How to make curry

This is more of a frameworkÂ than a recipe as there are many variations you can make to produce very different types of dishes all made according to the same underlying methodology, using a core set of ingredients.

The core ingredients for the curry are:

Onions
Garlic
Ginger
Tomatoes
A main ingredient such as meat, fish, vegetables or chickpeas
Spices (see below)
Optionally you can add yoghurt, coconut milk or cream

There are almost infinite possibilites when it come to spices, and I think it depends on what you have to hand. Ready made curry powder works really well and there is huge range from mild to madras. In most kitchens you will find curry powder and this is what I will use in this recipe. However, depending on the extent of you spice rack you can add varying combinations of any of the following. I have given a maximum for each spice to use in any single curry for two people (500g of main ingredient. Adding more than this amount of the spice will cause it to dominate and mask the other flavours.

Turmeric (1tsp)
Cumin (1 tbsp)
Corrinader (2 tbsp)
Garam Massala (2 tbsp)
Fenugreek (1/2 tsp)
Chilli powder (2 tsp)

There are also aromatics (‘whole condiments’) that can be used to give flavour but in general are inedible. These should be added at the start, fried in the oil before adding the onions.

Green cardamons (upto 15)
Cinnamon sticks (one or two)
Cloves (upto 15)
Curry leaves (just a couple)
Cumin seeds (1 tsp)
Mustard seeds (1 tsp)
Black onion seeds (1 tsp)

Chicken Curry

This recipe requires minimal spices – just mild curry powder. I give the spices I would use if I was to make it at home in the notes at the end of the recipe.

Equipment

A large frying pan

Ingredients

3 tbsp of neutral tastong oil (e.g. groundnut oil)
2 onions, finely sliced
5cm piece of ginger, cut into very fine sticks (Julienned)
4 cloves of garlic, very finely sliced
2 tbsp of mild curry powder
4 tomatoes finely chopped
6 boned, skinless chicken thighs cut into strips
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper
Corriander to garnsih

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat,
Add the ginger and onions
Cook the onions,Â progessively reducing the heat so they are well browned but not blackened
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute
Add the curry powder, half a tsp of salt and stir fry until the onions are coated in powder
Turn up to high heat and add the tomatoes, bring to a vigorous boil
Cook until the water has evapaourated and the oil has risen to the top – this can take some time
Add the chicken, stir fryingÂ until the chicken starts to brown
Reduce to a simmer, adding a little boiling water to make more sauce as required and tomatoe puree if the tomatoe is too thin
Finish with the lemon juice
Service with rice and ganrinish with corriander

Notes

An alternative version would be:

At Step 1 add 10 cloves and 10 cardamons
At Step 4 use trumeric (1/2 tsp), chilli (1/2tsp), corriander (2 tbsp), cumin (1 tbsp)

Curry, Dad makes best, Recipe

Red Curry Duck

One of my very favourites. A Thai style curry with falvours of chilli, garlic, lime juice, sugar, fish sauce and kaffir lime in a coconut milk broth – you can vary the quantities of these to find the balance that works for you. This recipe produces a very hot curry – there is a lot of chilli in it. There is no better way to cook a duck breast than this.

You could make your own red curry paste, but you will struggle to produce anything as good as you can buy.

Serve with rice.

Ingredients

5 Red bird’s eye chillis, sliced (or use a Scotch Bonnet for a slightly different flavour)

5cm Ginger, sliced

3 Cloves of garlic, sliced

2 dsp of red curry paste

1 tbsp of ground nut oil

250ml of coconut milk

2 dsp of fish suace

juice of a lime

4 fresh (or frozen, but not dried) Kaffir lime leaves

1 tin of sliced bamboo shoots

handful of green beans

2 duck breasts with skin

washed baby spinach

1/4 tsp palm sugar

Equipment

A heavy bottomed frying pan

A heavy bottomed deep pan

Method

1. Slice the chilli, garlic and ginger.

2. Heat the oil in the pan then add the red curry paste. Fry until it becomes a vibrant red colour.

3. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli, fry until soft.

4. Add a splash of boiling water to the pan, scrape the bottom and sides of the pan.

5. Add the coocnut milk and stir well. Then add half the fish sauce, half the kaffir lime leavs, and the half of the lime juice.

6. Bring back to the boil, then add the bamboo shoots, then top up the suace with boiling water. How much you add depends on how thick you what the curry vs how mush time you have to simmer the broth. Start with 400ml – you can always add more later.

7. Bring back to the boil again, and then turn down the heat so the liquid is simmering lively. Simmer for at least 30 mins.

8. Prepare the green beans by triming and slicing, then add to the broth.

9. Heat the frying pan on a high heat, then place the duck breast into the hot pan skin side down. Do not add any oil – as the duck cooks it will cook in its own fat. Cook the duck breasts until the skin is crispy and the fat has rendered from the meat. Do not turn the duck breasts.

10. Add the spinach to the broth. It will wilt almost instantly, stir it in.

11. Move the cooked duck breasts to a chopping board skin side up. Slice the duck.

12. Add the remaining lime leaves, fish sauce, lime juice andÂ the palm sugar and stir well.

13. Carefully transfer the slices of duck together and gently lower them into the broth. The easier way to do this is by sliding the knife underneath the sliced duck and using it to pick them as if one piece. The uncooked side of the duck breast should be immersed in the sauce, the crispy skin sitting above the level of the liquid. Poach the duck breast in the curry liquid until just slightly pink. Do NOT stir.

14. Remove the duck slices together and place on the plate with the suace and rice. Garnish with chopped corriander and serve immediately.

Curry, Dad makes best, Recipe

Corriander Chicken Curry

The origin of this recipe was a small booklet of recipes attached to a bottle of white wine; the recipes were intended to showcase dishes that would complement the wine. This is the only one we ever made but it is good, and its really, really green. The original recipe is shown below.