How to cook… Fish Curry (Medium)

On December 24, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

A delicious dish that is often overlooked by many diners in Indian restaurants, a classic Fish Curry is a simple dish to make. Fry up some firm, white fish, take a good serving of your Base Curry Sauce, add a bit of garlic and a sprinkle of spice for a great medium-strength curry. Garnish with fresh coriander.

What you need…
• 800g of any firm, white fish, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tablespoons ghee
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 600ml Base Curry Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup
• Small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• Salt to taste

Marinade
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• pinch black pepper

Spice Mix
• 1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon vinegar

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How to make it…
1. Dry all the pieces of fish. Mix all the Marinade ingredients and coat all the pieces of fish. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 Tablespoon of ghee to a medium heat. While it is heating up mix the Spice Mix with the vinegar and enough water to form a sloppy paste.
3. Add the fish and fry until all the pieces are sealed (about 4 minutes). Set aside.
4. Add the rest of the ghee and when hot add the garlic paste and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the Spice Mix paste and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy.
6. Add the Base Curry Sauce and the tomato and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add the garam masala, salt and coriander stems and cook for 5 minutes. Add a little water if needed.
8. Add the fish pieces until all the pieces are cooked.
9. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Restaurants traditionally use tilapia fish in Fish Curry but monkfish or hake is more readily available and makes an excellent alternative.

**Pork Vindaloo** is the classic Goan dish for heat lovers.

How to cook… Murgh Malaiwala

On December 21, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

Murgh Malaiwala, also called Malai Murgh, is a creamy chicken dish similar to Butter Chicken, but it is hotter, richer and uses no tomato. A Mughal-era dish, it uses whole spices for depth of flavours and plenty of chilli and pepper for heat.

What you need…
• 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves
• 2 cardamons, cracked but not crushed
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 8 peppercorns
• 1.5 onions, finely chopped
• 2 chillies, sliced lengthways
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
• 250ml cream

Marinade
• 4 Tablespoons yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• Pinch turmeric
• Pinch chill powder

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How to make it…
1. Rub the chicken pieces with the lemon. This will degrease the chicken and help to absorb the Marinade.
2. Mix all the Marinade ingredients together and add the chicken to it, ensuring all the pieces re well covered. Set aside for 4 hours.
3. Heat the butter to medium heat and cook the cloves, cardamons, fenugreek seeds and peppercorns for 20 seconds, being careful not to burn them.
4. Turn down the heat, add the onion and fry until soft (about 5-7 minutes).
5. Add the chillies and fry for 20 minutes.
6. Add the chicken with the Marinade and fry until all the pieces are sealed (about 3 minutes).
7. Add the chilli powder, garam masala and pepper, mix well and fry for 3 minutes. Add a small amount of water if needed.
8. Add the cream and salt, and continue cooking until all the chicken pieces are cooked.

**CHEF’S TIP**
This dish is nice if garnished with some pre-fried onions.

How to cook… Bunny Chow

On November 28, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 2 as a main dish

It’s simple, it’s rustic and it’s tasty… it’s a Bunny Chow! You’ll find someone selling them on every street corner in Durban, South Africa. Ideal for that steamy tropical climate, yet also great comfort food for cold winters. Cut off the bottom of a loaf, scoop out the white stuff leaving a crust shell. Fill with hot chicken curry (don’t forget the sauce now), settle down and use the bread you scooped out to mop up and eat your curry. No cutlery permitted. Durbanite and Bunny Chow lover Richard says bunnies are best eaten sitting cross-legged while staring at the Indian Ocean with a bottle of ice-cold Coke by your side.

What you need…
• 1 loaf of bread (it is best to use a loaf that has been left a day since buying it so the edges harden up and the curry won’t leak out)
• 0.5 recipe Durban Chicken Curry (or any other curry of your choice)

How to make it…
1. Cut the loaf in half and scoop out the bread to create a small “bread pots”.
2. Fill each hollowed out half with the curry, put the bread you scooped out on top (use this to mop up the curry as you eat) and serve with chilli and carrot sambals. Squeeze some lemon or orange on the carrots and eat towards the end of the meal to degrease your fingers, clear your palate and freshen up your breath.

* Note: this is a Half Bunny (so-called because it is served in half a loaf of bread. For the really hungry simply cut the top off the loaf and you have a Full Bunny. If you want a Quarter Bunny cut the loaf lower (although in reality this should more like a third as a quarter of a loaf is too small and will leak).

