Friday, May 05, 2006
Christine's Curry
I was thinking of curry all day today and I don't even know why. I had real cravings for vegetables slow-cooked in a creamy, aromatic sauce. Lofty suggested we treat ourselves and have takeout for a change, but neither of us really fancied that. It's expensive, more often than not it's poor quality food and it means that you lose out on the fun of cooking. And on a Friday night I can think of nothing more relaxing than spending hours in the kitchen. - Honestly, I do! I've not lost it. If I have the time and the ingredients I will gladly spend a few hours on a dinner. - Luckily for us, we had all the ingredients you need for a curry and I was very much up to experimenting with herbs and spices. So, rather than following a recipe, I decided to design my own dish. And, after a few days of mess-ups, I'm glad to say that the experiment was a success.3 tbsp cooking oil (more if you are using rawmeat)
1 medium onion, halved and then sliced
2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 cm fresh ginger, grated
1 large bay leaf
2 whole green cardamom pods
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cardamom
a small pinch of allspice
a pinch chilli powder (more if you like it hot)
½ lime, juice and zest (lemon will do, but is not quite as nice here)
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp Demerara sugar
1 small can (165 ml) coconut milk
enough stock granules for 500 ml of liquid
a mix of seasonal vegetables and/or meat/fish, roughly 4 large hands in total (the quantity is calculated by what I used - baby potatoes, cubed butternut squash, sliced mushrooms, peas, some radishes (I know, a strange choice, but they needed to go), yesterday's leftover mix of green leaves and some chicken; it will need to be adjusted if you use vegetables that shrink substantially during cooking)
10 to 15 mint leaves, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
chopped coriander to serve
Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven. If you are using raw meat, add it to the pot and brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. Reduce the heat to low, add some more oil if needed (or add the 3 tablespoons of oil if you are only starting now), followed by the onion rings. Fry until brown and fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes.
Now stir in the garlic and ginger and fry for a minute longer. Add the spices and lime zest and mix well. Continue frying until fragrant. Now add the limejuice, tomatoes and stock granules and bring to a slow boil. Stir in the hard vegetables (potatoes, pumpkin, squash and the like), cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Separate the creamy residue that collects at the top of the coconut milk from the water below. Add the liquid to the pot reserving the cream. Also keep adding the vegetables and meat in order of their cooking time. Remember that things will take a lot longer to cook in this thick sauce than they would in water. Bite-size potatoes, for example, will need about 45 to 50 minutes of stewing. Continue to cook the curry at a low boil, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables and meat are done.
Finally, add the coconut cream, mint, turmeric and garam masala, reduce the heat and gently simmer until the sauce is thickened. Season to taste with salt and more garam masala if needed. Serve with pilau rice and fresh coriander.
Christine at 10:13 pm
