Curry
I was put off curry in my youth by some horrid examples which burned my mouth and gave me
stomachache. The curry revolution passed by, with me not knowing my Jalfrezi from my Madras. Then aged
about 42 I tried a few mild curries and quite liked them, but never thought of cooking any.
When I was well into this men's cook book project, I belatedly realised that a men’s cook book needed a
section on curry, and that I could not write what I did not know. I therefore did what I’m asking readers to do-
read some books, surfed the web, had a go, and stripped down my discoveries into simple, flexible
techniques which worked. Julia is happy as she likes curry but only cooked it when I was away from home.
We now enjoy curry together regularly, so the first man whose cooking was changed by this book was it’s
author!
CAUTIONARY NOTE ON OIL Authentic Indian cookery tends to be quite heavy on the oil. To
make things worse for those of us who are lard arses like the author ( I have lost 12 kg in 2009), ghee
(clarified butter fat) is more authentic and gives a better flavour to many dishes, as well as additional
cholesterol. It is possible that this may contribute to the well documented increased level of heart disease in
south Indians (trust me on this, I'm doctor, or else look it up on Google). Two ways to reduce the harm from
this. Just use less oil and accept a less 'authentic' curry, or have smaller portions with more rice and boiled
vegetables to fill you up. However, ghee is very nice, so perhaps just don't use it too often, or use half ghee,
half vegetable oil. Don't use olive oil for Indian or Chinese cookery, it just isn;lt right. Plain generic vegetable
oil, sunflower, corn or ground nut are all OK. But ghee, and too much of it, is 'authentic'.
These recipes tend to be mild or medium as that’s what I do: you can add more chilli or use hot curry pastes
like Patak’s® Madras or Kashmiri if you prefer. I enjoy using whole spices, but if that’s too much trouble,
there is no shame in relying on curry paste.
The spices, the spices……
Most Indian ingredients apart from curiosities like Okra are the same as we find in general European
cookery. The real difference is the exotic spices, which are always used in combination. I suggest as a
minimum you obtain whole cumin, coriander, cloves, turmeric, fenugreek, black pepper, cinnamon, green
cardamom, and chilli. Apart from turmeric, sold as a powder, spices keep better whole-grind them as
required immediately before use (see below). It is better to roast or dry-fry spices whole before grinding and
blending for use.
Garam Massala (or curry powder) can be mixed and crushed for each dish, or for convenience a
generic mixture can be made in advance (see below for recipe).
Garlic and ginger are indispensable background flavours to almost everything.
Cinnamon is a tree bark sold in cigar-like scrolls. In the west we use it mostly to flavour sweet things like
apple pies, hot punch or pickles, but it also aromatises Indian meat dishes and is an ingredient of curry
powders.
Cardamom comes in green or black pods, the smaller, finer, green pods about 1 cm long are cracked to
extract the black seeds inside which are then crushed. They have a strange beautiful smell which Madhur
Jaffrey describes as being like ‘A combination of camphor, eucalyptus, orange peel and lemon.’ Whole pods
of green cardamom can be added to pilau rice and other dishes, like whole cloves.
Coriander seeds have a sweet orangey flavour, are used in curries as ‘background spiciness’ and are
nice lightly cracked in a lettuce and sliced orange salad. Coriander leaf will liven up meatballs, bhajis, soups,
salads and can be added at the point of serving to any curry. Fresh coriander can be bought from
supermarkets or Asian shops or you can grow your own from seed.
Cumin is a good partner to coriander seed. It is more savoury and whether ground to powder, lightly
cracked or whole is an essential ‘background savoury’ to almost anything. Use generously in meatballs and
bhajis.
Chilli As a rule, smaller chillies are hotter. Pat Chapman in the Curry Club Balti book says that removing the
seeds from chillies, although often recommended, misses the point if you want the full flavour and heat. It
does seem slightly pointless to use 2 de-seeded chillies rather than 1 whole one, seeds and all. Take care to
wash your hands after chopping chillies and don’t get any in your eyes or other sensitive parts, if you know
what I mean gentlemen. You won’t like it.
Fresh chillies are best, dried whole chillies a good substitute. Chilli powder varies from batch to batch and
with time, it can be all heat and no fragrance; test a tiny bit before use. Overdoing chilli powder is the
quickest way to ruin a curry-remember, you can add Tabasco at the table if people want more heat but there’
s not much you can do with a blow-your-head-off super hot curry. Yoghurt or sour cream can help. Having
said this, chillies are lovely, but handle with care.
