinnamon and fry for a couple of minutes, or until aromatic.

Turn the mixture into a heavy-based pan and mix in the shallots. Add the vinegar and tamarind juice then add the meats and blood along with the remaining garlic, the ginger and the green chillies. Stir to mix then bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook gently for 60 minutes, or until the gravy is very thick.

Serve hot, accompanied by rice.

Batak Raichat  (Duck Raichat)

Batak Raichat (Duck Raichat) is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic dish of duck pieces that are fried to colour and stewed in fresh coconut milk with onion, ginger, sugar, garlic and chillies.

Ingredients:

1 large duck

2 tbsp onions, chopped

1 tbsp ginger, chopped

1 tbsp green chillies

1 dessert spoon garlic, chopped

1 tbsp Jaggery (raw cane sugar)

flesh from 1 coconut, very finely grated

1 tbsp ground coriander seeds

2 tbsp vinegar

salt, to taste

Method:

Wash the duck then cut into serving pieces.

Place the grated coconut into a bowl and pour over 300ml warm water. Use your hands to work the water into the coconut. Set aside to steep for 20 minutes then wring out the liquid from the coconut. Repeat this process once again. Keep the two coconut milks separate.

Place the duck pieces in a casserole dish and pour over the second extract of coconut milk and 200ml water. Secure a lid on top and transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180ºC (360ºF). Cook for about 60 minutes, or until the duck is tender. Remove from the oven and take out the duck pieces. Skim the duck fat from the liquid in the pan and pour into a frying pan.

When the duck fat is hot, add the duck pieces and fry until nicely browned all over. Remove with a pair of tongs and set aside to keep warm. Add the onions, ginger, chillies, garlic and coriander to the fat remaining in the pan and fry for 5 minutes. Return the duck pieces to the pan and add the sugar, vinegar and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for five minutes more then stir in the first extract of coconut milk.

Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the gravy thickens. Serve hot accompanied by plain boiled rice, a dhal dish and yoghurt.

Sheikh Mahshi

Sheikh Mahshi is a traditional Indian recipe (from north India and based on a Person original) for a classic dish of aubergines stuffed with a mix of left-over meat, rice, aubergine flesh, onion and tomato that’s steamed in butter to finish.

This is a North Indian dish that has its roots in Iran, but which arrived in India via the Zoroastrian exoduses.

Ingredients:

4 aubergines (eggplants)

225g (1/2 lb) leftover cold meat

150g (5 oz) boiled rice

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large tomato, finely chopped

120g (4 oz) butter

4 garlic cloves, chopped

4 sprigs of parsley, chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 lemons

Method:

Remove the stem and then trim off the stem end and a small piece of the base from the aubergines (reserve the stem end). Take a potato peeler and peel each aubergine lengthways in alternate strips (so that you have one strip with no skin, followed by a strip with skin, etc).

Take a long-handled spoon and, starting from the stem end of each aubergine, remove as much of the core of the vegetable as you can, without weakening the shell. Perforate the outside many times with a fork then place in a bowl of salted water and soak for 15 minutes. Drain the aubergines, then melt half the butter in a pan, add the aubergines and fry until nicely browned all over. Remove the aubergines and set aside. Add the meat, garlic, cumin and turmeric to the butter remaining in the pan and fry briskly for 2 minutes then turn into a bowl and mix with the onion, tomato and parsley.

Use this mixture to stuff the aubergines and replace the stem end. Place the remaining butter in a large pan an heat to melt. Add the stuffed aubergines and 4 tbsp water. Zest the lemons and squeeze out their juice. Add the juice and zest to the pan. Bring to a simmer, ad a tight-fitting lid and cook gently for about 20 minutes, or until the aubergines are tender all the way through.

Serve hot.

Sathe Curry

Sathe Curry is a traditional Sri Lankan recipe for a classic curry of spiced cooked beef in a coconut milk base with spices, chillies, lime juice and pandan leaf.

Ingredients:

500g (1 lb) cooked beef (boiled or roasted, cut into 3cm [1 in] cubes)

For the Spice Seasoning:

1 tsp (heaped) curry powder

1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper

1/4 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground cardamom

pinch of ground ginger

1 tsp fresh ginger, pounded to a paste

1 tsp garlic, crushed

1 dessertspoon vinegar

salt, to taste

For the Curry:

5 tbsp coconut oil or ghee

24 baby red onions, peeled

350ml (1 2/5 cups) coconut milk

1 tsp (heaped) cornflour or rice flour

5cm (2 in) length of rampe (pandan) leaf

12 red onions, sliced

1/8 tsp ground turmeric

3 green chillies, sliced

1 sprig curry leaves

juice of 1 large lime

salt, to taste

4 red chillies, sliced into thin strips, lengthways, to garnish

Method:

Combine all the spice seasoning ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the beef pieces and toss to combine. Cover the bowl and set aside to marinate for 60 minutes.

Alternately thread the beef cubes and the baby red onions onto skewers (add 4 beef pieces and 3 onion pieces on each skewer).

Heat 3 tbsp of the oil or ghee in a heavy-based shallow pan. When hot add the skewers and fry the beef for about 20 minutes, or until well browned all over. At this point remove the meat and set aside on a dish.

Add the remaining oil to another pan and when hot add the curry leaves, pandan leaf, sliced red onions and green chillies. Fry until the onions are golden brown (about 6 minutes) then scatter over the cornflour (or rice flour) and stir to combine. Scatter over the turmeric then pour in the coconut milk and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and stir in the lime juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thick. Remove the pandan leaf, pour over the beef and garnish with the strips of red chilli.

Ox-heart Black Curry

Ox-heart Black Curry is a traditional Sri Lankan recipe for a classic curry ox heart marinated with vinegar and which is cooked in a grated coconut, spice, chilli and herb base with lime juice.

Ingredients:

1 large ox-heart

300ml (1 1/4 cups) vinegar

2 garlic cloves, sliced

4 slices of ginger (each 2cm thick)

10 onions, finely sliced

2 cloves, ground to a powder

3cm (1 in) length of cinnamon stick

seeds from 6 cardamom pods, ground to a powder

100g (3 1/2 oz) freshly-grated coconut

1 tbsp coriander seeds

6 curry leaves

1 tsp white cumin seeds

1/2 tsp sweet cumin seeds

12 dried red chillies

1 dessertspoon ghee or cooking oil

1 stick lemongrass, tough outer layers removed

1 piece of rampe (pandan) leaf

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp small shallots, sliced

juice of 2 limes

500ml (2 cups) water

1 tsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)

salt, to taste

Method:

Halve the ox heart, remove any valves and hard bits of blood vessels then slice the ox heart, wash well, place in a bowl, pour over the vinegar and set aside to soak. Prepare the vegetables then add the cloves, garlic, ginger, sliced onions, cinnamon and cardamoms to the heart soaking vinegar.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. When hot add the grated coconut and dry-fry until dark brown all over. Turn into a bowl. Combine the coriander seeds, curry leaves, white cumin, sweet cumin and dried chillies in a coffee grinder. Render to a fine powder then mix with the toasted coconut.

Heat the ghee or oil in a frying pan. Add the lemongrass and pandan leaf, fennel seeds and the shallots. Fry until browned then add the coconut and spice blend. Stir to combine then add the heart and its soaking vinegar. Pour in the water and lime juice. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 80 minutes, or until the heart is quite tender.