Weyalan's ocasional curry recipe thread

[Mole]

Do you have a recipe for the bread usually served w/ indian meals? I love that stuff.

i second that request!

[Weyalan]

There are various different types of bread - roti, paratha, chapati, naan - some leavened some unleavened. I think naan is the most well known - large tear-drop shaped bread - quite light and fluffy, coming in various forms including plain, garlic, coconut, stuffed with mince (keema).

I do have a couple of good naan recipes, but I cannot recall the exact measures of ingredients, and for breads, this is quite important. I will get the recipes from home and post them in the next day or two.

Naan is traditionally cooked by slapping the bread onto the inside wall of the traditional Indian wood-fired clay oven (tandoor), but you can make them reasonably well in a conventional oven. Most of the other breads are eather fried in oil or ghee, or dry fried in a heavy pan or griddle...

Watch this space...

['Trary]

Naan is what I want. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

[Weyalan]

Punjabi naan bread

Ingredients

1 tsp sugar
3/4 cup (210 ml) water, warm
1 oz (30 g) dried yeast
1 lb (455 g) white flour
1 tsp nigella seeds (a.k.a. kalonji) optional
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp yogurt
2 tbsp melted ghee (use butter if you cannot get ghee)
oil to coat

Method

Dissolve sugar in the warm water and sprinkle yeast on it. Leave for 15 minutes (make sure it froths, otherwise use a new batch).
Sift flour and salt into bowl and mix in nigella seeds.
Make a depression in the flour and pour in yogurt, ghee and the yeast mixture. Mix well and knead into a dough for about 10 minutes. Form a ball.
Put a little oil in another bowl and turn the ball of dough in it until it is covered in oil. Discard excess oil. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to double in size - about 2 hours)
Knead the ball down again and divide into 6 portions. Flatten these in turn and mould into pear shapes. Place on a greased tray and bake for 10 -15 minutes at 450°F (230°C). Finish under grill if necessary

You can spread a little garlic onto the top of each naan prior to baking (minced garlic from a jar is fine, crushed or chopped fresh galic is also ok). Sesame seeds (white or black) may also be used instead of nigella

It is more authentic (and fun) to press out each naan with your hands rather than a rolling pin. Usually a naan will be slightly thiker at the edges than in the middle.

Edited to add: I have tried this recipe a couple of times recantly, and have had some difficulties getting the naan to rise sufficiently during the baking (although it was a cold day the last 2 times I tried). I think it might be a good idea to let the naan re-rise for 30 minutes or so between shaping them and putting them in the oven.... I shall try next time and report back...

[Coyote]

God I love naan.

I'm gonna have to make all of these. So tingly.

[Weyalan]

Rogan Josh

Ingredients

2 lbs of lamb, mutton or goat, cubed
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 inch piece of ginger, chopped
2-3 green chillis chopped (vary according to taste)
3-4 tablespoons ghee (or vegetable oil, if not available)
2 teaspoons salt.
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 teaspoons garam masala
3 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4-5 dessert spoons plain natural yoghurt
1-2 teaspoons chilli powder (again, vary quantity according to taste)
2 medium onions - finely chopped
3/4 of a tin of peeled plum tomatoes, chopped
Cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Method

Melt ghee on medium heat and gry onions for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic ginger and green chillis and fry, stirring for a couple of minutes more. Add the tumeric, coriander, cumin, chilli powder and garam masala and continue to fry, stirring, for a couple of minutes. Add the meat & salt and continue to stir and fry for approx 5 minutes, or until meat is browned & coated with the spice mixture. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Add the yogurt, a spoonful at a time, stirring all the time. Bring to the boil, cover with a well fitting lid, reduce heat to a very low simmer, and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender (usually 1.5 - 2.5 hours). Note - if the curry is getting too dry or sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a little water. When the curry is ready, taste and, if necessary, add more salt and or chilli powder. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving. This is an excellent curry to have with naan bread.


N.B. This is one of my favorite curries because it is relatively uncomplicated, delicious and so damn tasty!