Cloves another unique aromatic, hard to describe but unforgettable when tasted. Used in curry powders or
whole in casseroles, do not overdo cloves or their strong and special flavour may overpower other flavours
in the dish.
Fenugreek seeds look like tiny chick peas. Whether fried in oil at the start of an aromatic base or
powdered and added to a garam massala, they have that special ‘curry’ aroma, and go particularly well with
lentils.
Turmeric comes from a root and is sold as a yellow powder. It has an aromatic fragrant pungent quality,
useful for turning rice, soups or curry potatoes a satisfying yellow.
Fennel seeds have an aniseed flavour and go with fish, or whole in pilau rice, along with whole green
cardamom pods.
Dried fried onions very good for adding savoury to a meat or vegetable curry, excellent crunched up
with breadcrumbs for coating fish or potato cakes.
Home made medium curry powder
All writers agree it’s best to make your own curry powder, or massala, from whole spices, roasting the spices
whole before grinding for a fuller flavour. Spices should be stored in airtight jars (re-used 250g curry paste
jars are ideal). Whole spices keep for years but start to lose fragrance once ground so don’t make more
powder than you will use in 3 months. This is my general purpose curry powder.
2 tsp green cardamom (crack the pods and use the seeds)
4 tsp cumin seed
3 tsp coriander seed
2 tsp mustard seed
2 tsp onion seed
4 tsp fenugreek seed
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 cinnamon stick, crushed
3 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp green peppercorns
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp whole red hot dried chillies chopped very fine (alternatively, half the quantity of hot chilli
powder or cayenne pepper)
Roast the whole spices (not powders or chillies) in a dry wok or frying pan for 5 minutes over a low flame,
swirl to avoid burning. Let them smoke very lightly. When cool, crush to powder in pestle and mortar or
better still put through a coffee grinder you keep for this purpose, then add the turmeric and chilli. Store in
an airtight jar away from sunlight, remembering to label and date. Add a spoonful or 2 to anything you like,
having some in the jar like this saves a lot of time. As you get a feel for the spices and know what you like,
you can invent and mix your own. It is no sin to use curry paste such as Patak’s®.
Beef curry
500g lean beef cut into chunks
1 Medium onion sliced
2 ‘zingy Zambian’ chillies
4 cloves garlic
3cm cube ginger, shredded
Tsp whole mustard seed
Tsp each of cracked cumin and fenugreek seed
400 mls tin of coconut cream
vegetable oil or ghee
Marinade beef in finely crushed and chopped garlic, ginger and chillies for half an hour. Fry mustard until it
pops, then add the beef, other spices, and onion. When browned, place in casserole and add the coconut
milk. Cook in medium oven for 2 hours. Serve with Nan bread or rice.
Curry meatballs
500g minced beef or lamb
Medium onion chopped fine
2-3 slices of stale bread made into crumbs (optional)
1 egg (optional)
Garlic and ginger to taste
2-3 tsp Madras curry paste
25g cracked whole spices (coriander, cumin, mustard)
Mix well, pick up using a soup spoon and roll by hand into balls, then roll in a saucepan with some flour and
cracked spices. Fry in oil, rolling round the pan to cook evenly. They should cook in about 10 minutes. Do
not overcrowd the pan, cook in batches if necessary. Serve with noodles, rice, and bread and mango
chutney, or in a hot buffet with samosas, onion bhajis and spicy chicken nuggets.
Poppadoms
Like prawn crackers, they are a shaped dry carbohydrate base with spices that expands and crisps up when
deep fried. The key to getting them right is hot oil. Serve with mango chutney and an orange, lettuce and
coriander salad as a starter.
Tandoori Spice Mix
3 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Tandoori chicken
This should ideally be made in a charcoal fired clay oven, but you haven’t got one, don’t worry. Marinade
skinned chicken pieces in tandoori spice and plain yoghourt for an hour then oven roast at mark 4 for 40
minutes. Serve with pilau rice or naan bread and onion and tomato salad. Variation Tandoori lamb can be
cooked the same way, use lean cuts. I have cooked mackerel and conger eel tandoori style, it is a good way
with conger as it has little flavour and many bones-the bones come out easier after cooking.
