J’s Prawn Curry
Ingredients:
* 4 tbsp sunflower oil
* 1 tsp black mustard seeds
* 400g canned chopped tomatoes
* 500g raw tiger prawns, peeled
* 100ml coconut cream or fresh cream
* 4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
For the curry paste:
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 3 garlic cloves, crushed
* 2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped
* 2.5cm fresh ginger, chopped
* 4 tsp paprika
* 1 tsp garam masala
* 1 tsp ground coriander
* 1/2 tsp cumin powder
* 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 2 tsp lemon juice
Method:
1. Make the curry paste. Put the ingredients into a food processor with 1 tablespoon of water and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the mustard seeds and cover the pan with a lid. As soon as they begin to pop, uncover and add the prepared curry paste. Fry for 4-5 minutes until it seems to be splitting from the oil, then add 250ml hot water and simmer for a further 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until they have broken down in the sauce. Add the prawns and cream and simmer gently for 3-4 minutes, until
the prawns are just firm and pink. Season to taste. Stir in the coriander and serve immediately with naan bread or pooris.
Read MoreRice with Onion & Cumin
Ingredients:
2-cup cooks rice,
4-cups water
1-cup finely chopped onion,
1-tsp cumin seeds,
2-tbsp oil,
1-2 Bayleaf,
Salt to taste,
Coriander leaves for garnish (optional)
Method:
1: Heat the oil in pan and add cumin seeds and bay leaf in it.
2: Add finely chopped onion in it.
3: Cook until they are transparent not golden brown. Sprinkle salt to taste.
4: After that add rice in it and mix.Add water.
5: Cook in law flame until rice is soft.
6: Serve garnished with coriander leaves as side dish to curry or tikka.
Read MoreLamb Madras
Ingredients:
* 3-4 tbsps vegetable or sunflower cooking oil
* 1 kg lamb, chopped into cubes
* 2 onions, finely chopped
* 2 tsps garlic, ground to a paste
* 1 tsp ginger, ground to a paste
* 4 large tomatoes, finely chopped
* 1 tsp cumin seeds
* 6 peppercorns
* 6 cloves
* 2 tbsps coriander seeds
* 1 tbsp mustard seeds
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 tsp fennel seeds
* 1/2 tsp chilli powder
* 1 cup thick coconut milk
* Salt
Method:
1. On a medium heated dry pan, roast the fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves and peppercorns until they are slightly dark and aromatic. Remove from heat and grind to a fine powder mix.
2. Place the mix with the garlic and ginger pastes, red chilli powder, cinnamon and 3-4 tbsps of water in a food processor and grind until it’s a smooth paste.
3. Heat the cooking oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat. Fry the onion until golden, add the above masala paste and bay leaf and reduce heat slightly. Stirring often, fry until the oil separates from the spice paste. If required, add water to keep the masala from sticking to the pan.
4. Add the meat and brown it, then add the tomatoes, coconut milk and 1 cup of hot water. Season with salt. Cook until the lamb is soft and the gravy is thick. If required add hot water to maintain the amount of gravy as you cook.
Remove bay leaf and serve with brown or pilau rice and naan bread.
Note: This rather hot, but absolutely delicious dish, takes its’ name from the city of Madras in Southern India. In Southern India dishes tend to be made ‘hotter’ than other areas in India, designed to make you perspire, thus cooling you down… It is supposed to be a hot dish but if you find it ‘too hot’ then use less Chilli Powder
Read MoreNaan
Ingredients:
• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Superfine sugar
• 1 tsp Dry yeast
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Ghee or Oil
• Water as per requirement
Method:
•Take the yeast and dissolve it water taken in a bowl.
•Cover the mixture and leave it aside for 10 minutes.
•Now take the all purpose flour in a shallow tray and make a depression in the center.
•Add yeast, ghee, sugar and salt. Mix them properly.
•Add some more water if it is required.
•Put the mixture on a floured surface and make dough. Knead it well for 5-7 minutes.
•Keep it in a warm place for 1 hour and cover it so that it can rise.
•After due time period, make small balls out of the dough.
•Flatten each ball to make ovals of about 1 cm thickness.
•Put these ovals on a smeared heavy-duty aluminum foil.
•Grill it under a preheated broiler till golden brown color appears.
•Repeat the procedure with rest of the balls.
•Naans are ready to serve.
Read MoreSpiced Cookies
Ingredients:
3 cups plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground star anise
OR
1 tsp mixed spices (contains all four of the above)
250g (1 cup) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
Method:
1. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and spices into a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until it becomes pale in colour and fluffy in texture. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combine.
3. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until it is all combined.
4. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to one hour. This will make it firm up a bit.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 deg C (400 deg F).
6. Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls (about 2cm). Sprinkle with additional sugar and flatten slightly. Place on a lined baking sheet about 4cm apart.
7. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until lightly browned (be careful, they may brown quickly after this).
8. Cool on the tray for a minute before placing on wire racks to cool completely.
Note: They keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container.
Read MoreB’s Chicken Curry
Ingredients:
1. 6-8 chicken thighs and/or legs, skinned, bone in and washed
2. 250 mls thick (Greek style) yoghurt
3. 1 tbs ground red sweet paprika
4. pinch of chilli flakes
5. ¼ tsp of each powder: turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, black pepper
6. 1tsp curry powder
7. 1tsp garam masala powder
8. 3-4 tbs oil
9. 1/4 tsp of each type of seeds: cumin, coriander, carraway and poppy
10. 1-2 whole dry red birds-eye chillies
11. 2 big onions finely chopped
12. 1 tbs ginger-garlic paste
13. 1/2 tsp of each powder: coriander, turmeric, cumin, nutmeg, curry and garam masala powder
14. 400 g diced tomatoes (fresh or from can)
15. salt to taste
16. chopped coriander leaves for garnish
Method:
1. Combine ingredients 2-7 into marinade mix. Poke Chicken thighs with fork. Marinate chicken for 20 mins-1 hr.
2.In a deep pan add oil and fry on low heat seeds and chillies (9-10) just to release aroma.
3. Add the onions and ginger-garlic paste and saute till soft and translucent.
4. Add all powders (13), combine well and fry for another minute to release fragrance.
5. Add the marinated chicken and cook on medium for 4-5 minutes until browned.
6. Add the tomatoes and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
7. Add a cup of water for more gravy consistency, salt to taste. Simmer on low for 1 hr or until chicken pieces are soft (meat is coming of bones easily) and you get the desired curry consistency. Adjust salt.
8. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Note: This recipe uses dry seeds and powders and is handy if you can’t buy fresh ingredients (except for coriander leaves). It gives delicious spicy but not hot taste. Amount of spices can be adjusted to personal taste.
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