Chicken Korma

I won a copy of Jamie Oliver's Ministry Of Food cookbook. It really does have some fantastic recipes in it and they're never difficult because they were designed for those of us who have never really cooked.

I've heard many people say that Jamie Oliver's Chicken Korma recipe is bland and not that great - but after some investigating and reading a few forums I think it's actually his original, fancy recipe that people dislike; because this Ministry of Food Chicken Korma is DELICIOUS. Jared and I have cooked it and recooked it several times and it never lets us down.

800g skinless and boneless chicken thighs
2 medium onions
1 fresh red chili
1 thumb sized piece of fresh root ginger
1 small bunch of fresh coriander
olive oil
a knob of butter
290g jar of Patak's korma curry paste
1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk
1 x 400g tin chickpeas
2 heaped tablespoons desiccated coconut
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g natural yogurt
1 lemon

Cut the chicken into approximately 3cm pieces. Peel, half and chop your onions. Halved and finely slice the chili. Peel and finely chop the ginger. Pick the coriander leaves and finely chop the stalks. Drain the chickpeas.

Put a large casserole type pan on a high heat and add a couple of glugs of oil. Put the chicken thighs into the pan and brown lightly on all sides for five minutes. Push the chicken to one side of the pan. Stir in the onions, chili, ginger and coriander stalks with the butter. Keep stirring it enough so it doesn't catch and burn but turns lovely golden. Cook for around ten minutes. Add the korma curry paste, coconut milk, the drained chickpeas and dessicated coconut. Half fill the empty tin with water, pour into the pan and stir again. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 45 mitues with the lid on. Check the curry regularly to make sure it isn't drying out. Add a little extra water if necessary. Remove the lid and cook down at a simmering heat for another 25 mins. Season with Salt and Pepper.

Serve with rice. Add a few spoonfuls of natural yoghurt and scattered coriander leaves. Service with lemon wedges for spooning over.


E.

Slowcooked Butter Chicken

I was very lucky to get a slow cooker for my birthday late last year. At the time I was five months pregnant, incredibly nauseous 24 hours a day and not really in the mood to go anywhere near the kitchen. Six months later the weather was much cooler and I had much less time to prepare dinner, what with a new baby and all, and so came my first attempt at using the slowcooker or crockpot as it seems the Americans call them.

I googled my way around the internet and stumbled across Stephanie over at A Year of Crockpotting (who literally used her crockpot for 365 days. Funny that). There are loads of recipes I am looking forward to trying but I started with Butter Chicken. Boy, am I glad I started with Butter Chicken. To be honest, I don't think I have moved away from Butter Chicken yet! I've made it several times and we're all loving it. I wonder how long till we get sick of it. No time soon, I hope because it is so incredibly easy to prepare and very tasty.

(I followed Stephanies recipe, however, I used 2 teaspoons of butter rather than 6 tablespoons and 3 tablespoons of tomato paste rather than a can).

900g boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 tbs butter
15 cardamom pods
2 tsp curry paste/powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 can coconut milk
3 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs lemon juice
1 cup plain yogurt (to add at the end)

Carefully sew together the cardamom pods using a needle and thread ro put them in a little cheese cloth bundle. Put chicken in crockpot, and add onion, garlic, and all of the spices. Plop in the butter and tomato paste. Add lemon juice and coconut milk and stir. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. The chicken should shred easily when fully cooked.

Stir in the yogurt 15 minutes before serving. Discard cardamom pods. Season to taste and serve with rice.

Sathya-rating *****

Easy week night dinner - Kheema with Peas

We're settling into Adelaide well, but there is just so much to do! The house is coming together and we're getting used to our jobs, slowly. All of this means I don't give this site or my kitchen as much attention as I'd like, sorry. However, the internet was connected yesterday and the kitchen is pretty much done so that will change soon.

Here is a little something I threw together after work that was so easy and so delicious! Its saucy, tasty and comforting. The best part was the leftovers the next day which we put into toasted sandwiches, yum!

