When I think of curry, I always envisage Indian curry. To me other nations’ curries such as Thai and Chinese just don’t cut it when I want to eat something spicy and full of flavour.
Even Indian curry comes in many forms as, in India, recipes are regional as are accompaniments; rice in rice growing areas and various breads where wheat is cultivated.
If you don’t live near a good Indian restaurant then making your own curry is a viable alternative and is really satisfying as the aromas develop and permeate your kitchen. Here are a few tips to make cooking Indian curry that much easier and more successful.
Tip #1 Buy a small quantity of each of the following spices: Coriander seed, cumin seed, dried red chillis or chilli powder, cardamom pods (green), cinnamon sticks, turmeric powder, fenugreek seeds, cloves, black peppercorns and mustard seeds (black). I say a small quantity because spices aren’t cheap and if you find you don’t take to cooking your own curries then they’ll be wasted. In addition, the longer they are kept the more flavour they lose so fresh is best.
Tip #2 Store your spices in airtight containers away from the light or they will deteriorate even more quickly. An Indian spice box (masala dabba) is extremely useful. It’s a round tin with a glass inset in the lid and inside mine has eight small round tins and a larger one divided in four; I wouldn’t be without it.
Tip #3 Check your larder before you start cooking. Many curries call for onions, fresh ginger, fresh garlic and tomatoes. I find it’s worth buying a whole ginger root, grating it with a food processor and flash freezing teaspoonfuls. When frozen, these little heaps of ginger can be stored in a plastic bag in the freezer and you can just grab one or more whenever you need it.
Tip #4 Leave yourself plenty of time to cook your Indian curry. Some curries such as Vindaloo call for the meat to be marinated and most need long slow cooking. In addition, like many other stew type dishes, they are often best eaten a day or more after initial cooking. So pour yourself a glass or wine or a cup of tea and enjoy the process.
Tip #5 Don’t use commercial curry powder; it doesn’t taste anything like the mixture of spices commonly used by Indian cooks.
Tip #6 Bring a different dimension to your spices by toasting them in a dry frying pan and grinding them up.
Tip #7 Unless you’re very patient with strong hands and wrists it’s worth investing in an electric coffee grinder to grind your spices.
Tip #8 Unless you’ve toasted your spices initially, you will need to fry them quite vigorously in a little oil to remove the raw flavour but don’t let them burn.
Tip #9 While an Indian cook will probably use ghee (clarified butter) for frying, vegetable or corn oil is just as good and much more healthy. If you have non-stick pans, you will only need a little.
Tip #10 You won’t come across many recipes for beef curries as the cow is a sacred creature in India but you can substitute beef for lamb if you wish. You can curry just about any meat, although many Indians are vegetarian so they use vegetables and/or paneer (a kind of cheese). Dishes made with dried pulses (dals) are also popular and tasty.