* When ordering a Bunny Chow locals would never mention it by name. They would just say: “Quarter beans,” or “Half chicken”. Simples.

To make a **Bunny Chow** cut a loaf in half and remove the bread as shown above. Then fill with the curry of your choice.

How to cook… Durban Chicken Curry

On November 28, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

Durban is often called the largest Indian city outside of India, with the South African city home to around 900,000 people of Indian descent. The first Indians arrived in the area that is now called Kwa-Zula Natal in the mid-1900s and it soon became the centre of curry in the country. People living in other cities frequently say they are visiting Durban to enjoy a “proper” curry. This chicken curry is lightly spiced and is ideal to be used in the city’s famous Bunny Chow, where a curry is put into a hollowed out loaf of bread and eaten with the hands.Durban is often called the largest Indian city outside of India, with the South African city home to around 900,000 people of Indian descent. The first Indians arrived in the area that is now called Kwa-Zula Natal in the mid-1900s and it soon became the centre of curry in the country. People living in other cities frequently say they are visiting Durban to enjoy a “proper” curry. This chicken curry is lightly spiced and is ideal to be used in the city’s famous Bunny Chow, where a curry is put into a hollowed out loaf of bread and eaten with the hands.

What you need…
• 350g potatoes (about 2 medium-sized potatoes), peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste• 4 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 600g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• Salt to taste
• Some coriander leaves to garnish

Spice Mix
• 5 curry leaves
• 6cm cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

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How to make it…
1. Boil the potatoes in water until they are almost cooked. Ensure they are not soft as they will be added to the main pot to boil a bit longer. Once they are ready remove from the hot water so they do not keep cooking.
2. Heat the oil to a high heat, add the Spice Mix and fry for 20 seconds being careful not to burn the spices.
3. Turn down the heat, add onions, ginger paste, garlic paste and curry leaves, and cook until the onions soften (about 8–10 minutes).
4. Add the tomatoes, garam masala and turmeric, mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the chicken, salt to taste and cook for 7 minutes. Add a little water if needed.
6. Add the potato and continue cooking until all the chicken pieces are cooked and potato pieces soft.
7. Garnish with coriander and serve.
• Recipe from information supplied by Awesome Creesen Naicker.

**CHEF’S TIP**
This is the perfect curry to put in a Bunny Chow but keep the sauce thick so it can be added to the hollowed out loaf without soaking through.

How to cook… Chinese Chicken Curry

On November 27, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes1 Comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

This dish has very little to do with China but everything to do with curries created by Chinese takeaways. In the UK these were initially run by people from Hong Kong serving Cantonese dishes adapted to local tastes. The curry uses the basic Chinese/Chip Shop Curry Sauce and adds chicken and lots of onion. Some takeaways also add other ingredients such as carrot, peas or potato slices.

What you need…
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped ginger
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped garlic
• 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 recipe Chinese/Chip Shop Curry Sauce
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

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How to make it…
1. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan to a medium heat, add the garlic paste and ginger paste, and fry for 1 minute.
2. Add the chicken and fry until all the pieces are sealed (about 2 minutes).
3. Add the Chinese/Chip Shop Curry Sauce and fry for 5 minutes.
4. Add the onion and soy sauce, mix well and fry until all the chicken pieces are cooked (about 2–3 minutes).

**CHEF’S TIP**
This dish is great with Steamed Rice but for the full on takeaway experience you can also serve this with Egg Fried Rice.

While everyone is ordering the usual sweet and sour and chow mein dishes, the curry lovers know the only option from a Chinese takeaway is **Chinese Chicken Curry**.

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How to cook… Chip Shop/Chinese Curry Sauce

On November 25, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes1 Comment

Makes enough for 4 curries

This is the lest authentic sauce you could possibly find but it’s still delicious! Made famous in chip shops all over the country and the same sauce used in the Chinese curries you will find alongside Cantonese and Szechuan dishes in your local Chinese takeaway.

What you need…
• 4 teaspoons cornflour
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 green apples, peeled and with core removed, and chopped
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce

Spice Mix
• 2 Tablespoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons Chinese five spice
• 0.5 teaspoon chilli powder
• 0.5 teaspoon salt

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How to make it…
1. Mix the cornflour with the Spice Mix and set aside.
2. Heat the butter to a medium heat, add the Spice Mix and cornflour and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the garlic paste, onions and apples, and cook until they are soft (about 10 minutes). Mash them up as you go and add a little water if needed.
4. Add the vegetable stock bit by part, stirring all the time and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from the heat and using a hand blender blend the ingredients to a sauce.
5. Add the soy sauce, return to the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Add water to achieve the consistency you want.

