Tag: curry

Grilled Salmon Masala

This was the destiny of the second of four large salmon fillets. Again, this is from ‘Curry Easy‘ by Madhur Jaffrey, and it made me consider whether salmon tandoori could be a thing as well. The salmon would not need to be tenderised in yoghurt…

However, on with the main item on the menu – this was delicious, the combination of Dijon mustard and salmon is a revelation. It made two servings, with rice and green beans, which I cooked as suggested in the recipe book. Best to prepare the rice before grilling the salmon, it takes minutes. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • around 340 to 400g salmon fillet
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1/4 tsp of ground cumin
  • 1/8 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/8 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaf

METHOD:

  • Mix the salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper and rub this over the salmon. Cover and put into the fridge for 1 to 4 hours. 
  • Heat the grill to a high setting and set the oven to 180C
  • Mix the mustard, oil and lemon juice with the chopped coriander, and rub this mixture all over the fish. 
  • Grill the fish for around 4 minutes, and as it starts to brown, transfer it to the oven for around 10 minutes. 

 

Potatoes and spinach

More potato recipes. Charlotte potatoes work so well in these dishes, their flavour is great, they hold their shape and their texture is so smooth when they are cooked. I had spinach in the freezer. Buying packs of fresh spinach at their expiry date is a good deal. I break up the brittle and frozen spinach leaves in the bag before use. 

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 600g charlotte potatoes, or similar waxy potatoes, peeled and diced (1cm dice)
  • salt
  • 300g spinach leaves
  • 4 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1/2tsp black mustard seeds
  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

METHOD:

  • Boil the potatoes in salted water for around 6 minutes, then drain and spread them out to cool
  • Steam the spinach until it is wilted, only takes a few minutes. Once it is cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as possible, and then chop, and set aside. 
  • Heat the oil in a wok or heavy frying pan, and when it is hot, add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the onion and garlic, turn the heat down and fry for a couple of minutes
  • Add the spinach, and keep cooking and stirring for another 10 minutes. 
  • Add the potato, 1 tsp salt, the garam masala and the cayenne pepper. Stir and mix until the potatoes are heated through and soft.  

 

Cauliflower and potato curry

I just ate the rest of the leftovers that I was going to have tomorrow. This is a delicious and fragrant dish, good served at room temperature as a side dish or snack, part of a picnic or a larger meal. It is good with parathas and sour lime pickle

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cauliflower
  • 2 large potatoes
  • 6 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 whole hot red peppers
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp salt
  • a grind of black pepper
  • 1 tsp garam masala

METHOD:

  • Dismember the cauliflower, reduce it to small florets, and put into a bowl of cold water
  • Peel and chop the potatoes into 1 to 1.5cm cubes, and put into a bowl of cold water for half an hour. 
  • When you are ready to start cooking, drain the vegetables and pat dry with a teatowel
  • Heat the oil in the bottom of a large frying pan or wok over a high heat. When the oil is hot put in the fenugreek, cumin, fennel and red peppers and stir once, then add the cauliflower and potatoes. 
  • Stir again, turn the heat to medium and add the salt, turmeric, pepper and coriander. Keep stirring from time to time and cook for around 7 minutes
  • Add around 50ml water, cover and turn the heat to low, and cook for another 7 minutes. 
  • Sprinkle with the garam masala, stir and serve. 

 

 

Minced lamb with potatoes

This is really delicious, warm and delicately flavoured. It is in Madhur Jaffrey’s book ‘Curry easy‘. The book suggests serving this with rice, dal, yoghurt and pickles. I skipped the rice, but I wish I hadn’t. I actually altered the quantities a little, as I had more minced lamb than the recipe asks for, and I didn’t want to refreeze any. 

