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Curry

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Hettyjen | 08:31 Thu 22nd Aug 2013 | Food & Drink
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I've never made a curry, anyone suggest a foolproof recipe? What meat should I use? Hubby not keen on curry,so it's got to be good! Thanks.
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A curry is basically a stew which can use almost any main ingredient whether that is poultry, fish, shellfish, meat or vegetables.

You will need spices of your choice...garam massala is a good blend and chillis if you want. It's your taste so they're not essential.

Next, you'll need something to make the sauce with. Greek yoghurt is good or you can use tins of finely chopped tomatoes.

Personally, i use Pataks paste...2 good spoonfulls. There's mild ones and hot ones, it tells you on the jar.

Bung in a wok or saucepan/stockpot along with a chopped onion (not essential) and your choice of meat/fish etc. Stir fry on a fairly high heat for about 5 minutes....the smell will be awesome, but stir continuously.

Then add anything else you want...pineapple, sultanas, apple, mushroom, peppers and chillis if needed are all possibilities. i sometimes add a sachet of cream coconut and sugar if i wanted it sweeter

Add your sauce, yoghurt or tin toms and gently simmer, stirring occasionally until the meat is just cooked nicely.

Cook your rice...i always add 10 cardamons and ten cloves to my rice as well as a good sprinkling of cumin seeds. remove the cardamons and cloves when cooked.

And that really is as basic as you can get. You could do this in a slow cooker or cheat and just buy a jar of curry sauce.

Remember, whatever you add, do it slowly and keep tasting. You can always add more if needed but you can't take them out once added.

Good luck
Question Author
Thank you hammerman for all the details, I'll def give that a go!
You can't go wrong with chicken. The ingredients tend to differ according to what is in the cupboard, but generally:

3/4 bulb garlic
1 large onion
2 medium tomatoes
1 tin chopped tomatoes
a coulpe of teaspoons or so of garam masala
1 - 1 and a 1/2 bhut jolikia chilli (ghost chilli)
mixed herbs
spoonful veggie oil
1 cup water
pepper
cardamom
sultanas

It sounds like a lot of ingredients, but most of them will last an eon once you have them.


1) heat oil inwok. Crush or finely slice garlic, chop onion and add to wok with spices, cardamon and chilli. Add a little ginger if available.
2) Once onions browned off, turn heat down a tad. Add tinned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes and herbs.
3) Add diced chicken breasts (i add them raw, not pre-cooked) and any other ingredients I have forgotten to mention and turn heat down low. Add a cup of water so the curry is not thick, but not too watery. Allow to simmer until chicken is cooked through (ie, number 1 on electric hob)
4) serve with lemon rice, a few popadoms and either some mango chutney or lime pickle.


Drooling now, off to make a curry!
Oh, forgot chicken in my list of ingredients! I'll just add that I will turn any meat or fish into a curry. If you are feeling experimental, trout masala is particularly nice.
one and a half Bhut Jolika chillies ????? that's rocket fuel !!! I grow these bad boys in my greenhouse and they are right up there with some of the hottest in the world http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhut_Jolokia
I know, I get them from http://www.chillipepperpete.com/ , but am also attempting to grow them myself. I do love a bit of heat in my food, I also love a bit of garlic - many people would only use a couple of cloves
-- answer removed --
I agree with hammerman - Patak's various jarred pastes are a good place to start. Go for one that isn't too hot as an introduction... then progress.
@always confused.

Why on earth are you suggesting these chillies to someone who's never cooked a curry before ? That is absolutely obscene, they are evil things and can cause a lot of damage to people who aren't used to them.

@triggerhappy.....so go on, suggest a base to someone who's never cooked a curry before ???

I do wonder if anyone actually reads the original posts !!!!!
I've posted this before but it is a good recipe for a novice and is quite versatile, new potatoes, spinach, cauliflower are all good additions/ substitutions.



Cumin Chicken

2tbs Vegetable oil/Ghee
2 Onions, chopped
1tbs Cumin Seeds
3-4 Cloves Garlic, crushed
2 Green Chillis, chopped (or more if you like it hot!)
1tsp Salt
2 ½ tsp Garam Masala
2tsp Turmeric
2-3tsp Tomato Puree
½ Tin chopped tomatoes
1” Grated Root Ginger
Fresh Coriander
2-3 Chicken breasts or vegetables of your choice.

Heat oil in a frying pan, add onion and cook until lightly browned add garlic and chilli followed by all of dry ingredients one by one, stirring a few times between each addition.
Add 2-3 chicken breasts (or 250g mushrooms and handful of spinach, cauliflower and spinach also good)
Stir around and add puree, tomatoes and root ginger.
Stir around for a minute or two, until all sealed.
Add boiling water to not quite cover ingredients & simmer until meat/veg cooked (about 15-20 mins).
When ready to serve add a handful of chopped fresh coriander.
hammerman - Hetty said they've never made curry before, not that they were unfamiliar with spices and chillies. Hettyjen could be eating vindaloo and phal everynight from the takeaway for all I know! I sometimes add coconut milk to give the curry a milder taste.
Just because someone has never made a curry doesn't mean they can't cook...
I still think that, for someone who has never made a curry, starting with Patak's paste is the way to go. Then, you can progress to individual spices and become more adventurous.
@Eccles

//Add 2-3 chicken breasts//

Facetious question but... whole or cubed?

///Hettyjen could be eating vindaloo and phal everynight from the takeaway for all I know!////

Of course you're quite right, but she stated "Hubby not keen on curry" so anything very hot is unlikely to go down well.

I am another fan of Patak pastes incidentally, finding them a considerable improvement on curry powder. I keep promising myself to move one step further and use original herbs/spices but haven't managed it yet!
Question Author
Wow! Thank you all! Very interesting, I'm looking forward to having a go now.
Hypognosis, the chicken is cubed; usually a rough 1".

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