**CHEF’S TIP**
The sauce will keep for up to 4 days in a fridge or 3 months in a freezer. You can use tapioca starch for a vegan option but mix it with water before adding.

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How to cook… Hyderabadi Pakki Biryani

On November 19, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

There are many different types of Biryani. This South Indian version uses chunks of lamb (or mutton if you prefer) that is pre-cooked (Pakki) then added to the rice and steamed. It also includes cooked and fried chunks of potato and is finished off with saffron and fried onions.

What you need…
• 400g lamb, cut into large bite-sized chunks
• 2 potatoes (about 250g) peeled and cut into 4cm chunks
• Pinch turmeric
• Salt to taste
• 4 Tablespoons ghee
• 250g rice
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoons ginger paste
• 2 onions (1.5 roughly chopped, 0.5 sliced fine)
• 4 Tablespoons yoghurt
• 0.5 teaspoon chilli powder
• 150ml water
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Few strands of saffron (or you can use a couple of drops of yellow food colouring)• A few coriander leaves (for garnish)

Marinade
• 2 teaspoons garlic paste
• 1 teaspoons ginger paste
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 0.5 black cracked pepper

Masala
• 8 peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 4 cardamons
• 4 cloves
• 8cm piece of cinnamon
• 2 dried red chillies

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How to make it…
1. Mix the Marinade ingredients together and add to the lamb ensuring all the pieces are well coated. Set aside for 1 hour.
2. Boil the potatoes with a pinch of turmeric and salt until soft.
3. While the potatoes are cooking dry fry the Masala ingredients in a pan until they release their aromas (about 2 minutes). Grind to a masala and set aside.
4. Wash the rice until the water runs clear (this will take 7–8 washes) and leave to soak for 30 minutes.
4. Heat 2 Tablespoons of ghee to a medium heat and fry the potatoes until they start to brown (about 5 minutes). Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside.
5. Add the rest of the ghee to the pan and once heated to a medium heat add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add the roughly chopped onions and cook for 2 minutes
7. Add the lamb and fry till all the pieces are sealed and browned (about 5 minutes).
8. Add the yoghurt, chilli powder and water, mix well, tun down the heat, cover and cook for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Add the masala and some salt, mix well and cook, still covered, for 5 minutes.
10. Drain the rice to remove the remaining starch and add to the pan with the potatoes, being sure to mix well. The mixture should just be coated with water so add a little more if needed. Seal the pan with foil and cover, ensuring it fits tightly (add a weight to the top if necessary). Cook on a low heat for 40 minutes. Do not remove the lid.
11. While this is cooking coat the sliced onion with 1 teaspoon of salt for 5 minutes to remove the moisture.
12. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion until it browns and caramelises. Set aside
13. Warm the milk in a pan, remove from the heat and add the saffron strands. Using the back of a spoon gently push the saffron strands so they release their colour and flavours. Set aside.
14. Remove the lid of the lamb and rice and allow the moisture to evaporate for a couple of minutes. Gently fluff up the rice to release more of the moisture.
15. Pour over the saffron mix and add the onion and coriander leaves for garnish. Leave to rest for a couple of minutes and serve.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Traditionally the edges of the pan would be sealed with dough for the final stage of cooking. Try this and push down the lid for a perfect seal at stage 10 of the cooking.

How to cook… Chicken Kolhapuri

On November 14, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

Chicken Kolhapuri is a rich, hot dish is from the city of Kolhapur in Maharashtra but is popular all over India, especially in the south west. The chicken is marinated, then a masala mix created. These are then added to sauce of onions and tomatoes to create this extremely tasty curry.

What you need…
• 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 Tablespoons oil
• 600ml Base Curry Sauce
• 2 teaspoons chilli powder
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric
• 4 green chillies (2 chopped and two sliced for garnish)
• A few coriander leaves to garnish (optional)

Marinade
• 6 Tablespoons yoghurt
• 2 teaspoons garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1.5 teaspoons chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste

Masala
• 15 curry leaves
• 4 peppercorns
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamons, cracked
• 2 star anise
• 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon crushed red chillies
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 2 Tablespoons desiccated

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How to make it…
1. Mix all the marinade ingredients and add the chicken. Make sure all the pieces are coated and set aside for 2 hours.
2. Dry fry all the masala ingredients in a pan until they release their aromas (about 2 minutes). Grind them into a powder and set aside.
3. Heat the oil to a medium heat, add the Base Curry Sauce and cook through for 5 minutes.
4. Add the chilli powder, the 2 chopped green chillies, tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the masala, mix well and cook for 5 minutes, adding a little water as needed.
6. Add the chicken and marinade, stir well, cover and cook until all the chicken is cooked through (about 10–15 minutes).
7. Garnish with the sliced chillies and/or (optional) coriander leaves and serve.

