Category: curry

Categories
cauliflower curry curry powder lentils turmeric yoghurt

gobi tarka dall

gobi tarka dall

I can’t get enough cauliflower, and am always quick to toss out a few recipes for those that think it dull and dreary. I was dead pleased to see an article in the latest Delicious magazine devoted to the joys of the cauli. It’s not just for cauliflower cheese, y’know.

Gobi tarka dall (based on a recipe by Debbie Major):

150g puy lentils

300ml vegetable stock

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 large cauliflower, broken into florets

1 medium onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, grated

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

200ml coconut milk

1 tin of tomatoes

1 tablespoon Greek yoghurt

Bunch of fresh coriander leaves

For the tarka:

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 teaspoon nigella seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

3 cloves

  1. Rinse the lentils thoroughly then simmer them in the stock for 20 minutes until tender. Set aside.
  2. Heat a little oil in a pan, and drop in the cumin seeds. After 30 seconds or so they will spit and jump about so throw in the cauliflower and get some dark brown scorches on them. Remove to one side.
  3. In the same pan fry the onion until soft (about 10 minutes), then add the garlic. After a couple of minutes stirring add the cumin, turmeric and curry powder. Cook for a further minute, then add the coconut milk, tomatoes and cauliflower. Simmer for fifteen minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.
  4. Stir the lentils into the curry and season well with salt. Leave to simmer so everything is piping hot, then turn off the heat stirring in the yoghurt with some vigour (this will avoid separation). Throw some coriander over the top.
  5. For the tarka, get the oil sizzly hot and add the spices. After a minute’s crackling turn the heat off and toss the lot over the curry. Serve with soft and puffy naan bread.
Categories
curry potatoes

aloo tikki

I was watching Rick Stein on one of those Saturday Kitchen clips the other day, and I happened to notice that he’d made little potato cakes to go with a fish dish. I wanted something to go with my lamb madras, and these (with some Indian tweaks) seemed just right. I was amazed how good they were for something thrown together on the fly! Very tasty.

Aloo tikki (makes about 15):

2 large baking potatoes

¼ teaspoon turmeric

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon coriander

1 egg, beaten

100g sesame seeds

  1. Bake the potatoes for an hour or until a skewer comes out clean and easy. Leave to cool.
  2. When cool, scoop out the flesh into a bowl and add the spices and a good helping of salt. Form into small ping-pong balls and leave in the fridge to harden slightly.
  3. When ready, coat the potato balls in egg and roll in sesame seeds until well-coated. Fry gently in a little oil until browned on all sides.
Categories
curry lamb

lamb madras

When I get a craving for curry, there’s no stopping me until I’ve made one. And this one was great, zingy and powerful, with a creamy finish. Brilliant yellow and bursting with freshness.

Lamb madras (based on Allegra McEvedy’s Leon Gobi recipe):

500g lamb shoulder, diced

1 onion, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, peeled

5 cloves garlic, peeled

1 large teaspoon Madras curry powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon black onion seeds

4 heaped tablespoons ground almonds

400ml coconut milk

Juice of ½ a lemon

Handful of coriander, chopped

  1. Fry the lamb all over in a large casserole until browned. Remove to one side for now.
  2. In the same pan, add a little more oil and fry the onion and carrot with lid on gently for 20 minutes until softened. While this is going on whizz up the garlic and ginger to a paste, then add this to the pan with a big pinch of salt.
  3. Stir fry for a minute or two and add the curry powder, turmeric, black onion seeds and almonds. Fry for another minute, add the lamb back and pour over the coconut milk. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid on for another hour and a half, or until the lamb is tender.
  4. When the lamb is cooked, add lemon juice, adjust the seasoning and top with coriander.
Categories
chicken coriander cumin curry onion potatoes spinach yoghurt

indian pot roast chicken

This meal represent a confluence of good fortune: I receive a job-lot of Total Greek Yoghurt one minute and a copy of Leon Naturally Fast Food the next. I’ve never been so instantly bowled over by a cookbook, it’s extremely wedded to the way I cook and makes perfect sense. It’s beautifully presented in a scrapbook style, and packed with a very real voice. It’s utterly charming.

I was drawn to the pot-roasts, and had a curryish state of mind going in. So this seemed like the one to use as a starting point. I’ve added a few bits and pieces.

It was very satisfying, but personally I underseasoned it. It will be utterly delicious the next time.

Indian chicken pot roast (serves 4):

4 chicken quarters

300ml 0% Total Greek yoghurt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 potatoes, sliced into thick discs

1 lemon, sliced into thick discs

1 onion, sliced into rings

1 large bag of spinach

  1. Brine the chicken in enough water to cover with 8% salt for 6 hours. Afterwards, rinse under a cold tap and pat dry.
  2. Mix the yoghurt and spices together with a pinch of salt and pepper. Marinate the chicken in this lovely pink mix overnight.
  3. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Layer the potatoes in the bottom of a large lidded casserole dish. Lay the onions on this, then the lemon slices. Season well, then plop the chicken on top of this with any leftover marinade.
  4. Bake for 1½ to 2 hours, until the chicken is done. Get the chicken out carefully with tongs, tip the spinach in and pop the chicken back on top. Cook for another 10 minutes, until the spinach has wilted and is tender.
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