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
750g lean minced lamb or beef
2 tbsp tomato paste
250ml water or stock
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp dried red chilli flakes
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
200g podded peas, fresh or frozen
1-2 tsp garam masala
3 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and fry gently for 5 minutes until light golden. Add the ginger and garlic, stirring well, than add mince and fry for 5 mins until browned.

Add the tomato paste, water, coriander, chilli, turmeric, salt and pepper, and stir well. Cover and cook gently for 20 mins. Uncover, add the peas and garam masala and simmer until the peas are cooked and the kheema is thick and saucy.

Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve with yogurt and breads or rice.

Sathya-rating ****

Black Dhal

Dhal is one of my favourites. For me, its a comfort food. As mentioned on this blog a few times by now , I assume, the Indian culture, and therefore Indian cuisine has been central in my life since I was born. Whenever I’m not well or down, I enjoy making dhal (or ordering it takeaway) and enjoying it with rice and yogurt. Dhal is an easy dish to prepare made with spices and lentils. Black dhal is, in my opinion, a fancy dhal. It originated in Punjabi, in the North of India and is creamy and has a very different taste to traditional (yellow) Dhal. I’ve tried to make it a few times but this last time was the first time I truly succeeded. It tasted as it should. The black lentils (urad dhal) take a very long time to cook in comparison to other lentils. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, then you’ll need to cook it gently overnight to get the same effect.

I’m looking forward to making this again. Its delicious. I usually make way too much as it freezes really well.

1 cup black urad dal
2 tbsp kidney beans
2 tbsp chickpeas
5 cups water
salt to taste
red chilli powder to taste
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
4 tbsp ghee
4 pureed tomatoes
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp butter
1-2 tbsp tomato ketchup
medium bunch coriander

Soak 1 cup black urad dal, 2 tbsp kidney beans and 2 tbsp chickpeas in cold water for 5-6 hours.

Drain water from soaked dals. Add 5 cups of water, 1.5 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp garlic paste, 1/2 tsp ginger paste, 1 tbsp ghee and 1/4 tsp red chilli powder. Put these in a pressure cooker.

After first whistle, boil on low flame for 40-45 minutes.

Heat 3 tbsp ghee in a pan. Add 4 pureed tomatoes and cook till tomatoes become a little dry. Add 2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1/4 tsp garlic paste, 1/2 tsp ginger paste and 1/4 tsp red chili powder. Cook till oil separates.

Add boiled dal to this tomato mixture with 1 tsp butter and 1-2 tbsp tomato sauce.

Mix and cook for 10-15 minutes on medium flame mashing some of the dal occasionally to create a nice thick texture.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and cream.



Sathya-rating ****

Chicken with Sliced Lemon and Fried Onions

Do you love lemons? I do, they are my favourite, sweet or savoury, and honestly 9 times out of 10 a squeeze of lemon makes a dish better! In my book, anyway.

So, when I saw a Madhur Jaffrey on Serious Eats for a chicken curry focused on lemon I knew I'd love it. I organised a curry night with our newly wed friends, Merryn and Jamie and started this wonderful concoction.

It didn't take too long to prepare, but I did let it bubble away on the stove, on a low simmer for an extra 30 minutes to an hour. The end result is a delicious thick gravy with tender tasty chicken. It was devoured by all. Its not too spicy, or to Indian-ey either, like Robin Bellinger, I think this would be enjoyed even by those who think they don't like Indian food or curries.

Go ahead, give it a go, I will most definitely be trying it again.

1.5kg bone-in, skinless chicken pieces (I used all thighs; it’s easy to remove the skin yourself, if you can’t find bone-in, skinless parts)
3 medium onions
Ginger fresh, about 1-inch cube, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp turmeric
2 tbs plain yogurt
4 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 whole lemon
1 tbs sugar
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

If the chicken pieces are skin-on, remove the skin. Rinse and pat dry.
Peel the onions. Chop two of them coarsely and put them into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Cut the third one in half lengthwise, then slice it into thin half-rounds and set aside.

Add 6 tablespoons of water, the ginger, and the garlic to the onions in the food processor or blender and blend at high speed until you have a smooth paste.

Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a 10-12 inch pot over medium-high flame. When hot, put in the sliced onions and fry them, stirring, until they are darkish brown and crisp, though not burned. Remove onions with a slotted spoon and leave them to drain on paper towels.

In the same oil, brown the chicken pieces on all sides until they are golden. Do this speedily over high flame so the chicken browns but does not cook through. I did the thighs about 2 minutes per side. You will need to do it in at least 2 batches. Remove the chicken with slotted spoon to a bowl or plate.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot. Pour in the paste from the blender (turn your face away!). Stirring, fry on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until the paste turns a nice golden brown. Now put in the coriander, cumin, and turmeric and fry, stirring continuously; after another 2 minutes add yogurt, a teaspoon at a time; after 2 or 3 minutes, the tomato sauce, a tablespoon at a time, continuing to stir and fry. Finally, add salt, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne pepper, and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Cut the lemon into 4 or 5 slices, discarding the end pieces, and remove the seeds. Add lemon slices along with the chicken pieces, fried onions, sugar, and the ground pepper to the sauce, stir, and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender, turning the pieces every now and then. If chicken sticks to the bottom of pot, add a little more water. You should end up with a very thick sauce.


S

Eggplant Curry

Molly over at Orangette posted a recipe for eggplant curry a few weeks ago and it sounded wonderful. I'm not overly keen on eggplant, but lately I've realised doing things a whole other way can make a difference. Certain things I did not like, I do now. Eggplant curry is the only way I can enjoy eggplant at the moment, although I have not yet made one myself. Here is my first attempt and it was wonderful. Molly is spot on, its not hard to make and it definitely gets better as each day goes by. The texture of the eggplants is like velvet and with all those spicing its my idea of comfort food. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, however I finely chopped up the roots and them stems of the coriander (cilantro) and added them to the pan with the ginger and the garlic.

The smell the filled our place when the onions, cummin seeds, coriander roots, ginger, garlic and jalepeno was warm and tangy and spicy all at the same time.

Adapted from Food & Wine, March 2005

3 large eggplants
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small jalapeño, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 ½ tbs fresh ginger, minced
¼ tsp chilli flakes
3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp turmeric
1 cup frozen peas
¾ cup coriander, chopped
½ cup plain yogurt
Salt, to taste
1 tsp garam masala

Preheat the oven to 260°C. Put the eggplants on a rimmed baking sheet, and pierce them all over with a paring knife. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the skins are blackened and the flesh feels very soft when pressed. Set aside to cool slightly. Slice open lengthwise and, using a spoon, scrape the flesh from the skin onto a large bowl. Using a potato masher or a large fork, mash the flesh coarsely. (This part can be done a day or so ahead, if you like. Refrigerate the prepared eggplant in a covered container.)

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they begin to sizzle and pop, about 10 seconds. Add the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is soft and beginning to brown, about 5 - 10 minutes. Add the jalapeño, garlic, ginger, coriander roots/stems and chilli flakes, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, and stir well. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated, about 10 -15 minutes. Add the paprika and turmeric, and cook, stirring, for another 2 - 3 minutes. Add the eggplant, stir to combine, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add the peas, and cook to warm through. Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the coriander, yogurt, garam masala and salt.

S

Beef Vindaloo

Yep, that's the really hot one. This recipe goes out especially to Liam, the chilli challenger. On a recent curry night at our place, I wanted to make a curry I’d never made before and thought the spice tolerance of the invitees was high, so why not. The vindaloo was great! It was easy to prepare and the flavour was spot on. I struggled to add the amount of cloves and pepper, but I did and it paid off. Vindaloo is actually a Portuguese dish. The Portuguese introduced it to Goa, India, so yet again I learnt something new about curries. Food knowledge is never ending!

1 kg diced beef
200 mls white vinegar
2-4 tsp dried chillies (depending on how hot they are)
1 heaped tbs cumin seeds
1 tbs cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 tbs black peppercorns
4 red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
10 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of ginger
1 tbs tamarind pulp
1 rbs brown sugar
3 tbs vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
300 mls water
salt

Marinate the beef in 100 mls of the vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt for 20 minutes and then drain and dry well.