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 3 Tbsp rapeseed oil or sunflower oil
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 1/2  teaspoon finely chopped root ginger
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1300 g minced lamb (I minced some lamb that was in the freezer – I have a fab electric mincer)
  • 5 tbsp natural yoghurt
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, pureed
  • 1 heaped tsp cumin seed
  • 3 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 450g peeled potatoes, chopped into 2cm chunks

METHOD:

  • In a large pan, hjeat the oil over a medium to high heat. When it is hot, add the cinnamon sticks, roll them in the hot oil for a few seconds and then add the onion, and fry for a few munites, until starting to brown. Then add the garlic and ginger and stir to mix for a minute
  • Add the lamb, stir and fry, breaking up the meat. Keep cooking until the meat loses its redness. 
  • Add yoghurt, tomatoes, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper and turmeric and stir together, and bring back to a slow simmer. 
  • Add the salt, potatoes and around 700ml water, stir together and bring to a boil. Cover, and simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes. 

 

 

 

Red lentil and coconut curry

 
INGREDIENTS
 
    • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil or sunflower oil
    • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
    • 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
    • 1 tsp ground turmeric
    • 1-2 fresh green chili peppers (you can omit these, depending on how hot you like your food)
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 1 tsp ground coriander
    • 1 tsp chili powder, according to taste. We had kashmir chili powder
    • 2 tsp Madras curry powder
    • 1 tsp garam masala
    • 1 tsp salt
    • Black pepper, to taste
    • 200g red lentils
    • 500ml vegetable stock
    • 1 tin of chopped tomatos
    • 1 tin of coconut milk
    • juice of half a lemon
    • chopped leaf coriander

METHOD:

  • Rinse the lentils in cold water
  • Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once it is hot, add the garlic, ginger, and chili pepper and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir to prevent the garlic from sticking and burning.
  • Add the other spices and stir for a minute, then pour in the stock, tomatoes and lentils, and stir to mix well. Make sure you mix in any spices that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. 
  • Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Cook for around 20 minutes, checking from time to time to ensure that the mixture is not sticking. You might need to add a little more water and cook for longer, to ensure that the lentils are nice and soft. 
  • Add the coconut milk, salt and pepper, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so, until the curry is thickened. 
  • Stir in the lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves, beat a little to break up the lentils slighty. 

Serve with rice, or a flatbread. You could serve this with a number of other Indian dishes with rice as part of a feast. 

Lamb rib stew

When buying locally slaughtered lamb or mutton, there are inevitably cuts of meat that may be less familiar, or harder to find recipes for. Ribs are one of these, not featured in posh recipe books. I made this last night, it was delicious. There is curry powder in there, but it is subtle, not a dominant flavour, just balancing the sweetness of the lamb. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil, such as rapeseed oil
  • 600g lamb ribs (if you have more, increase the curry powder and lemon juice to taste)
  • 1 heaped teaspoonful of Madras curry powder
  • salt and pepper
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 100g leeks, sliced
  • 100g carrots, in large chunks
  • 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
  • a handful of parsley, roughly chopped
  • 500ml stock, (lamb stock or vegetable stock)
  • 30ml dry sherry
  • 4 potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced. Use a waxy potato such as Charlotte. 

METHOD:

  • Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish, and fry the lamb ribs over a high heat until browned. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice, and spoon into a bowl. 
  • In the same pan, saute the leeks and garlic for a few minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cook on a medium heat for a minute or two, until really fragrant. 
  • Add the meat back into the pan, along with the sherry, stock and parsley. Bring to a simmer and check the seasoning. 
  • Simmer at a low heat for around an hour and a half. Check that it is not boiling dry, and add water if necessary. This could be on the stove top or in the oven. 
  • Add the potatoes and carrots over the top, check for water, and simmer over a low heat for another hour. The longer and lower the cooking time, the more tender the meat will be. 

Red Lentil Dal with ginger

This is another Madhur Jaffrey recipe from Curry Easy, a great side-dish for other curries. It is a good idea to make this early on in the meal preparation, as it can sit cooking slowly, and will stand in a warm spot once it is ready.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
  • 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 140g chopped tomatoes, or 140g tinned chopped tomatoes
  • 200g red lentils
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 tbsp chopped coriander

METHOD:

  • Combine the garlic, ginger, ground coriander, cumin, cayenne and turmeric in a small bowl, ready to add to the pan. 
  • Pour the oil into a medium pan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion, and fry until it is beginning to turn golden at the edges. 
  • Add the spice mixture from the bowl, stir for a minute, add the tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes have softened. 
  • Now add the lentils, 800ml water and salt and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes. Check from time to time, stir to prevent it from sticking, and possibly add a litte water if you think it is getting a bit too thick. 
  • For the last five minutes of cooking, uncover and stir, and then add in the fresh coriander. 

