Indian Curry Recipes (4 page)
TIP
Chicken thighs are less expensive than breast and are excellent in curries.
Butter Chicken
M
urgh makhani, or butter chicken, comes from the Punjab and dates back to the Moghul empire. The buttery smooth sauce thickened with ground cashew nuts and cream makes this a very rich dish. Traditionally, the chicken is left to marinate overnight in a spicy yoghurt mixture, but cooking in the slow cooker makes this step unnecessary.
Serves 4
100 g/4 oz/1 cup unsalted cashew nuts
30 ml/2 tbsp medium curry powder
3 garlic cloves, peeled, or 15 ml/1 tbsp garlic purée (paste)
10 ml/2 tsp grated fresh or bottled ginger
15 ml/1 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
5 ml/1 tsp chilli powder
1.5 ml/¼ tsp ground cinnamon
150 ml/¼ pint/2/3 cup thick plain yoghurt
45 ml/3 tbsp ghee or unsalted (sweet) butter
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, chopped, or 60 ml/4 tbsp frozen diced onion
4 green cardamom pods, split
15 ml/1 tbsp red or white wine vinegar
400 g/14 oz/large can chopped tomatoes
150 ml/¼ pint/2/3 cup boiling chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
60 ml/4 tbsp double (heavy) cream
- In a non-stick frying pan, dry-roast the cashews over a low heat for 2 minutes. Sprinkle over the curry powder and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, stirring all the time until the cashews are just beginning to turn golden.
- Tip into a spice or coffee mill and grind to a powder. In a blender, process the ground cashew nuts, garlic, ginger, tomato purée, chilli powder, cinnamon and half the yoghurt to a smooth paste. Add the rest of the yoghurt and briefly blend again.
- Melt half the ghee or butter in a large saucepan and fry the chicken thighs for a minute or two on each side until golden. Transfer to the ceramic cooking pot.
- Put the rest of the ghee or butter, the onions and cardamoms into the pan and fry for 7-8 minutes until the onions begin to soften. Stir in the vinegar. Tip the mixture over the chicken thighs in the cooking pot.
- Mix the tomatoes, stock and a little salt and pepper together, then pour into the cooking pot. Cover with the lid and cook on High for 2-3 hours or Low for 4-6 hours, until the chicken is tender.
- Lift the chicken on to warmed serving plates. Stir the cream into the sauce, then taste and add more seasoning if necessary. Serve with plain boiled basmati rice and a side salad or green vegetable.
TIP
If you have a can of whole tomatoes, simply remove the top, insert a knife into the can and chop roughly in the can.
Chicken Masala Soup
This makes a lovely starter, or you can serve it as a lunch or supper dish. Indian spices add both warmth and colour to this dish which is a cross between a soup and a stew. A steaming bowlful topped with a dollop of thick plain yoghurt and a sprinkling of chopped fresh coriander is sure to please everyone.
Serves 4
1 large onion, chopped, or 60 ml/4 tbsp frozen diced onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed, or 10 ml/2 tsp garlic purée (paste)
5 ml/1 tsp ground coriander
5 ml/1 tsp ground cumin
2.5 ml/½ tsp ground turmeric
2.5 ml/½ tsp ground ginger
450 ml/¾ pint/2 cups very hot (not boiling) chicken stock
450 g/1 lb chicken breast or mini chicken fillets
400 g/14 oz/large can chopped tomatoes
200 g/7 oz fresh or frozen green beans, halved
400 g/14 oz/large can chick peas (garbanzos), drained and rinsed
15 ml/1 tbsp chopped fresh or thawed frozen chopped coriander (cilantro)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Put the onion, garlic, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and ginger in the ceramic cooking pot and turn the slow cooker on to Low.
- Pour the stock over, cover with the lid and leave for a few minutes while measuring and preparing the rest of the ingredients.
- Cut the chicken into 2 cm/¾ in wide strips. Add to the pot with the tomatoes, beans and chick peas. Replace the lid and cook for 4-5 hours or until the chicken is tender and the vegetables are cooked.
- Stir in most of the chopped coriander and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with the remaining coriander. Serve with strips of warm naan bread.
TIP
To save time, use 15 ml/1 tbsp of your favourite curry powder or paste instead of the individual dry spices.
Spiced Duck
Long, gentle simmering in the slow cooker makes duck portions wonderfully tender and succulent. Jaggery is a completely unrefined sugar made from boiling the sap from the date palm until thick enough to set hard.