Samosas
For 25 samosas, fry 250g of beef or lamb mince with 100g chopped onion, 2cm cube of ginger, 2 cloves
garlic, 2 tsps of mixed freshly crushed spices such as coriander, cumin, turmeric, 1 chopped hot chilli and 2
tsps of medium garam massala or a tsp of Madras curry paste. When cooked, add 150g of peas. Fry until
dry, then allow to cool. Make pastry from 250g flour, 50g butter, 1 tsp salt and 150ml warm water, well mixed.
Divide into 2.5cm balls; roll out on a floured board to 15cm circles. Halve these with a knife, wet the cut
edges with some water, and halve to make a cone. Insert a dessertspoon full of mix, then seal to make an
envelope. Try to get a neat triangle but don’t worry if they look scruffy, you’re a man, not a machine. They’ll
taste good.
Deep fry the samosas a few at a time, make sure the oil is very hot before you start or they will go soggy and
fall apart. Don’t ask me how I know, Oh all right then, I got it wrong the first time. That’s OK, I learned. Cook
until golden brown, 3 minutes is about right, remove with steel slotted spoon and drain on a grill or kitchen
tissue. Serve as part of a buffet or a starter, they can be eaten cold or microwaved later, they freeze well.
Variations sweet corn or chopped French beans instead of or as well as peas, vary the spices to taste (as
always).
Onion Bhajis (Pakora)
These are everything food should be-cheap, quick, easy, tasty, healthy and can be varied according to taste.
To make 20 onion bhajis
500g chick pea flour (from Asian store or mail order)
3 large onions sliced very thin
1 tsp Salt
4 tsps cracked cumin seeds
2 tsps cracked coriander berry
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Half tsp chilli powder (or fresh chopped chilli to taste)
Slice the onions as thin as possible across the grain to get lots of long thin curvy bits. Put the chick pea flour
into a bowl and stir in water until you have a stiff, thick batter. Mix in the spices, salt and bicarb, then the
finely sliced onions. Leave to stand for 10 minutes while you heat the oil. Don’t use a chip pan sieve, you
don’t need to and it gets in the way. Put tablespoonfuls of mixture into the hot oil one at a time; use a second
spoon to ease it into the oil. The bhajis will start sizzling immediately and rise off the bottom in a minute. Turn
once with a metal slotted spoon, remove to a dish or grill when brown, they should take about 5 minutes.
Serve as part of a buffet with spicy meat balls and lettuce, orange and coriander salad and, or as a
vegetarian main course with lentil dal, sweet corn or curry baked beans. Mango chutney is very nice with
anything like this.
Turkey curry
With turkeys being so cheap after Christmas, it’s good economics to buy a whole bird and after defrosting,
fillet out and make a big lot of curry for a ‘boy’s night’ or to freeze in portions.
1kg turkey meat (to serve 4)
5 tsps home made medium curry powder
Cup of plain yoghourt
2 tsps paprika, red Tabasco sauce
2 tsps salt
See Christmas chapter for instructions on processing a whole turkey. Cut boned skinned meat into 3cm
chunks, sprinkle with curry powder, pour over half a cup of plain yoghourt into which you have mixed 3
dashes of Tabasco and a teaspoon of paprika, then leave for an hour. Then sprinkle over some more curry
powder and salt and pepper to taste, then cook for 40 minutes, preferably in a terracotta dish, in a hot oven,
after 30 minutes pour off any juices and stir round with a fork so it cooks evenly. Serve with Nan bread,
Indian style vegetables, rice. Variations This recipe works equally well with chicken, lamb or beef chunks. It’s
quite a dry curry; you could add more yoghourt or coconut milk to get more sauce.
Beef and red lentil curry
2kg lump of silverside beef (to serve 10)
Large onion
1 tsp each of fenugreek, cumin, coriander seed
1 tsp whole mustard seed
100 mls Patak’s® Balti paste
500g red lentils
500 ml water or stock
Tin of coconut milk (400g)
Vegetable oil or ghee
Chop the beef into 3cm chunks, marinade in finely chopped ginger, garlic and chilli for half an hour, then fry
in the oil with the mustard and spice. Transfer when browned to a large saucepan, fry the finely chopped
onion, ginger and garlic, and wash any pan juices into the saucepan with a little water. Add the coconut milk,
Balti paste, water (or stock) and lentils. Simmer for 90 minutes. Variation-more chilli, use shin beef (longer
cooking time), use green lentils (they need soaking first, red ones don’t) or omit lentils and water for a
meatier curry.