Grind the cumin seeds, cloves and peppercorns to a fine powder.

Add the ground spices, cinnamon stick, fresh chilies, garlic, ginger, tamarind, vinegar, chilli flakes and sugar and process to a smooth paste.

Brown the beef in some oil and then set aside.

Fry the onions in some oil for 20 – 30 minutes.

Add the spice paste and fry for a further 5 minutes. Add the beef back to the pan with the water and 1 ½ teaspoons salt.

Bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer and cover and allow to cook for1 ½ - 2 hours, stirring from time to time, until the beef is tender.

S

Beef Curry (No fat if you wish)

a

We're on this ridiculous diet. One of the 7 days we're allowed only beef and tomatoes. Last week I struggled with this particular day, so this week I decided to try a curry without any fat. For all you slim people, follow the recipe below. Anyone like me, struggling to lose a few pounds - I toasted the whole spices (no oil) in the pan and then dumped everything else and allowed it to simmer for 3 hours. It was fantastic. It was incredibly difficult for me to restrain myself and not fry off all the spices and onion etc like the usual ceremony for curries so I was surprised it still tasted great!

2 tins of tomatoes
3 bay leaves
3 cardamom pods, crushed
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup of water
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, freshly grated
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
400 gm diced beef
salt
2-3 tbsp of oil
2 potatoes, diced
2 carrots, chopped
fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Heat the oil in a pan and when hot add the cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamon, chill and bay leaves.

When the seeds start to pop, add the onion, ginger and garlic and stir till it a nice golden brown and earthy smell.

Add the tins of tomato, beef, water, salt, turmeric and ground cumin.

Cover and simmer on a low heat for 1 to 3 hours. The longer the better. You want the tomatoes to become nice and thick. Depending on how long you are going to leave it on the heat, add the potatoes and carrots for the last 30-40 minutes.

Remove from heat, garnish with the chopped coriander.

S

Gobi Manchurian – Cauliflower Curry

I have 2 gorgeous younger sisters. One, Surya seems to be an avid fan of The Baker and the Curry Maker, which is fantastic. Occasionally she sends me ideas, recipes, subtle hints etc and I love it.

Surya sent me an email recently that she had been meaning to mention this dish, it was amazing, yummy and something we might like. This is the link she sent me. http://kitchenwonders.blogspot.com/2006/07/gobi-manchurian_02.html

Ever obliging, Tony and I made this dish. He loved it, I wasn’t as excited. Don’t get me wrong, it was tasty, I think I built it up a little too much. Its an Indian cross Chinese dish I believe.
Next time, I wouldn’t fry the cauliflower; I’d just steam them and add more ginger, garlic and chilli to the mix.

250g (approx) cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp chilli powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 onion, diced
1 red capsicum, diced
1 green chilli, finely sliced
4 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp soy sauce
5 to 8 curry leaves
Oil, to deep fry
Salt to taste
Bi-carb soda

Make a slightly thick batter with cornflour and flour dissolved in water, add the ginger and garlic, ½ tsp red chilli powder, salt and a pinch of bi-carb soda to it.

Heat the oil till hot.

Coat the florets with the batter and then deep fry till it turns golden brown (lower the heat so as to cook them through).

Drain and set aside

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. the ginger and garlic and fry a little. Add the onions, green chillies and capsicum and saute till onions are soft and shiny but not brown.

Add the chilli powder, roughly torn curry leaves, tomato sauce and soy sauce.

Dissolve 1 tablespoon cornflour with half a cup of water and add to the pan.

Add the fried cauliflower florets and mix well.

Serve immediately with chopped spring onions or coriander leaves.

S

Mushroom Curry

A


Whenever I get the opportunity to cook for my parents, without my sisters, I almost always make something with mushrooms, as I know they love them and my sisters hate them. My Dad mentioned a few times, the Palak Paneer I posted recently made his mouth water which I took as a subtle hint that I should make it for them while they were here, so I did, and I made this along side it, as I had to keep up the mushroom tradition and we all love a good mushroom curry. The recipe below is how I made it, but next time I think I would only do half a cup of water as I think it watered it down too much. Or you could go all out and do cream. Mmm.