Serves 4
30 ml/2 tbsp whole coriander seeds
10 ml/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 duck portions, skinned
30 ml/2 tbsp groundnut (peanut) or sunflower oil
2 onions, chopped, or 90 ml/6 tbsp frozen diced onion
15 ml/1 tbsp grated fresh or bottled ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed, or 10 ml/2 tsp garlic purée (paste)
6 whole cloves
2.5 ml/½ tsp ground cinnamon
5 ml/1 tsp hot chilli powder
10 ml/2 tsp jaggery or muscovado sugar
15 ml/1 tbsp red wine vinegar
250 ml/8 fl oz/1 cup very hot (not boiling) chicken or vegetable stock
Salt, to taste
60 ml/4 tbsp thick plain or Greek yoghurt
60 ml/4 tbsp chopped fresh or frozen coriander (cilantro)
- Process the coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a spice or coffee grinder until finely ground. Alternatively, crush them with a pestle and mortar or in a bowl, using the end of a wooden rolling pin.
- Pack the duck into the slow cooker in a single layer, as snugly as possible. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions for 7-8 minutes, until almost soft. Stir in the ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, chilli and jaggery or sugar and cook for a further minute, stirring.
- Turn off the heat, then stir in vinegar, followed by the stock. Season with a little salt and pour over the duck.
- Cover with the lid and cook on High for 3 hours or on Low for 6 hours or until the duck is very tender.
- Lift the duck on to warmed serving plates. Stir a little of the hot sauce into the yoghurt, then stir this mixture into the sauce with the chopped coriander. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Spoon the sauce over the duck and serve with Lemon-scented or plain basmati rice.
TIP
If you can't find jaggery, muscovado sugar can be used instead.
Coconut Duck Curry
This fantastic curry comes from Kerala and uses both coconut milk and freshly grated coconut. Although this dish involves a little more preparation time, it is well worth the effort. As duck is quite a fatty meat, it's important to remove the skin and fat. Alternatively, after cooking you can cool and chill the curry, then skim the fat off the surface before reheating.
Serves 4
4 duck portions, skinned
6 curry leaves
150 g/5 oz fresh coconut, grated
15 ml/1 tbsp groundnut (peanut) or sunflower oil
1 onion, sliced, or 45 ml/3 tbsp frozen diced onion
15 ml/1 tbsp grated fresh or bottled ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed, or 10 ml/2 tsp garlic purée (paste)
30 ml/2 tbsp mild curry powder
10 ml/2 tsp ground coriander
5 ml/1 tsp ground turmeric
5 ml/1 tsp mild chilli powder
5 ml/1 tsp ground cinnamon
400 ml/14 oz/large can coconut milk
175 ml/6 fl oz/¾ cup boiling vegetable or chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
60 ml/4 tbsp chopped fresh or frozen coriander (cilantro)
- Pack the duck into the slow cooker in a single layer, as snugly as possible. Tuck the curry leaves in between the portions and sprinkle over about half of the grated coconut.
- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion for 6-7 minutes until almost soft. Mix in the ginger, garlic, curry powder, ground coriander, turmeric, chilli and cinnamon and cook for a further minute, stirring. Turn off the heat, then stir in the coconut milk and stock. Season with a little salt and pour the mixture over the duck portions.
- Cover with the lid and cook on High for 3 hours or on Low for 6 hours or until the duck is very tender.
- Lift the duck portions on to warmed plates. Stir the chopped coriander into the sauce, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Garnish with the remaining grated coconut and serve with basmati or Saffron Rice.
TIP
Curry leaves are often used in southern Indian cooking and are picked from the curry tree. They have a distinct flavour and aroma and can be bought fresh or dried; the fresh ones can be frozen.
Royal Duck Biryani
Derived from the Persian word 'birian' meaning roasted before cooking, a biryani is a combination of rice, meat or vegetables together with yoghurt and spices, often served at festive occasions. It's traditionally served topped with golden fried onions; these are cooked early in this recipe, but you can quickly reheat them in a pan or in the microwave before serving.
Serves 4
4 duck breasts, skinned
3 garlic cloves, crushed, or 15 ml/1 tbsp garlic purée (paste)
10 ml/2 tsp grated fresh or bottled ginger
150 ml/¼ pint/2/3 cup thick plain or Greek-style yoghurt
30 ml/2 tbsp groundnut (peanut) or sunflower oil
15 ml/1 tbsp ghee or unsalted (sweet) butter
2 onions, thinly sliced
30 ml/2 tbsp medium curry powder
10 ml/2 tsp cumin seeds
6 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns
6 green cardamom pods, split
200 g/7 oz/small can chopped tomatoes
200 ml/7 fl oz/scant 1 cup very hot (not boiling) chicken or vegetable stock
350 g/12 oz/1½ cups basmati rice
5 ml/1 tsp saffron threads
45 ml/3 tbsp hot milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cut the duck into large chunks. Mix the garlic, ginger and yoghurt in a large bowl, add the duck and stir well. Cover and leave for 30 minutes at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 6 hours, if preferred.
