Category: Indian

Dahl with spinach

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 6

This is a really tasty, really healthy, down the line dahl.

A Valli Little recipe, it has a nice hint of spice and is packing flavour. Perfect for a quick Saturday lunch or lunch at work.

As with any lentil number, you know it will be good.

So just do it.

Ingredients

2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp grated ginger
1 long green chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
400g yellow split peas, rinsed, soaked in water for 1 hour, drained
800g can chopped tomatoes
3 cups (750ml) chicken stock
1 tsp caster sugar
100g baby spinach leaves

Method

  1. Heat oil in the pan over a medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring, until softened. Add ginger, chilli and garlic and cook for a further minute. Stir in the spices and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  2. Add peas, stock, tomatoes, sugar and 1 ½ (375ml) water. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low and cook for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally until peas are tender and dahl is thick and rich.
  3. Stir through the spinach and serve.

Spinach (Palak) Chicken Curry

.Reading time 3 minutes.

FullSizeRender (20).jpg
Nat is a genius! 
Serves: 4

Yes, yes, yes!

Another curry win. Not just an incremental win as if you’ve found a bit more fire in a Rogan Josh, but a win like we’ve found a whole new door.

Great yet subtle heat, the spinach, the whole thing.

Cooked by Nat, if you love your Indian, this authentic curry is a no-brainer.

It is like unlocking some whole new level on a game.

And as if you needed anything more to compel you… it’s healthy!

Move! (And double it like we did, though this recipe is for one serve.)

So, this traditional recipe asks for Ginger Garlic Paste. I have kept this true in the recipe, though it is half minced garlic, half grated ginger and some seasoning. Don’t get too excited.

And we have adjusted the ingredients and method to make sense!

Ingredients

200gm spinach
1kg chicken thigh (we used breast which was just fine: healthy), cut into 3cm pieces
¼ cup fat free yogurt
1 ½ tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
¼ turmeric
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tbsp cayenne
3 tbsp ginger garlic paste (half for the marinade, half for the cooking)
2  tbsp canola oil
1 onion, diced
1 tsp cumin seed
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 cardamom pod, bruised
1 bay leaf (or 2 dry)

Method

  1. Marinate the chicken with the yogurt, salt, turmeric, cayenne, 1 ½ ginger garlic paste, garam masala and coriander for 30 minutes.
  2. In a pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and add the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom and bay leaf and saute until aromatic; we used a muslin cloth to tie the cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom and would suggest you do the same.
  3. Add the onions and cook until soft.
  4. Add the remaining (1 ½) ginger garlic paste and cook for a further minute.
  5. Add tomatoes and cooked until it soft and mushy.
  6. Add marinated chicken, half a cup of water and cook, covered, until cooked. Stir frequently.
  7. Remove the cover and reduce to a gravy.
  8. Meanwhile, blanch the spinach and chop finely.
  9. When when the chicken is ready, add the spinach for a minute or two.
  10. Serve with basmati rice.
  11. Genius!

Chicken Balti Pies

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 4

An interesting story behind these pies.

They were invented by an English food company, Shire Foods in 1997. Sold at football games, sales of the pies exploded; according to Wikipedia, the pies have a cult status and clubs including Manchester have Shire Foods as their exclusive pie supplier.

Any why not?!

Anyone who brings together a spicy chicken curry and puff pastry is a genius. Genius, just like these pies.

Which of course begs the question, why aren’t all curries covered in pastry?

Start with this pie and you’ll ask the same question.

(The original recipe asked to make individual pies. We made one large pie. Obviously, up to you so have kept the pastry/pie step pretty loose…)

Ingredients

4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp finely grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
3 tsp garam masala
4 cardamom pods
1kg chicken thigh cut into 3 cm pieces
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 long green chilli, deseeded, finely chopped
10 curry leaves
375ml (1 ½ cups) chicken stock
1 tbsp plain flour
6 sheets puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp nigella seeds
Buttered peas and ketchup to serve

Method

  1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add spices and stir for 1 minute, then add the chicken, tomato paste and chilli and cook, stirring to coat in spices for 6 minutes or until the chicken is browned all over.
  2. Add curry leaves and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook until the stock has almost completely reduced; you are ultimately after a thick pie gravy. Add flour and stir for 1 minute until thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  3. Preheat the oven to 180c. Line your pie trays or casserole dish with puff pastry; fill with the pie mixture. Complete your pie by covering and sealing with the remaining puff pastry. Brush with the egg wash and scatter with nigella seeds.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
  5. BOOM!