300 grams button mushrooms, cut into halves)
150 grams oyster mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small piece Ginger, grated
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground coriander
Salt
Oil
3 tablespoons yoghurt
Fresh coriander, chopped

Grind/process the ginger, garlic & onion with very little water to a make a smooth paste.

Fry the mushrooms on a hight heat for a few minutes and set aside.

In a pan, fry the ginger, garlic and onion mix in a little oil on low. Add the yoghurt 1 tablespoon at a time, and fry for 2 minutes.

Then add the tomatoes, ground coriander, chilli and salt and fry for a minute.

Add the fried mushrooms and a 3.4 cup of water and stir well.

Lower the heat and allow to thicken.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

S

Coconut Green Beans

This curry is more like a stirfry I guess. Toasted spices with shredded coconut and crisp sweet green beans. It only takes a few minutes and is delicious. It can also be done with cabbage, which is even quicker.

1 tbs oil
½ tsp mustard sees
1 onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbs shredded coconut
¼ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp turmeric
2-3 large handfuls of green beans or quarter cabbage
2 tbs urad dhal
4 curry leaves
Salt to taste

Heat a wok or large pan and add the oil. Fry the mustard seeds and urad dhal till the mustard seeds pop.

Add the garlic and onion and fry gently for a minute.

Add the cumin seeds, turmeric, curry leaves and green beans (or cabbage) and stirfry. Add the coconut and cook, covered for 5 minutes. Check seasoning.

Serve with toasted coconut.

S

Palak Paneer

Curry fest was on at my place this weekend in celebration of my sister coming up to see us.

Palak Paneer, also known as Sag Paneer is an old favourite in our family, and is always ordered when we go out for Indian. Until recently, I’d never tried to make it. The problem now is, that I have found the perfect recipe and its far too easy and way, way too tasty.

Paneer is very mild Indian cheese, which can now be bought at the supermarket. Its soft, with not a lot of flavour, similar to ricotta if I had to compare it to something. The combination of the cheese with the spiced, creamy spinach are a match made in heaven if you ask me, or anyone else in my family. There was no leftovers, so I think everyone agreed.

400 grams paneer, cut into small cubes
vegetable oil
800 grams spinach, well washed and drained
ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon chilli powder
Salt
100 mls cream

Fry the paneer in a little oil until golden and then set aside.

Stir-fry the spinach with a knob of ghee and then puree.

Fry the cumin seeds in 100 grams of ghee until they crackle and then stir in the chopped garlic and sauté.

Add the coriander, chilli powder and spinach puree, season with salt, and stir-fry for 4 minutes.

Add the paneer and simmer gently to heat through, and then stir in the cream.

S

Lamb Curry

I had been trying to make this curry for weeks! But everything was working against me as things kept coming up, people kept cancelling or time did not permit! But I'd seen the photo in my Marie Claire cookbook and knew I had to make it! It just looked so tasty! And so last night was the night! I bought all the ingredients, and prepared the kitchen - and then read the method and realised the meat needed to marinate for three hours!! By this stage it was 4pm! I wanted it on the table before midnight!! So I opted to marinate for an hour and a half and it was still so lovely. The recipe also asks for 2 teaspoons of garam masala but I added about a tablespoon. Two teaspoons just didnt seem enought to me....

In the end it was absolutely lovely. And I think my photo turned out looking very similar to the one in the cookbook - without all the arty farty talent that their photographer obviously had! Andy said it was the best curry I've ever made! (I've only made 5 mind you...) But still, a compliment. Very quick and easy to get it all in the pot and mixed together (once the 3 hours of marinating is over that is), and the result is very much worth it!