- Heat 15 ml/1 tbsp of the oil with the ghee or butter in a frying pan and gently cook the onions for 10 minutes, until soft and beginning to turn golden. Transfer half of the onions to the ceramic cooking pot. Cook the rest of the onions for a further 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently until a rich golden brown colour. Transfer to another bowl and set aside.
- Remove the duck from the marinade. Heat the rest of the oil in the frying pan and brown the duck on all sides. Lift out of the pan with a draining spoon leaving the juices behind and add to the pot.
- Fry the curry powder, cumin seeds, cloves, peppercorns and cardamom in the pan juices for 30 seconds, stirring. Turn off the heat and stir in the tomatoes and stock. Pour over the duck.
- Cover and cook on High for 3 hours or Low for 6 hours. Towards the end of cooking, cook the rice according to the packet instructions. Drain well. While the rice is cooking, infuse the saffron in the hot milk for 10 minutes.
- Lift the duck portions on to a warmed plate. Gently stir the rice into the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Spoon on to plates, then place a portion of duck on top of each. Drizzle with the saffron milk, then spoon over the reserved fried onion. Serve with a green salad and Sweet Mango Chutney.
TIP
A bowl of minted yoghurt complements most curry meals.
Along with chicken, lamb is a very popular meat in India and this is reflected by a huge number of flavoursome lamb dishes, all of which convert very well to the slow cooker. Pork is ideal for very spicy dishes. Most curries need a long, slow cooking time so what could be more appropriate than to prepare these wonderful recipes in the slow cooker for the most delicious results.
Some of the most popular lamb curries include lamb madras, rogan josh and dopiaza to name but a few. Generally, the best cuts of lamb for slow cooker curries are shoulder and neck, as they are wonderfully tender after long slow cooking, but you can use leg of lamb if you prefer. In India the bones are often left in the meat as they add to the flavour of the sauce; if you do this you will need almost double the amount of meat given here.
Goat is also widely eaten throughout India; I haven't featured any recipes for this, but it can be used instead of lamb in any of these dishes.
Although the Hindus and Muslims of India do not usually eat pork, Indian Christians do, so there is a handful of pork curries here. Using spices helps to offset the richness of pork as seen in one of the best known curries - vindaloo - a very hot and sour Goan speciality from India's west coast.
Fragrant Lamb with Spinach
This attractive curry with chunks of tender lamb is warmly spiced rather than fiery hot and contains crushed cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg. The curry will look fairly thick after the initial cooking, but the sauce will become thinner with the juices from the spinach.
Serves 4
30 ml/2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 large onion, chopped, or 60 ml/ 4 tbsp frozen diced onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed, or 10 ml/2 tsp garlic purée (paste)
30 ml/2 tbsp grated fresh or bottled ginger
Seeds from 6 cardamom pods, crushed
5 ml/1 tsp paprika
10 ml/2 tsp ground cumin
10 ml/2 tsp ground coriander
2.5 ml/½ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
700 g/1½ lb lean boneless lamb, cubed
2.5 ml/½ tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
15 ml/1 tbsp cold water
175 ml/6 fl oz/¾ cup Greek-style yoghurt
150 ml/¼ pint/2/3 cup very hot (not boiling) lamb or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
150 g/5 oz bag baby spinach leaves
45 ml/3 tbsp chopped fresh or thawed frozen coriander (cilantro)
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion for 7 minutes until beginning to soften. Stir in the garlic, ginger, cardamom seeds, paprika, cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon and nutmeg and cook for a further minute, stirring all the time. Tip the mixture into the ceramic cooking pot.
- Stir the lamb into the pot, coating it with the spicy onion mixture. Blend the cornflour with the cold water and stir into the yoghurt. Mix the yoghurt in with the lamb then stir in the stock, salt and pepper.
- Cover the slow cooker with the lid and switch on to Low. Cook for 5-6 hours or until the lamb is tender. Add the spinach leaves, pressing down into the hot liquid. Cover and cook for a further 30-45 minutes or until the spinach has wilted.
- Give the curry a stir to incorporate the spinach and add the chopped coriander. Serve straight away with plain basmati rice or Tomato and Cashew Nut Rice.