Tag Archives: curry

Cooking

Lamb Biryani

As a sendoff, I cooked biryani: a lavish rice and curry layered dish drizzled with butter and saffron (as far as I understand it, anyway). It’s a non-trivial dish with raw spices, including the most expensive spice in the world!

Recipe from here.

Lamb Biryani

  • Marinate ~1.3 lb lamb shoulder with bone cubed in 1 tsp turmeric, 3 tbsp greek yogurt, 1/2 tsp salt 2 hours to overnight.
  • In 2 tbsp butter, fry 1 bay leaf, 5 green cardamom pods crushed, 4 cloves, 3 cm cinnamon until crackling.
  • Add 2 medium onions diced. Saute until soft.
  • Add 6 cloves garlic minced, 2” ginger minced. Add 1/2 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp fennel powder.
  • Add lamb, 2 tbsp tomato paste, mixing well. Saute.
  • Add 1/2 cup water. Simmer for an hour, until reduced.
  • Rice: Soak 500g (2.5 cups) basmati rice for 30 minutes. Drain. Cook rice with 4 cups water with 2 bay leaves, 3 green cardamom pods, pinch salt, until 75% done, 7-10 minutes. Drain.
  • Saffron water: Infuse generous pinch saffron in 2 tbsp hot water.
  • Assemble: In deep casserole dish or pot, brush with melted butter. Layer rice and lamb plus sauce in thirds, drizzling in saffron water with layers. Drizzle top with saffron water, 1-2 tbsp melted butter, 1 tbsp chopped mint. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. OR Layer in pot, cover, cook on low for 15 minutes.
  • Garnish with 1 tbsp coriander. Serve with red onion rings, lemon wedges, mint chutney.

Mint Chutney

  • Puree 2 cups cilantro sprigs (1 bunch), 1 cup mint leaves, 1/2 cup chopped white onion, 1 green chili, 1/2″ ginger, 1 tsp sugar, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 cup water as needed.
Cooking

Goan Fish Curry

I’m quickly learning that making curry is not as intimidating as it first seemed. Now that I’ve built a reasonable spice cabinet, it’s a matter of dicing onion, mincing garlic, grating ginger, and adding the right brown/yellow/red powders and/or seeds.

This time, a fish curry, which is actually probably the first time I’ve cooked fish in a year.

Started from bbcgoodfood.com but adjusted to taste. Which is audacious for me to say because I don’t actually know what the component spices taste like haha.

Goan Fish Curry

  • Saute 1 onion.
  • Add 1 green chili sliced, 4 cloves garlic minced, 1” ginger grated, 3” stick cinnamon, 1.5 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp garam masala, 2 tsp ground coriander, 2 pods cardamom, (1 bay leaf). Fry 2 minutes until fragrant.
  • Stir in 1 can coconut milk, 1 (15 oz) can tomatoes chopped, 1/4 can water as needed. 1/2 tsp salt, some pepper, 1 tsp sugar if needed. Simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add 1 lb white fish (haddock, tilapia, cobbler), cut into chunks. Optionally add veggies. Cook until done, about 5-10 minutes.
  • Add 1/2 lime of juice. Sprinkle with fresh coriander.
  • Serve on rice or naan, with yogurt.
Cooking

Massaman Curry

I learned about this Muslim-influenced Thai curry made with chicken potatoes, and peanuts. Thankfully I got the timing right so that the potatoes were soft but not mushy, the chicken cooked through but moist, the peanuts still crunchy, and the tomatoes just falling apart. Except I didn’t have plum tomatoes so I used my (ridiculously good) pearl tomatoes eighthed instead.

I’m growing fond making curry from scratch! I’ve got a big spice pantry to consume now anyway.

Recipe from foodandwine.com

Massaman Curry

  • Saute 1 onion diced.
  • Add 2 cloves garlic minced, 1/2″
    ginger     chopped, 1 tsp five-spice, 1 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt.
  • 1 cup chicken stock, 1/2 cup coconut milk.
  • Add 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed, simmer for 12 minutes.
  • Add 1.5 lb chicken breasts, simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, 1/2 lb plum tomatoes, 3 tbsp cilantro, simmer for 2 minutes, until chicken is done.
  • Serve on rice.

Thai Cabbage Salad

  • 4 cups shredded napa cabbage, part red cabbage
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced to bite sizes
  • 1 small cucumber, seeded, half moon sliced
  • 1 cup edamame
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
  • Dress with 4 cloves garlic (plus 2 red bird’s eye chili peppers seeded) and 1/4 tsp kosher salt mashed to create paste. 2 tsp light brown sugar, 2 tsp fish sauce, 1 lime of juice (2 tbsp).
Cooking

Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken)

This project was meant to push comfort zones, and venturing into Indian curries from scratch definitely did that. Exotic spices from a specialty store, hand-mincing ginger and garlic as finely as I can, marinating chicken in yogurt and lemon, frying whole spices, pretending a hot wok is a tandoor oven.

Turns out that butter chicken is like a global interpretation of Indian cuisine, but it still starts with tandoori chicken, a bunch of spices (many which I hadn’t heard of before), and — of course — butter. Preferably ghee, or clarified butter, but I was baking too!

Sourced from maunikagowardhan.co.uk, with input from so many other resources that I lost track.

 

Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken)

  • In 1.5 tbsp butter, fry 5 green cardamom pods crushed, 1 cinnamon stick crushed, and 4 cloves until fragrant
  • Add 1 small onion finely diced. Cook 5-7 minutes, until light brown.
  • Add 1” ginger grated, 2 green chilies sliced lengthwise, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 3 tbsp tomato paste (or 2 tomatoes diced).
  • Add 1/2 cup heavy cream, simmer 2-3 minutes.
  • Add 1 tbsp fenugreek leaf powder, some sugar if tomatoes were tangy, water to desired thickness. Salt to taste.
  • Add chicken, simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Garnish with cilantro. Serve with basmati rice or Indian breads.

Updated 3/20, with bolded ingredients, fresh tomatoes, and a new photo (now featuring cilantro and skillet!)

with mood lighting

 

Tandoori Chicken Tikka

  • Marinate 1 lb chicken thighs overnight in 2 tbsp thick yogurt (e.g. Greek), juice of 1/2 lemon, 4 cloves garlic minced, 1” ginger grated, 1 green chili minced, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp mild paprika, pinch chili powder, pinch cinnamon powder.
  • Skewer, then roast on hot grill, basting in butter, turning frequently, or stir fry in butter.