1kg Lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into cubes

3 tablespoons olive oil

juice of 2 lemons

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 onions, finely chopped

400g chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 green chillis, seeded and cut into strips

250ml beef stock

10 mint leaves, finely chopped

300g plain yoghurt

steamed basmati to serve

Put the lamb cubes into a large ceramic dish and add 2 tablespoons of the oil, the lemon juice, ginger and garam masala. Massage teh ingredients into the lamb to ensure it is well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate for 3 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat the remaining oil in a large heavy based saucepan and add the onion. Cook for a few minutes until the onion is soft then add the lamb - depending on the size of your pan you may need to cook the lamb in two separate batches. Cook for several minutes until browned. Add teh tomato, tomato paste, chilli and stock and return the rest of the lamb to the pan if necessary. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally over a low heat for 1 1/2 hours, or until the liquid has reduced and the lamb is coated in a rick, thick sauce.

Meanwhile, stir the mint leaves into the yoghurt. Serve the lamb spooned over steamed rice with a dollop of minty yoghurt. Serves 4

E.

Gordon Ramsay's Malaysian Chicken Curry

This recipe came highly recommended and intrigued me as the spice combination was different to any curry I have made. Which if I may say so myself, is a few. That and the fact our household loves a good Sunday afternoon curry.

It was relatively easy and fool proof and came out creamy, tangy and spicy. Mmm.

Curry Paste:
5 garlic cloves, peeled
4-5 long red chillies, trimmed
2 lemon grass stalks, trimmed, outer leaves removed and sliced
5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
4 shallots, peeled and chopped
1 tsp ground turmeric
2-3 tbsp groundnut oil

For curry:
800grams chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tbsp groundnut oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
4 kaffir lime leaves
1 cinnamon stick
3 star anise
400ml coconut milk (I used coconut flavoured evaporate milk)
100ml chicken stock
1 tsp palm sugar (or soft brown sugar)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
400g green beans, trimmed
Salt and pepper
handful of coriander leaves, roughly torn

To make the curry paste. Put the garlic, chillies, lemon grass, ginger and shallots in a food processor to form a paste. (Or you can use a pestle and mortar).

Next, heat the groundnut oil in a large heavy-based pan. Tip in the curry paste with 1 tsp ground turmeric and stir over a medium heat for a few minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring for 5 minutes.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add to the pan, stirring to coat in the paste. Add the lime leaves, cinnamon stick, star anise, coconut milk, stock, sugar, soy and fish sauces and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for half an hour to an hour until the chicken is tender.

Skim off any excess oil on the surface of the curry. Taste add salt and pepper if you think its needs. Add the beans and cover for another few minutes until the beans are tender.
To serve, scatter the coriander leaves over the curry and serve with rice and roti.

S

Spinach and Lamb Curry

I keep finding with these Mistress of Spice curries, that the longer you let them cook the more perfect and flavoursome and moreish they become. So last night I let the meat cook for three hours. With every bite I found I wanted more and more!

My other half didn't speak until he had finished eating and the first thing that came out of his mouth afterwards... "There had better be more babe!" Thats why its fantastic that each of these curries leaves plenty of left overs, and they always taste even better the next day!

The health benefits are huge too! Some of the spices in this curry include, Coriander, Cumin, Fenugreek, Tumeric, Mustard, Pepper, Chilli... And with all that spinach, you can't go wrong...

800g lamb
Diced 2 large onions
Finely chopped 4 cloves garlic
Finely chopped 4 tsp Mistress of Spice Madras Curry Powder

500g frozen spinach, defrosted
1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
¾ cup Greek yoghurt
½ cup cream (this can be replaced with yoghurt to make a lower fat version if you like)
1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped
2-3 tbsp oil

Heat oil in large saucepan or frying pan that has a fitting lid. Add the onions and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes before adding the curry powder. Stir this through the onions and garlic for about 20 seconds and add the diced lamb. Brown the meat, stirring to coat well in the spice mix.

When lamb is lightly browned add the can of tomatoes and about 1 cup of water. Stir, cover and simmer for about 40minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Add the spinach, stir, cover and simmer again for another 20 minutes. Then mix through the yoghurt (or cream if using). Do NOT let the sauce boil at this stage. A very gentle simmer is alright but boiling will cause the yoghurt to curdle. Put in the coriander, stir and season with salt to taste.

Serve with rice and yoghurt.

E.