Prawn Molee

.Reading time 2 minutes.

 

Serves: 4 – 6

This is a beautiful curry.

Beautifully delicate and mild, so much so, you could be eating a contemporary French starter.

The lightness of it of course allows the prawns to sing rather than smothering them as merely a protein as so many curries do.

It is a Rick Stein number and the recipe from Kerala.

With some boiled basmati rice – and coriander – this will make your night.

Wow.

Ingredients

2 tbsp coconut oil
¼ tsp ground black pepper
3 cardamom pods, lightly bruised with a rolling pin
6 cloves
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
5cm ginger, finely shredded
2 green chillis, slit lengthways, deseeded
1 tsp salt
Small handful fresh curry leaves
Small pinch turmeric
400ml coconut milk
1 ½ tsp white wine vinegar
500gm large tail-on raw prawns
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced for garnish
Boiled basmati rice to serve
Coriander leaves to serve (us, not Rick)

Method

  1. Heat coconut oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the pepper, cardamoms and cloves and fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the onions and fry for 5 minutes until translucent. Stir in the garlic, ginger, chillies, salt and curry leaves and fry for 1 minute.
  2. Add the turmeric, coconut milk and vinegar. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes until reduced slightly. Add the prawns and simmer for a further 4 minutes until the prawns are cooked through. Scatter the tomatoes on top, turn off the heat, cover the pan and set aside for 4 minutes.

Rick Stein’s White Lamb Curry

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves: 6 – 8

Otherwise known as Safed Maas – ‘safed’ meaning white in most North Indian languages – this curry is literally the opposite of rogan josh.

Aromatic, mild and off-white. Fragrant and luxurious.

Historically, this recipe is a royal dish from the region of Rajasthan, a region famous for its upper-class cooking.

So background aside, why would you consider this.

It’s hard to know where to start!

It is a brand new curry! After a billion rogan joshes and so forth, this is like finding out you have a tail!

It tastes extraordinary. With some rice and chapitas, it is so moorish and – second time I have used this word – luxurious, you will pause to take it all in. Heaven.

And it is from Rick Stein, a man who gets it right almost every time.

If you like curry and you like Indian, I present to you your new tail.

Start wagging. It looks great!

Ingredients

For the spice blend

2 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp green cardamom pods, seeds only
1 black cardamom pod, seeds only
1 tsp cloves
4cm cinnamon stick
1 Indian bay leaf

For the lamb

100gm cashew nuts
1 tbsp boiling water
1gk boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 4cm cubes
4cm fresh ginger, finely grated
5 cloves garlic, finely crushed
100gm Greek-style yogurt
150gm ghee (or oil)
1 small onion, sliced
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cardamom (seeds from 30 green pods)
40ml double cream

To serve

Pilau rice
Chapatis

Method

  1. Fry the spices in a frying pan over a medium-heat for 1-2 minutes until lightly toasted and aromatic and then blend to a powder using a grinder or a mortar and pestle.
  2. For the lamb, tip the cashew nuts and water into a mini food processor and blend to a paste. Set aside. Put the lamb in a large bowl and mix well with the spice blend, ginger, garlic and yogurt. Set aside and marinate for 30 minutes.
  3. Heat the ghee in a large pan over a low-medium heat and fry the onion for 5 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the meat and its marinade and pour in enough water to just cover the meat. Add the salt, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour or until the lamb is tender and the sauce is thickened.
  4. Stir in the cashew nut paste, ground cardamom and a splash of water if needed to give the sauce the consistency of double cream. Heat through and the stir in the cream and serve.
  5. Close your eyes.

Mr Singh’s slow-cooked Lamb Curry with Cloves and Cardamom

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves: 4 – 6

From India by Rick Stein really is a beautiful cookbook. It feels as bright and colourful as Rick himself and the stories behind each recipe are inspiring and wonderful to read.

You really appreciate the origin of what you are about to cook and it really does take appreciation of the dish to the next level.

And appreciate you will this excellent curry from Rick – or Mr Singh – a talented and well-kept cook he met in India.

The pureeing of the base ingredients changes the texture and makes the whole thing simply feel as one. There is a nice lingering heat and of course after all that time cooking, the lamb is starting to fall apart.

As far as solid, homemade winter curries go, you could do a whole lot worse than this one.

Win.

