I have never been a particularly great cook and don’t profess to be one now, but on passing the milestone recently that is turning 30, I have reflected on the fact that one good thing about getting older is that I seem to be getting a heck of a lot better in the kitchen. One culinary aspect that’s been receiving more of my attention of late is the art of making curry. I’ve always been a fan of a good curry, but my attempts at rustling up one from scratch a few years ago had always been disappointing and I found myself instead relying on the trusty jar of Pataks instead of making my own. The home made ones were OK, but always seemed a little one-dimensional, with the flavour a bit flat, leaving me with the feeling it needed something else, but never quite being able to put my finger on what that something else was. It didn’t bother me too much, I suppose I had resigned myself to the fact that I was an average cook, who made average curries and that was that.
However, my curry-making fortune changed last year when into Fairhazel Gardens moved a new Australian flatmate. This new flatmate turned out to have Indian heritage and was a great cook with an arsenal of Grandmother’s recipes in her head. After cooking us fabulous curries on several occasions (and making it look easy) I decided that it couldn’t be that hard and I wanted to learn how to do it. Another friend had also sampled these curries and was keen for a lesson in curry-making, so on a cold night last winter, the kitchen at Fairhazel hosted Curry 101. Under the instruction of our resident curry queen we made two different curries, a vegetable curry and a red lentil dahl and I alternately mixed spices, gulped rioja, stirred pots and scribbled notes.
Curry making proved to indeed be not that hard. The only problem however with people that know how to make things is that when they’re asked for details for those trying to transcribe instructions the quantities are all a bit vague. My ingredient list was along the lines of 1 big heaped teaspoon cumin, one smaller heaped teaspoon turmeric etc. And when I was measuring out these heaped spoons, my heaped was always too small. Heaped in this case, was so heaped that the spoon won’t take any more. I guess in a ‘proper’ recipe it would’ve been about 2 ½ regular teaspoons, but nevertheless, big heaped it was. So with the list of spices and quantities somewhat sorted, it was time to cook.
The first and only big rule I learnt, which is so simple I wish I had known it before, was that you should never just add spices into a sauce. They need to be fried a little first to release the flavour properly. So when you’re making curry the technique I was taught is that you should mix the spices together with a little bit of water to make a smooth, slightly wet paste. Then you add this to a little hot oil and fry until the water has evaporated. You will smell the flavours coming out and it is delicious!
That is really all there was to it. Knowing what spices to use, what rough amounts, and then the technique for putting it all together. It still is trial and error, the first couple of times that I made the vegetable curry it didn’t quite taste the same, and once again I felt like there was something missing. The flatmate identified this as salt. There was no salt on the ingredient list, but I did notice several liberal shakings of salt going into the mix at various stages of the cooking process. The salt seemed to lift the flavour somewhat and give a more rounded taste.
However after making the curry about 5 times, I feel like I’ve got a pretty reliable technique going on. The best thing about the homemade versions is that they actually taste like they’re good for you. Frequently when I go to an Indian restaurant (except of course my beloved Bombay Bicycle Club), and invariably if you get a takeaway curry, they are drowning in oil, and they don’t feel particularly healthy. I have no idea why these curry-makers feel the need to make their recipes so greasy, maybe that’s how they prefer them? Nevertheless, it is a sad indictment on the UK curry trade (but a good recommendation for my improving skills!) that I have got to the point that unless eating at a real posh curry house (few and far between) I often eat a curry and think I could have made better.
My repertoire is not vast, my modus operandi is to try and perfect a couple of dishes at a time. I have so far had good results with chana masala, dahl and my favourite butternut squash vegetable curry (liked even by the boyfriend who used to hate pumpkin!) I am almost ready for a new one to add. Anyone got a good recipe for palak paneer?
If anyone wants to give curry-making a crack, here’s a recipe, courtesy of the ex-flatmate…
Vegetable curry
2 large cloves garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric (big heaped)
1 teaspoon cumin (smaller heaped)
1 teaspoon mild chopped chilli (big heaped) for this I usually use the chopped red chilli that comes in a jar – use less for fresh chilli as it will be hotter.
Mix above ingredients with some water into a wet paste.
- Fry one finely chopped onion in oil (approximately 2 tablespoons) over medium heat until soft and slightly golden.
- Add the spice paste to the onion and fry and stir alternately for about 5 minutes.
- Add a little bit of water and keep frying for a couple of minutes.
- Chop 3 tomatoes and add to the onion and spices.
- Add one butternut squash, chopped into small cubes. Add enough water to cover the butternut and tomatoes, cover and cook.
- Stir every now and again, and add water as necessary. Add some salt during the cooking so it absorbs and flavours the vegetables not just the sauce.
- When the pumpkin is getting soft, add one chopped zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Cover and cook.
- Add some peas (1/2 – 3/4 cup) when the other vegetables are soft and pretty much cooked and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Ideally the pumpkin should be quite mushy at the end, which gives the curry a lovely texture. I’ve never timed it but I think it involves cooking for about an hour. It only needs occasional stirring though, so while it takes awhile, is not laborious.
Happy cooking!
Sounds great. I will give it a try at home and am looking forward to sampling your culinary skills soon.
Cool – always wondered how they did it.