**CHEF’S TIP**
If the heat is too much for you then skip adding the chilli powder at stage 4.

How to cook… Pork Vindaloo

On November 13, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

As the only state in India that is largely Catholic there are no taboos surrounding the use of pork in Goa. The dish, like so many in this state, are a combination of Portuguese and India flavours and cooking styles. The result is a spicy dish with plenty of vinegar and is far removed from the British restaurant-style Vindaloo.

What you need…
• 800g pork (a mix of cheek and leg is ideal), cut into largish bite-sized chunks
• 1 Tablespoon ghee
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 2 red onions, finely chopped
• 240ml pork or chicken stock
• 1 Tablespoon coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

Marinade
• 100ml palm vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 8 black peppercorns, crushed

Spice paste
• 4 large chillies, roughly chopped
• 3 Tablespoons palm vinegar
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 4 cloves, ground (or 1 teaspoon clove powder)
• Seeds from 4 cardamon pods
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste

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How to make it…
1. Mix all the Marinade ingredients together, add the pork and leave for 2 to 4 hours.
2. Mix all the ingredients from the Spice Paste to form a thick paste and set aside.
3. Heat the ghee and oil in a pan to a medium heat, add the pork with the marinade and fry until all the pieces are browned (about 5–7 minutes). Remove the pork from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the onions to pan and fry until they soften and start to brown (about 5 minutes).
5. Add the pork and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add the Spice paste and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add the stock, reduce the heat and cook until the meat is cooked through and tender (at least 45 minutes but up to 90 minutes). Stir occasionally and add water as necessary to stop it sticking.
8. Add salt to taste and sprinkle the coriander leaves on top before serving.
• Recipe courtesy @thecurriedlondoner (Instagram)

**CHEF’S TIP**
If you really want to turn up the heat add more chillies to the Spice Paste.

How to cook… Balti Tandoori Keema

On September 19, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

Balti dishes were elevated to cult status thanks to Birmingham of all places, where inexpensive Balti restaurants can be found everywhere, after first emerging in the 1970s. It’s a style of cooking from Kashmiri, coming from a small area in Pakistan called Baltistan. Cooked in a Balti (sometimes called a karahi) and produces fresh, aromatic and mostly dryish dishes. This Balti Tandoori Keema combines Balti Masala and Tandoori Masala and is added to any mince of your choice.

What you need…
• 3 Tablespoon tandoori powder
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 600g mince
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 0.3 red pepper, chopped
• 0.3 yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoon garam masala
• Small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish)
• 2 tablespoons yoghurt
• Salt to taste

Balti Masala
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 3 cardamon
• 2 cloves
• 8 curry leaves
• 3 dried red chillies
• 0.5 teaspoon sea salt

How to make it…
1. Dry fry the ingredients of the Balti Masala in a pan until they release their aromas (about 2 minutes). Grind them to a powder. Add the tandoori masala, mix together and add some water to form a paste. Set aside.
2. Add the fenugreek seeds and fry for 15 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one seed.
3. Add the mince and fry for 10 minutes, making sure all lumps are beaten out and the meat is fully sealed.
4. Add the Balti and Tandoori paste your made in step 1, mix well and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Add the peppers and onion and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add the garam masala, the coriander, the yoghurt and salt and cook for another 5 minutes, making sure everything is cooked through with the peppers and onions soft but not mushy.
8. Add the coriander leaves to garnish and serve.

**CHEF’S TIP**
If you really like creamy keema curry simply add more yoghurt.

The Royal Curry Club

Tag: Chilli

How to cook… Fish Curry (Medium)

How to cook… Murgh Malaiwala

How to cook… Bunny Chow

How to cook… Durban Chicken Curry

How to cook… Chinese Chicken Curry

How to cook… Chip Shop/Chinese Curry Sauce

How to cook… Hyderabadi Pakki Biryani

How to cook… Chicken Kolhapuri

How to cook… Pork Vindaloo

How to cook… Balti Tandoori Keema

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