I have been asked by some friends if I have any recipes for an authentique curry.
Well, as it happens, I do. I asked my great friend 'Tas' if it is alright if I share one of her recipes with the readers of this blog. She smiled and told me to go ahead and spread the word...
For this recipe you will need...
Basmati Rice.
For Two people...This recipe will stretch to four people by adding more chicken...
2 Chicken leg and thighs...
3 Onions.
2 Chili.
Garlic.
Ginger about the size of your thumb.
Also...
A tin of tomatoes.
3 Teaspoons Coriander.
2 Teaspoons Cumin.
3 or 4 Ground Cloves.
Garum masala.
Half a Teaspoon of Turmeric.
3 or 4 sliced Cardamon pods.
A 2 Inch flake of Cinnamon.
Tamarind.
Salt.
Also...
Mushrooms.
Courgette.
Juice of 1 Lemon.
To Cook the Curry...
The first thing to do is roast your Coriander and Cumin. I usually roast far more than I need and store the leftovers for next time.
Do this by heating a pan and pouring in an amount of Coriander, when you can smell and see the oils releasing, remove from the heat into a mortar and pestle and grind. Do the same for the Cumin.
Heat some olive oil in a Dutch over or similar.
Finely chop 3 Onions, the Chili, the Garlic and grate the ginger and add to the hot oil. Add salt. Gently fry until the onion has gone clear, try not to burn at this stage.
Add Half a Teaspoon of Tamarind and stir.
Make a hole in the center of the mix and within it place the Cinnamon stick, fry in the accumulated oil for a minute.
Add your Coriander, Cumin, Ground Cloves, Garam masala, Turmeric and Cardamon.
Fry in the oil for a while and then mix all together.
Add tin of chopped Tomatoes and a small glass of water and the Lemon juice.
Bring to a simmer and add the Chicken pieces.
Pop a lid on whilst you chop Mushrooms and Courgette.
Add the Mushrooms and Courgette, replace the lid and simmer for about an Hour, Hour and a half.
To Cook The Rice...
For each person measure out about one and a half handfuls of rice.
Put the rice in a pan and add clean water. With your fingers wash the rice with a figure eight motion. Drain the water and repeat two more times. The drained water should be clear at the end and not milky. Measure the depth of rice with a finger and add water to double that depth. Place on heat with a lid and bring to a boil. Simmer for ten minutes, the water should disappear leaving perfectly cooked rice.
Remove from heat and let the pan of rice stand for a further 5 Minutes with the lid on.
Serve....
EAT EAT EAT !
My love and thanks to Tas and her sisters....
ENJOY...