(I have changed the ordering and wording of the method versus Rick’s recipe. With an hour and a half of cooking time up your sleeve before you need the powdered spices, you would be mad – or with plenty of time on your hands – to do the recipe in reverse as per its original writing.)

Ingredients

½ tsp cardamom seeds (for about 8 green pods)
4 – 6 cloves
3 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
10 garlic cloves roughly chopped
4 cm ginger, roughly chopped
75ml vegetable oil (or ghee)
100ml Greek-style yogurt
1kg lamb shoulder (or leg), deboned, trimmed of excess fat, 3cm pieces
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tbsp cream

Method

  1. In stages, using a mini food processor and rinsing out in-between, blend the onions to a puree with a little water; puree the tomatoes; blend the garlic and ginger with a tablespoon of water to a slack paste.
  2. Heat the oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat and gently fry the onion paste for 15 minutes until golden; add the ginger and garlic and fry for an additional 3 minutes. Stir in the yogurt, meat and salt and cover over a low-medium heat stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until browned.
  3. Stir in the garam masala and chilli powder and then pour in just enough water to cover the meat. Simmer, covered for 40 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, grind the cardamom seeds and cloves to a fine powder. (This, in my experience, needs a glass of wine.)
  5. Stir in the cream and pureed tomatoes followed by the cardamom and clove mix. Seal the pan by first covering in foil and then the lid. Cook over the lowest heat for 40 minutes until the lamb is tender.
  6. Remove the seal and quickly cook off any remaining liquid until you have a good gravy.
  7. Enjoy with rice and more wine!

Dry Sri Lankan Chicken Curry

.Reading time 3 minutes.
IMG_7322.JPG
One of the best curries we have cooked.

Serves: 6 – 8

When you stumble onto a curry as good as this, it is like hitting a home run.

Because whilst I type of plenty of really good and often fantastic recipes, outstanding recipes are much rarer. And this is one of them.

It didn’t start life as a dry curry – and of course by dry, it simply means without lots of gravy – though that is pretty much the genius of the whole thing.

Whereas the original recipe asked for 40 minutes of slow simmering, we had it on for at least three hours.  Closer to four I think.

And whereas the original asked for coconut cream and two slices of lemon rind right at the end, we skipped this. And thank god we did.

After such a long cooking time, the chicken is literally falling apart. The texture, the flavor is so warm and deep, it is impossible not to grin. You realise you have struck gold.

But the next morning on some soy-linseed toast?

You really will thank me later on this one.

Ingredients

1.5kg skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm pieces
10 curry leaves
2 onions
2 tsp garlic, crushed
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp paprika
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tomatoes, diced
6 cardamom pods, bruised and cracked open
1 cinnamon stick
2 slices lemon rind
½ c coconut milk

Method

  1. Make a sachet d’épices (a cheesecloth tied with cooking string) holding the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick; you don’t have to do this step of course, though the joy of this dish is only enhanced by the smooth sailing eating it without removing cardamom pieces as you go.
  2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, medium heat and fry the curry leaves until they start to turn colour. Add onions, ginger and garlic and cook until soft. Add all the spices (though not the sachet d’épices (whole spices), salt, and vinegar and stir well.
  3. Add the chicken and stir to coat meat. Add the sachet d’épices (whole spices) and the tomatoes, stir and cover.
  4. Simmer on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Do not be tempted to add any water as the juices will make more than enough. Cook for two to four hours or under the sauce has really reduced and the chicken is falling apart, ensuring that the curry does not become too dry and burn.
  5. Serve with rice and then toast the next morning.

Jamie Oliver’s Bombay chicken with cauliflower, rice and spinach

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 2

You have to give it to Jamie.

Everything he has done to advance food and healthy eating, at all levels, is just awesome. It is reflected in the fun and creativity of his recipes and as much as I love to point out that no 30-minute meal of his can be done in 30 minutes, who care when you’re eating this well.

This particular dish is super healthy, super tasty and a lot of fun to prep up if you work as a team with a glass of vino each. Nice spice, beautiful, creamy texture.

And it cooks in one dish.

As is consistently true with Jamie, so, so good.

