Hurry Curry!

'The hotter the better' my hubby says, while I prefer the kind that is rich, a bit spicy and a lot flavoursome! We both agree, life is not the same without curries!

My first exposure to the wonderful world of curry was in the 90's when my beautiful and talented Mum went through a phase of cooking recipes by Madhur Jaffrey [an indian actress turned celebrity chef]. She even had us eating vegetarian and not complaining!

Curry is becoming one of the favored comfort foods in our house, and is one of the frequented go-to dishes when we don't know what to cook. Until recently, I'm ashamed to say I hadn't experimented far with curries - the occasional red or green curry paste out of a jar (the shame!), or the only recipe I knew... Jamie Oliver's "Favorite Curry Sauce" - http://homepage.mac.com/kevinread/blogwavestudio/LH20041008194501/LHA20050312184224/index.html, which is versatile, easy, and super tasty... and most of the ingredients are easy to find in the local supermarket.

After spending some time recently in Melaka (Malaysia), where we ate curry four meals a day, I have decided to learn more about curries - and what better way than to get cooking!

Here is a recipe I'm loving at the moment - have substituted chicken once and it was great too:

Lamb Pasanda
According to my highly reliable and accurate google machine, Pasanda is a popular North Indian and Pakistani dish, derived from a meal served to emperors. The word 'pasanda' is derived from the Urdu word 'pasande' meaning "the favorite one" which refers to the prime cut of meat traditionally used when preparing.

Serves 4-6.

Ingreds:
- 600g bonelss shoulder or leg of lamb [I have used cheap cuts and chops - as well as the cut per recipe, both delicious - just cook for longer [and slower!] if you have cheaper/tougher cuts].
- 2 tbsp Garlic and Ginger paste (this is just 1:1 mix of garlic and ginger - I do it in the food processor/bamix but you could use mortar and pestle or just cut  really finely if you're camping in the outback and don't have the above options at your disposal.
- 55 g ghee (of 4 tablespoons veg oil or groundnut oil) - I think its worth finding ghee - it has an interesting aroma and doesn't burn like butter.
- 3 large onions, chopped.
- 1 fresh green chilli, deseeded and chopped (use 2 if you like to taste the hotness!)
- 2 green cardamom pods, bruised (assume there is a technical way to do this, but i just press on it with the side of the knife blade)
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half (last time I made this, I didn't have any sticks, so used a teaspoon or so of ground cinnamon - which worked okay)
-  2 tsp ground coriander (I like to use the whole seeds and give them a bash in the mortar and pestle - fresher or something)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 250 ml water
- 150 ml double cream
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garam masala
- paprik and toasted flaked almonds to garnish.

1. Cut meat into thin slices, then place slices between clingfilm and poud with a rolling pin or meat mallet to make them even thinner [I have made this about 4 times and never bothered - keep it simple!] ut the lamb slices in a non-metallic bowl, add the garlic and ginger paste and use your hands to rub the paste into the lamb. Cover and set aside in a cool place to marinate for 2 hours (at least!)

2. Heat a large frying pan with a tight fitting lid over a medium-high heat, then add the ghee. Add the onions and chilli and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-8 minutes until the onions are golden brown.

3. Stir in the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, coriander, cumin and turmeric and continue stirring for 2 minutes or until spices are aromatic.

4. Add the meat to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until it is brown on all sdes and the fat begins to separate. Stir in the water and bring to the boil, still stirring. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, cover the pan tightly and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the meat is tender.

5. When the lamb is tender, stir the cream and ground almonds together in a bowl. Beat in 6 tablespoons fo the cooking liquid from the pan, then gradually beat this mixture back into the pan. Stir in the sale and garam masala. Simmer for a further 5 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally.

6. Garnish with paprika and toasted flaked almonds and serve immediately. Great for leftovers too.

I like serving this one with red quinoa - it is nutty, gluten free and just super tasty. It doesn't clag together like rice, and I think it reheats better too.

I also love a little raita with this...
grab a small frying pan on medium heat - when the pan's hot, throw in a dozen peppercorns and a teaspoon of whole cumin seeds. Jiggle the pan, toasting until they release their aroma - should be less than one minute. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then bash them up in your mortar and pestle. Peel and cut a small cucumber into small pieces (remove the seeds if you like, but I like it with them in). Place 175g natural yoghurt, 1/4 teaspoon raw sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a small bowl and mix well. Mix the bashed up spices into the yoghurt and serve with a pinch of paprika over the top. Pappodums add value too!         from Curry Bible by Love Food

Tonight I am trying my first Beef Madras, from the same book:

This one originates from southern India, getting its name from the city of Madras, now known as Chennai.

1-2 dried red chillies (I used 3)
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp black mustard seeds (I only had brown)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp pepper
140g creamed coconut, grated, dissolved in 300ml boiling water (i don't even know what this means, I used coconut milk from a can instead)
55 g ghee or 4 tbsp veg oil or groundnut oil
2 onions, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
700 g lean stewing steak, trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes (I used what I had, 300g chuck steak, and 400g scotch fillet - hoping they work out alright!)
250ml beef stock
lemon juice
salt

1. Chop chillies and put them in small bowl with coriander, turmeric, mustard seeds, ginger and pepper. Stir in a little of the coconut milk (or whatever you decide to use!) and make a thin paste.

2. Heat a large frying pan with a tight fitting lid or a flameproof casserole over a medium-high heat, then add the ghee. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown. Add the spice paste and stir for 2 minutes, or until you can smell the spices.

3. Add the meat and stock, and bring to the boil. Recude the heat to its lowest level, cover tightly and simmer for 90 minutes, or until the beef is tender. Check occasionally that the meat isn't catching on the base of the pan, and stir in a little extra water or stock if necessary.

4. Uncover the pan and stir in the remaining dissolved coconut cream with the lemon juice and salt to taste. Bring to the boil, stirring, then reduce the heat again and simmer, still uncovered, until the sauce reduces slightly, serve immediately.

Thanks to Wiki, and 'Curry Bible' by Love Food

...

Now sitting eating the Madras... the full can of coconut milk made it a bit runny, and had to cook it off - would use half next time, and use coconut cream if possible. Other than that, very enjoyable! Having steamed green beans, and toasted naan as the support act.