[Weyalan]

Just for the record, I made the above rogan josh yesterday afternoon, and it was, though I say it myself, damned tasty. I also made a southern Indian style vegetable curry (lots of toasted coconut - mm mm) of my own creation that was pretty bloody good too! With basmati rice, cucumber raita, papadums and mango chutney, it was a veritable feast!

[Weyalan]

With the weekend approaching, heres a tasty treat for all you curry lovers. I made this one recently, and it is pretty tasty and reasonably authentic:

Chicken Korma

Ingredients

A pinch of saffron threads
8 - 10 green cardamon pods, bruised to release the flavour
3-4" piece of cinnamon stick
6-8 cloves
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1½ teaspoons chilli powder
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoon ground coriander
1½ teaspoon garam masala
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
6-8 garlic cloves, peeled
4 tablespoons water
1kg chicken breast or thigh fillets, skinned and trimmed of excess fat and chopped into chunky pieces (i.e. not too small)
80-100g raw cashew pieces
270ml boiling water
175g natural yogurt (full fat if possible)
6 tablespoons ghee (or oil)
2 large onions, finely chopped
550ml chicken stock
4-5 tablespoons single cream
salt to taste

Method

Put the cashews and saffron in a bowl, pour over the boiling water & leave to soak for 15-20 minutes. Put the chicken into a large mixing bowl. Whisk the yoghurt (this prevents curdling during cooking) and add to the chicken. Set aside for 15-20 minutes. Make a ginger & garlic paste by blending the ginger and garlic together in a food processor with a little water. Heat the ghee or oil in a heavy based casserole over a low heat and add the cardamon, cinnamon and cloves. Let them sizzle for 25-30 seconds and add the onions. Increase the heat to medium and fry the onions until they soften (6-7 minutes). Add the ginger & garlic paste and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the salt, turmeric, chilli powder, white pepper and ground coriander and fry gently for a minute or two. Add the chicken/yoghurt and increase the heat to medium high. Stir until the chicken is opaque. Pour in the stock, cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. While chicken is simmering put the cashews and saffron (with the water in which they were soaked) in a blender and add the cream. Blend until smooth and add to the chicken.Add the garam masala and cook, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes prior to serving.

N.B. The "korma" has become erroneously synonymous with mildness. The above recipe is mild/medium, however, use of additional pepper/chilli powder (or even chopped fresh chillis) could make the korma as fiery as you like without any loss of "authenticity".

For the record, I made this curry again this weekend, by special request, and dang, it was soooo tasty!

['Trary]

Wey, you need to come to Kansas City and be our luuuuuuuuuuuv slave of curry goodness. We'd house you and feed you and let you pet the dog and the kitties all in exchange for you cooking for us.

[Weyalan]

I am already already a luuuuuuuuuuv slave of curry goodness for my beautiful Princess Lis, so I'm afraid I cannot serve two masters (it would be unethical!). But, rest assured if I do ever find myself within a thousand miles or so of Kansas City, I will be sure to contact you with a view to making a guest appearance as Celebrity Curry Chef, for one night only, at Casa du Cock / Chateau 'trary!

[Weyalan]

Chapatis

Ingredients:

375g atta flour or roti flour (or durum wheat flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon ghee or oil
250 ml / 1 cup lukewarm water

Method:

Put the flour in a large mixing bowl, setting aside about 1/2 a cup for rolling chapatis. Stir salt through the flour, then add ghee or oil and rub in with fingertips, as though making pastry. Add the measured water all at once, moisten all the flour and mix to a firm dough. Knead dough for at least 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Gather dough into a ball, put into a small bowl and cover tightly with plastic food wrap & allow to rest for 1 hour or more. Divide dough into balls of even size, about as big as a walnut. Roll each out on a lightly floured board, lightly dusting board and rolling pin with reserved flour and keeping the shape perfectly round if possible. the chapatis should be very thin, if possible. Roll out the chapatis to be cooked, and when starting to cook them, start with those which were rolled first, since the short rest between rolling and cooking makes the chapatis lighter. Heat a griddle or heavy frying pan, put the first chapati on the hot pan and leave for 1 minute on medium heat. Turn it over and place second side down. After a further minute, press lightly around the edges of the chapati with a folded tea towel to encourage the disc of bread to puff up and bubble. Do not overcook or the chapatis will become crisp and dry instead of pliable and tender. Wrap the cooked chapatis in a tea towel & serve warm with curry.

