Indian made easy!

By SUNIL VIJAYAKAR

Aromatic: There's nothing like the smell of curry spices in your own kitchen


Many people are petrified by the prospect of tackling Indian cooking, but once you understand the basic ingredients you're well on your way to creating wonderful food.

The essence lies in the vast array of herbs and spices that produce aromatic flavours. I've created a mix of medium to hot dishes here, but you can always cool them down with cucumber, mint or yoghurt dips.

Most of us have a local Indian restaurant, but there's nothing quite like the smell of warm curry spices in your own kitchen.

Basic curry sauce recipe

This is a versatile sauce that can be transformed into three different curries: creamy vegetable korma, beef Madras and coconut fish curry.

SERVES 4

METHOD

Blend the onion, garlic and ginger to a smooth paste in a food processor, adding a little water if required.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the ground spices, the fennel seeds, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the paste. Fry for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Add the tomato purée and salt and pour in 700ml (1¼pt) water.

Simmer for 15 minutes or until thickened.

For creamy vegetable korma Stir-fry 500g (1lb 2oz) chopped vegetables of your choice and add the curry sauce with 300ml (½pt) single cream. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

For beef Madras Stir-fry 500g (1lb 2oz) diced beef with 1 chopped red chilli, for 4-5 minutes. Add the curry sauce with 300ml (½pt) beef stock and 2 roughly chopped potatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the beef is tender.

For coconut fish curry Put the curry sauce in a saucepan with 400ml (14fl oz) coconut milk. Bring to the boil and add 4 large white fish fillets. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the fish is cooked. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve.

source :dailymail

Posted in: Cooking,Delicious Foods