Sathya's Chicken and Vegetable Curry

Murphy paid me a visit last week on my well deserved week's annual leave and landed me with a god awful cold.

By day 4 I dragged myself into the kitchen and made this curry. I put loads of chilli, garlic and ginger and sure enough the next day I was a lot better.

Problem with me is, I always cook for 10 people, when there is only 2 of us! Thankfully Stacy and Will came to the rescue, thanks guys.

Ingredients:

2 tsp mustard seeds
1 ½ tsp cummin seeds
8 coriander seeds, smashed in mortar & pestle
½ tsp tumeric
7 curry leaves
2 tsp ground coriander
1 ½ tsp ground cummin
½ tsp asafoetida
2 tsp chilli flakes
3 fresh chillies
3 cm ginger
2 onion
3 garlic
2 tins diced tomatoes
tbs tomato paste
4 tsps of stock powder
vegetable oil
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
8 chicken thighs, large dice
300g green beans, cut in half
greek yogurt
streamed basmati rice

Frying all the spices, etc can go fast, so I find it easiest to have everything ready on the bench next to me for east access.

I put the onions, garlic, ginger and fresh chillies into a food processor to chop to a mush. According to the experts who have taught me their tricks, this makes a nice “gravy”.

In a large pot heat up a tablespoon of oil. You will need a lot of oil to fry all these spices, so feel free to add more.

Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds. Once these begins to sizzle and pop add the cummin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and chilli flakes. I had a cold when I made this curry so I added a lot of chilli so use your own chilli opinion. Fry for a minute or 2.

Add the ground cummin and coriander to this mix and stir through.

Add the processed mix of onions, garlic, ginger and fresh chillies to the spices and and fry for 5-10 minutes. Turn down the heat so as not to burn.

In a separate pan, fry the chicken quickly to seal.

Add the tinned tomatoes, chicken, potatoes, 4 cups of water, stock cubes, tomato paste and season.

Bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer and allow to simmer for as long as possible. Minimum 30 minutes, maximum 2-3 hours. Allowing the curry to simmer for several hours will cause the meat and potatoes to fall apart nicely.

Serve with rice, yogurt, and chutney or pickle as you desire.

S

Beef Wat

By far my favourite of the Mistress of Spice curries so far... The meat was so tender. Its a hot dish but its just the right amount of heat. I've made it twice in one week already. I am amazed at how few ingredients it takes and how healthy such a great tasting meal can be!

1.5kg beef, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions, chopped
3 good size cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced
3 rounded teaspoons Mistress of Spice Berbere
800g chopped tomatoes
Salt to taste

Fry the onion unitl lightly golden then add garlic. Fry for a couple of minutes longer. Add the Mistress of Spice Berbere spices and fry for a minute to release the aroma of the blend.

Add the meat, allowing to brown, stirring occasionally to coate the pieces well and increase the absorption of the flavours.
Pour in the tomatoes. Salt to taste. Simmer for a good hour and a half or longer if you can.

This great spice mix is wonderful for its effect on the taste buds as well as healthy. Black pepper and cloves aid food digestion by increasing digestive juices, including natural stomach acid. Ayurvedic medicine use it to treat colds, flus and other infections. Chilies contain capsaicin, which, among its other advantages, is a natural painkiller.

E.

Tagine of Chicken & Sweet Potato

I decided not to do this one in my tagine as, well, it didn't occur to me. It was the end of a long, cold, busy day and I really wanted a comfort meal. I doubled the batch so my parents could freeze it and eat it at a later date. I just can't get past this http://www.mistressofspice.com.au/ website. Every dish is so easy, so healthy and above all very delicious. I bought the Mistress of Spice cookbook today so prepare to see a lot more...

1kg chicken thighs

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2cm ginger, finely chopped or grated

3 teaspoons Mistress of Spice Ras el Hanout

Salt and pepper to taste

2-3 teaspoons olive oil

600g sweet potato cut into 3cm chunks

3 tablespoons honey

Basmati rice

Coriander Greek Yoghurt

Yoghurt

Coriander
Salt & Pepper

Lemon Juice

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and fry until soft then add garlic and ginger and continue to fry until light and golden. Add the Mistress of Spice Ras el Hanout and cook for about thirty seconds, or until fragrant.