Green lentil dal
250g dry weight whole green lentils (to serve 4)
1 Onion
2 cloves garlic
2cm cube ginger
2 tsp medium curry powder
1 tsp crushed fenugreek
After soaking the lentils in water for 3 hours, simmer for 15 minutes in just enough water to cover them. Fry
the chopped onion, garlic and ginger in a little oil with the fenugreek and curry powder. When the onions are
fried, stir in the lentils. If you overcook them you will have mushy lentil dal, no harm in that but cook them
shorter next time. Serve as a vegetable to accompany any meal or on its own for a simple, tasty everyday
meal This is a healthy way to balance your budget and diet as lentils are incredibly cheap (£1.87 for 2kg at
the Kashmiri shop in St Mary’s) and like all seeds, high in protein and fibre. Variations being fairly bland,
lentils accept all sorts of flavours, so try a dollop of your favourite curry paste, shredded coconut, leftover
gravy, satay sauce etc.
Curry potatoes
500g potatoes (cut to 4cm chunks, or whole small ones)
40 mls Sunflower oil
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp each of mustard, cumin, coriander, fenugreek
1 or 2 heads of broccoli, cut into small florets
2 Medium onions chopped small
Garlic, 2 or 3 cloves
Ginger, 3cm cube chopped fine
1 whole red chilli chopped very fine
100 g tomatoes (or half a tin)
50g tomato concentrate
Boil the potatoes in salted water with the turmeric for 10 minutes, then drain. Fry the spices in the oil for 2
minutes, then add the chopped onion, garlic and ginger and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the broccoli, potatoes,
then the tomatoes and concentrate. If it sticks add some water or stock. Salt as required. Serve as part of a
hot fork buffet, with curry meatballs, or on their own. Variations Spinach adds colour and texture, coriander
leaf gives it a lift. There are dozens of ways to do Indian style potatoes, I don’t say this is ‘authentic’ only that
it tastes good.
PS this is one of Julia's favourite things that I ever cook
Curry potato salad
An alternative to regular potato salad which I discovered by accident when I overcooked the potatoes for the
above recipe and they went mushy; the red pepper and green coriander look pretty with the turmeric yellow
potato.
Boil potatoes in turmeric water as above, but cook until they are soft, about 20 minutes. Fry some mustard
seeds, garam massala and a finely chopped onion (garlic and ginger optional), add the potatoes once the
onions are cooked, then stir in some finely chopped red pepper (not chilli) and coriander. Chives would be
nice too, mayonnaise is an optional extra. Serve hot or cold as part of a buffet, or with salad and curried
meat balls.
Curried baked beans
You may think I’m having a laugh with this one, but I often cook it for late breakfast at the computer when I
realise I’ve been working furiously since dawn and now it’s 10 O’clock and all I’ve had since getting up is a
coffee 3 hours ago. I know you shouldn’t eat at the computer but some of us do. Beans can be eaten with a
spoon while you read your emails and bash the keyboard one handed.
1 tin baked beans
Medium onion, sliced
Garlic and ginger
1 tsp turmeric powder
Half a tsp curry powder or paste
Sunflower oil
Fry the spices in sunflower oil, add chopped onions, turmeric and garlic and ginger. Add the garam massala
or curry paste once the onions are cooked, stir and cook another minute then stir in a tin of baked beans.
Warm through. Other than breakfast this is good with grilled lamb or pork chops, sausages or lightly boiled
Savoy cabbage with ginger in chicken stock. Variation add some chopped tomato and/or bacon when frying
the onion. If you’re in a real hurry just add curry paste or powder to the beans.
The final 2 curry recipes are by the Reverend Gary Keith, who trained as a chef before he joined the
Anglican ministry. I have not risked the Bad Boys Beef Blastaway yet, but Gary’s curative chicken curry (he
was curate at All Saint’s Botley, geddit?) went down well at the 2005 annual Botley curry night: his prawn Piri
Piri is legendary.