Ingredients

100g brown rice
½ a small cauliflower
½ a bunch of fresh mint
6 tbsp natural yogurt
1 lemon
1 heaped tsp each of ground turmeric, medium curry powder
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3cm piece of ginger, grated
2 chicken breasts
1 level tsp each of cumin seeds, black mustard seeds
60g baby spinach
1 fresh red chilli
4 poppadoms

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 220c. Cook the rice in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions.
  2. Chop the cauliflower into thin wedges and steam or microwave until cooked. Pick the mint leaves into a blender (reserving a few baby leaves). Add 3 tablespoons of yogurt, half the lemon juice and a splash of water to the blender, then blitz for 1 minute until super-smooth and green. Transfer to a bowl and then the fridge.
  3. Without washing the blender, add the remaining yogurt and lemon juice, the turmeric, curry powder balsamic, garlic and ginger. Blend until super-smooth to make a marinade, then pour into a large baking tray.
  4. Lightly score the chicken breasts to increase the surface area and toss in the marinade. Add the cooked cauliflower, tossing together with the chicken; sprinkle over the cumin and black mustard seeds, then place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. meanwhile, cook the rice.
  5. Slice and divide up the chicken, with the cauliflower, rice, spinach and poppadoms. Drizzle with the dressing, then finely slice and scatter over the chilli. Finish with mint leaves.

Bill Granger’s lamb curry with yoghurt and tomatoes

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 6

I sat for 5 minutes wondering how to start this post.

For I am just not sure how I feel about Bill Granger. I’ve cooked some of his recipes and had real success; others, well I didn’t cook them because they just looked strange.

Nat and I had a very good breakfast at his restaurant in Hawaii – breakfast of course being his signature meal – though at a lunch we had just this weekend at Bills in Bondi, the fish curry was excellent though the chicken salad was… strange. (Nice vibe though).

Is he genuine or cute? Is he too simple or is that the genius?

Am I over-thinking this? Absolutely.

What I can confirm is that this dish is a great one. Really great. And really simple.

Cook the lamb for as long as you like, serve with coriander and enjoy as a weeknight dinner.

Well done Bill. I’m still hanging in there.

1kg leg of lamb, cut into 5cm cubes
2tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cardamom pods, crushed
3 cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp fresh ginger, freshly grated
1 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
2 large onions, chopped
400g tin (chopped) tomatoes
1 c yoghurt
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp sugar
Coriander
Steamed Rice
Chutney

Method

  1. Place the lamb in a large bowl, add the spices and ginger and toss to coat well. Season with sea salt.
  2. Place a large heavy-based pan over medium-high heat. Heat the oil and butter and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add the spiced lamb and cook for 5 or more minutes until browned.
  3. Add the tomatoes, yoghurt and 1 c of water to the pan and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down load, cover and simmer for 2 hours.
  4. Stir in the lime juice and sugar and serve with steamed rice, chutney and coriander.

Nat’s Keema (Lamb (or beef) mince with peas)

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves: 4

So we have a new rule in the house.

If we find a recipe though it needs a solid change in method or ingredients, we are calling it our own. So introducing Nat’s Keema: a beef (or lamb) mince masala with peas.

We originally had this dish at a fabulous local Indian restaurant a fortnight ago and promised to reproduce it if only because it was a mince recipe; mince falling only slightly behind brisket and pork shoulder/belly in the genius stakes in our opinion.

Though there is a surprising lack of such recipes online for Keema, including on P-interest (Pinterest) which has become a bit of a destination where we swap recipes whilst at work.

The ingredients in the original recipe we finally sourced were fairly right though the method was shot.

We regrouped, changed tact, quadrupled the peas (because they are amazing) and here you have it.

It won’t change the world though it is a damn comfortable mince, low calorie and pretty special for a Monday dinner and lunch the next day. And the mushrooms are a hit.

Enjoy! (And thank Nat later…)

Ingredients

1kg extra lean beef mince (or lamb mince as per the original)
4 green chilies, diced
2 handfuls of fresh coriander
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
20 small mushrooms, diced
2 onions, sliced
500gm frozen peas
400gm fresh tomatoes, diced (a few tomatoes)
4 tsp garam masala
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

  1. Heat the oil in the pan and add the onion and the garlic; cook until the onions are soft and starting to become golden.
  2. Add the mince and cook down until the liquid has evaporated and the meat can start to brown.
  3. Add the tomatoes, ginger, salt, turmeric and chilli. Mash the tomatoes and other ingredients to add a shine to the meat.
  4. Add the mushrooms, lower the heat, add a cup of water and cook down for 45 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and cooked through. Add more water if necessary and stir regularly until the liquid evaporates.
  5. Add the garam masala, coriander and peas. Cook for a few minutes more, stirring until the peas are cooked through.
  6. Season, spice it up if you want and serve.