Add a little salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and the chicken. Brown slightly. Add the sweet potatoes and cover with water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then cover and leave to simmer until the chicken is tender and the potato is half cooked (approx 20 mins).

Simmer uncovered until the sauce is reduced by half or until a consistency to your liking. If the sauce is too runny, increase heat to high and boil uncovered until it reduce. You will need to stir regularly.
Carefully stir in honey, making sure you don't mash up the potatoes. Leave to bubble uncovered for a few more minutes. Taste and season as desired.

Serve with basmati rice and coriander greek yoghurt.

E.

Thai Green Curry

Somehow I had too much coriander in my fridge this weekend.

As I was walking to the shops I decided I'd make Thai Green curry paste to use it up.

Unfortunately, I couldn't remember the ingredients off the top of my head, so I went into the bookstore and scurried around trying to find a recipe while Tony looked at me strangely. Having finally one I aprroved of, I made him list off the ingredients and measurements while I scribbled it in my little book (hence, above, it says vege cup, its meant to be vegetable oil).

I must have been having one of my bimbo days as I realised as I was waiting to pay for my items that we were going to a party that night, and I wouldn't in fact be needing to make dinner.

Whilst straightening my hair and applying make up I whizzed up the paste to make life easier for me when I got home from work last night.

Liz and I discovered the monstrosity of coconut milk so I used lite, coconut flavoured evaporated milk instead, which worked really well considering the difference in fat.

I made extra curry paste so I could use it in the future, but the curry ingredients are enough for 3 serves + rice.

So here's what you need:

For the paste:

3 lemongrass stalks, bruised and roughly chopped

1 large piece of peeled ginger

10 green chillies, with tops off

1 tbsp pepper

2 bunches of coriander, stalks and all

2 tbs shrimp paste

10 lime leaves

1 large onion

10 garlic cloves

piece of lime rind

The rest:

4 skinless chicken thighs, chopped

2 tbs vegetable oil

3 potatoes, cut into large chunks

1 tin of sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and drained

2 tbs fish sauce

handful of green beans

1 tin of evaporated milk or coconut milk

fresh coriander to serve (optional)

Greek yogurt to serve (optional)

Put all paste ingredients in a food processor and blend till thick paste. Add a little vegetable oil too loosen if necessary.

Heat oil in large pot. Fry 2 tablespoons of Thai Green Curry Paste in oil till becomes fragrant.

Add chicken and seal. Add potatoes and fry quickly with chicken so they are coated with the paste.

Add the tin of milk, fish sauce and water chestnuts. Bring to the boil and then turn down heat to simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Serve with rice, yogurt and coriander as desired.

S

Mauritian Curry

This is another gorgeous recipe from the Mistress of Spice website! And so healthy! http://www.mistressofspice.com.au/

I changed it a tiny bit and put extra veggies in. It can be modified as you see fit!

1kg chicken thighs

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cm piece ginger, finely chopped or grated
3 - 4 teaspoons Mistress of Spice Mauritian Massalé (can be purchased from spice stores of from the Mistress of Spice website)
4 large potatoes, cut into large dice
1 sweet potato chopped

2 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
Handfull green beans

1 red chilli, chopped

Salt to taste
Basmati rice

Pappadums

Greek Yoghurt

Start by heating oil in a large saucepan. Fry onions until lightly golden then add garlic and ginger and fry for a couple of minutes longer. Add the Mistress of Spice Mauritian Massalé and fry for a minute to release the aroma of the blend.

Add the meat, allow to brown stirring continually to coat the pieces well and increase the absorption of the flavours.

Add the tomatoes and potatoes, stir to coat with the spiced oil. Cover with water and allow to simmer for approximately 30-45 minutes, until the potatoes break up very easily and thicken the sauce.

About fifteen minutes before it is ready add the chilli and the beans. Add salt to taste. If the sauce is getting a dry, add a little water.

Serve with rice, pappadums and greek yoghurt.

E.