South Indian Potato and Coconut Curry

I made this using some lovely potatoes from my garden. I have a lot of Charlotte potatoes that are ideal for this sort of curry, they taste very good, and they hold together during the cooking. 

This is a Madhur Jaffrey recipe from Curry Easy, super delicious, one of my most used and reliable recipe books. I made a tweak, I have a thing about not putting olive oil in curries, I don’t think it heats well enough for cooking the spices. I served it with braised kale and dal. It goes well with rice.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp yellow split peas
  • 2 birds eye chillies
  • 15-20 fresh basil leaves, torn (should be fresh curry leaves, but these are not available locally)
  • 1/2 medium red onoin, chopped
  • 1 medium tomato, or a tablespoonful of tinned chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 450g potatoes (I used Charlotte potatoes)
  • 1 level tsp salt
  • 120ml coconut milk
  • 4 tbsp chopped coriander

METHOD:

  • Pour the oil into a medium saucepan over a medium to high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, yellow split peas and the chillies. As soon as the seeds begin to pop, add the basil leaves and the onion, lower the heat a bit and fry for around three minutes. Don’t let the onion start to brown.
  • Add the tomato, ground coriander, cayenne pepper and garam masala, stir them in until the tomato is hot, and then add the potatoes and 250ml water and the salt. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. 
  • Add the coconut milk and fresh coriander, stir and heat through. 

Butternut squash and black-eyed beans

I love black-eyed beans. This is a really easy stew that can be frozen in portions, and the flavour improves after cooking. I got the recipe from Madhur Jaffrey’s book ‘Curry Easy’. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 350g black-eyed beans, soaked overnight in lots of cold water
  • 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
  • 1 hot green chilli, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • a small pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 level tsp salt
  • 350g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed in 2cm pieces. 

METHOD:

  • Drain the soaked beans
  • Pour the oil into a heavy pan, and set over a medium heat. When it is hot, add the cumin and fennel, and let them sizzle for 10 seconds
  • Add the onion, and stir to cook, until it is beginning to brown
  • Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir in for a  minute. 
  • Add the tomato paste, stir in and then add the beans, salt, cayenne, squash and 1.12 litres of cold water. 
  • Bring to the boil and then turn to a simmer for an hour. 

Serve with nan bread, a yoghurt dressing, pickles. I found that it was good cooked an hour in advance, and then kept warm until the guests arrived. 

Lamb shanks in a fragrant yoghurt sauce

I made this with a couple of shanks from a wee hebridean hogget. I used a Madhur Jaffrey recipe as a starter, but it has been adapted to suit me. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 lamb shanks
  • salt and pepper
  • approx 200ml yoghurt
  • 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • a walnut-sized bit of fresh ginger, sliced
  • 4 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 5 cardamon pods
  • 5 black peppercorns
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 1 stick of cinnamon
  • half a small onion, cut into fine slices. 

METHOD:

  • Preheat the oven to 160C. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper
  • Make the yoghurt sauce. Put the yoghurt, garlic, ginger, 100ml water in a food processer and blitz this until the garlic and ginger are finely minced. Next, sprinkle in the flour, coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper along with a small tsp of salt, and blitz again. 
  • Put the oil in a small casserole dish or pan suitable for the oven. It should accept the two lamb shanks. Over a medium high heat, add the cardamon, cloves, peppercorns and the lamb shanks. Brown the meat on both sides, adding the sliced onions as you go. 
  • Once the lamb is browned on both sides, add the yoghurt mixture, stir and bring to a simmer, before covering the pan and putting it in the oven. 
  • Cook for around 3 hours, checking from time to time. 

We had this with Greek flatbreads from the Co-op, a current favourite.