[Weyalan]

Bhindi Masala

Ingredients

1 lb bhindi (okra), stalks removed and chopped into 1" pieces
3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 large onions, finely chopped
3-4 green chillies, chopped (vary quantity according to taste)
2" stick of cinnamon
4-5 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1" piece of ginger, grated
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp chilli powder (vary quantity according to taste)
2 cups oil or ghee
1-2 tsp garam masala
Cilantro leaves for garnishing
Salt to taste

Method

In a large deep frying pan (I use a wok), heat the oil over a medium/high heat and deep fry the bhindi pieces (it is easiest to do this in batches, rather than all at once). Remove fried bhindi and place on kitchen paper to remove excess oil. Retain 3 tablespoons of the oil and fry cinammon, cloves & bay leaves over a medium heat for about 3 seconds.Add onions, green chilli pieces and fry them until onions turn light brown. Add the ginger & garlic and fry for one minute. Reduce heat slightly & add tomato pieces, red chilli powder and salt, cover the pan and cook for a few minutes until tomatoes become soft, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add fried bhindi and mix slowly. Fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

[Weyalan]

Aloo Mutter Gobi (spicy cauloflower and potato curry with peas)

Ingredients

2 cups potatoes, diced or cubed
1" piece of ginger, chopped or grated
1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
3 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
2 green chillis, thinly sliced
2 tbsp plain yogurt (full fat)
3 cups cauliflower, broken into small florets
2 onions' sliced
2 tbsp ghee or oil
1 tsp coriander powder,
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp fround fennel
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
2 tsp cumin seeds, dry roasted until fragrant
coriander leaves, chopped for garnish
Salt to taste.

Method

Heat the ghee or oil in a large non-stick pan, add the sliced onions and fry for 4-5 min., stirring continuously. Add the tumeric, ginger, garlic & green chilli and fry for 2 min. Make a paste of the remaining ground spices with 3-4 Tbsp. of water & add it to the pan, stir and fry well for 2 minutes. Add the yoghurt and stir & fry for another minute. Add the potatoes with 2 cups of water, cover the pot and allow to simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes.Add the cauliflower, cover and cook for 5 minutes, then the green peas and salt to taste, and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat, stir through the lemon or lime juice, sprinkle with cumin seeds and garnish with chopped coriander

[Weyalan]

prik kaeng kiao wan (green curry paste)

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh green birdseye chilis, coarsely chopped
5 tblsp lemon grass, finely sliced
10 tblsp shallots, chopped (spring onions, or, at a pinch, small brown onion will suffice, if necessary)
10 tblsp garlic, minced
5 tblsp of galangal, grated
5 tblsp of coriander (cilantro) roots & stems, chopped
2 tblsp of coriander seed
1 tblsp of cumin seed
1 tblsp of freshly ground black pepper
2 tblsp of shredded kaffir lime leaves
3 tblsp of fermented shrimp paste)
1-2 tblsp of palm sugar (to taste).

Method:

Toast the dry seeds in a heavy iron skillet or wok, and grind them coarsely. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process to a smooth paste. Place in tightly stoppered jars and keep in the fridge for at least a week for the flavors to combine and develop before use.

Thai green curry recipe to follow

[Trademaster]

I recently went to a Thai place owned (and run) by a Vietnamise family. Had an amazingly tasty dist,

Panang(sp?) fish I think it was kind of a stew like thing, and omg horking tasty. I wasn't gonna eat the whole meal, but, it was just tooooooooooooooooo tasty.