Curative Chicken Curry
This North Indian rich creamy dish is made using a combination of yoghurt and cream. Just what the doctor
ordered when served with a large glass of ice cold beer! Serves 4
675g / 1.5lb skinless chicken breasts
25g / 1 oz blanched almonds
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2.5cm / 1 in piece of fresh root ginger roughly chopped
30 ml / 2 tbsp oil or gee
3 green cardamom pods
1 onion, finely sliced
10ml / 2 tsp ground cumin
1.5ml / 0.25 tsp salt
150ml / 0.25 pint natural yogurt
175ml / 6 fl oz single cream
Toasted flaked almonds and a fresh coriander sprig to garnish
Basmati rice to serve
1. Using a sharp knife, cut the chicken into 2.5 cm / 1 in cubes.
2. Put the almonds, ginger and garlic into a food processor or blender with 30ml / 2 tbsp water and
process to a smooth paste.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the chicken for 8 – 10 minutes, or until browned. Remove
with a slotted spoon. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
4. Add the cardamom pods and fry for two minutes. Add the onion and fry for a further five minutes.
5. Stir in the almond and garlic paste, cumin and salt and cook for a further five minutes, stirring to
blend the flavours.
6. Add the yogurt gradually and cook over a low heat until it has all been absorbed. Return the chicken
to the pan. Cover and simmer for 5-6 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Add the cream and simmer for
5 minutes. Serve with rice and garnish with toasted flaked almonds and coriander.
‘Bad Boys’ Beef Blastaway
A fiery hot Goan inspired dish, made using a unique blend of spices and vinegar. If you are brave enough
to try this, ensure you have a large glass of ice cold beer close by to put out the flames!
Serves 4
30 ml / 2 tbsp cumin seeds
8 dried red chillies
20ml / 4 tsp hot chilli powder
20ml / 4 tsp paprika
10ml / 2 tsp black peppercorns
10 green cardamom pods, seeds only
10ml / 2 tsp fenugreek seeds
10ml / 2 tsp black mustard seeds
2.5ml / 0.5 tsp salt
5ml / 1 tsp Demerara sugar
80ml / 6tbsp white wine vinegar
60ml / 4 tbsp oil / ghee
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely sliced
900g / 2lb stewing beef, cut into 2.5cm / 1 in cubes
5cm / 2 in piece fresh root ginger, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
20ml / 4 tsp ground coriander
5ml / 1 tsp ground turmeric
Plain and yellow rice to serve
1. Put the first eight spice ingredients into a well cleaned coffee grinder, or use a pestle and mortar, and
grind to a fine powder. Add the salt, sugar and white wine vinegar and mix to a thin paste. Add more white
wine vinegar if necessary to create the thin paste.
2. Heat 30ml / 2 tbsp of the oil / ghee in a large frying pan and fry the chopped onion for ten minutes.
Put the onion and the spice mixture into a food processor or blender and process to a coarse paste.
3. Heat the remaining oil / gee in the frying pan and fry the sliced onions for about five minutes, adding
the meat cubes and frying for a further ten minutes until lightly browned. Remove the onion and beef with a
slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Add the ginger and the garlic to the pan and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the ground coriander and
turmeric and fry for a further 2 minutes.
5. Add the spice and onion paste and fry over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Return the meat to the pan, together with 300ml / 0.5 pint water. Cover and simmer gently for about
1 – 1.5 hours or until the meat begins to tenderize.
7. Set aside, cover and leave overnight.
8. When ready to eat, reheat the mixture thoroughly and serve with plain and yellow rice.
9. To make plain and yellow rice, infuse a pinch of saffron in 15ml/1 tbsp of hot water. Stir into half the
cooked rice. Mix the yellow rice into the plain rice.
10. Prepare for a taste sensation beyond belief!
PS I have not tried the above dishes, they are the responsibility of the Reverend Gary Keith, I have reason
to believe they are good, but VERY hot. I haven;t seen Gary for a while, he was in Afghanistan for a while
with the Navy, then the next time I heard of him he was on local TV where he had agreed to run a local pub
for a week or 2 so the landlord and landlady could go on holiday for a while. I wonder how that turned out?
Drinks with curry
As per Chinese food, strong spices overwhelm fine wine. Chilled wine box rose or white wine is OK, but a
long, cool drink is best. Try tap water in a jug with sliced lemon or orange, fruit juice and iced mineral water
with a slice of lime, or cold lager. I prefer cider, of course real English dry cider is about 8% abv so you would
do well to dilute it with water or lemonade to get the alcohol down to 4% if your curry is hot.
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