How to cook… Malai Sag Muttar

On July 10, 2020July 9, 2020 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 2 as a side dish

Malai Sag Muttar is a popular dish all over the sub-continent but especially in North India. It is simple dish, with just a few spices added to wilted spinach, onions and peas, and a dash of cream added just before serving.

What you need…
• 100g spinach
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 0.5 chilli powder
• 0.5 garlic
• 0.5 ginger
• 0.5 fenugreek seeds
• 70g peas (frozen are good)
• salt to taste
• 1 Tablespoon cream

How you make it…
1. Wash the spinach with hot water in a colander. Drain.
2. Heat oil to a medium heat and fry the onion until it softens (about 3–4 minutes).
3. Add the chilli powder, garlic, ginger, fenugreek and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the spinach and cook for 10 minutes until it well softened and wilted.
5. Add the salt and the peas and cook until they are warmed through (about 3–4 minutes).
6. Transfer to a serving bowl and add the cream just before serving.

**CHEF’S TIP**
This is beat as a slow-burner but if you are really in a rush you can turn up the heat.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Feet Curry (Africa)
What green and sung by the Beatles? … Peas, Peas, Me.

How to cook… Pepper Chicken

On July 9, 2020November 28, 2020 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

Pepper was the spice of heat before chilli arrived on the continent with the Portuguese at the and of the 15th Century. It provides a sharp, intense heat and there is plenty of it through whole and crushed black pepper in this fresh-tasting dish from South India.

What you need…
• 700g chicken, cut into 2cm-sized pieces
• 100g coconut oil
• 6 curry leaves
• 0.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 0.5 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 0.5 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 tomato cut into 1cm-sized piece
• 1 Tablespoon chopped coriander stalks
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• squeeze of lemon juice

Marinade
• 100g plain yoghurt
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped

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How you make it…
1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and mix well with the chicken pieces. Leave for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.
2. Heat the coconut oil in a pan to a high heat. Add the curry leaves, cumin seeds and peppercorns and fry for 10 seconds, moving quickly to avoid burning.
3. Turn down the heat, add the onion and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add the coriander, turmeric and cumin powders, mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the chicken with all the marinade and cook until all the chicken pieces are sealed (about 3 minutes)
6. Add the tomato and cook for 5 minutes. Add the black pepper and fry until the chicken is fully cooked.
7. Serve with a squeeze of lemon on top.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Serve this as soon as it is cooked to keep the delicious freshness of the ingredients.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Feet Curry (Africa)
Why was the peppercorn sent to jail? … For assualt

How to cook… Chilli Cabbage and Potato Fry

On July 9, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a side dish

This Chilli Cabbage and Potato Fry is a simple dish, using just chilli flakes to give it a kick. Cabbage is often overlooked but it makes a great accompaniment to spicy dishes. This is a Mauritian version of a popular Gujerati dish.

What you need…
• 3 Tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1.5 chilli flakes
• 2 medium-size potato cut into small 1cm chunks
• half a cabbage, shredded
• 100ml water (about half a cup)
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• salt, to taste

How to make it…
1. Heat the oil to a medium heat and fry the onion for 4 minutes.
2. Add half the chilli flakes and potato and stir fry until the potato chunks are starting to brown (about 3 minutes).
3. Add the cabbage and the water, cover the pan, and cook until the cabbage is soft (about 10 minutes).
4. Add the tomato and salt, mix well, and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Serve, with the rest of the chilli flakes sprinkled on the top.

**CHEF’S TIP**
This is a simple dish. Don’t be tempted to add extras to spice it up; let the simplicity do it’s stuff.

**Chilli Cabbage and Potato Fry**, for something completely different.

If you like this you should try our…
Sag Paneer • Chilli Paneer • Butter Chicken • Butter Paneer • Prawn Korma • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Dopiaza
How do you know when a cabbage is wanted by the police? … Because it has a price on its head.

How to cook… Chicken Jalfrezi

On July 8, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

Jalfrezi has become one of the most popular curries with some Base Curry Sauce mixed with different coloured peppers, onions, tomatoes and chillies to create a lovely range of tastes and colours. In true British restaurant-style it has evolved into something quite different from the original Chicken Jalfrezi, where the ingredients are cooked in their own juices.

What you need…
• 3 Tablespoons ghee
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 4 cm chunk of ginger, cut into 2cm matchsticks
• 0.5 red pepper, cut into thin slices
• 0.5 yellow (or green) pepper, cut into thin slices
• 4 green chillies, chopped
• 600g Base Curry Sauce
• 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems and some of the leaves to add to the curry but set aside a few of leaves for garnish)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, cut into segments
• salt to taste

Spice Mix
• 1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon vinegar

How to make it…
1. Heat the 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.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Turn up the heat and add the peppers and chillies and cook for 2 minutes. You will soften the peppers and slightly char it (to mimic the tandoor taste).
4. Turn the heat down and add the Base Curry Sauce and Spice Mix and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add the coriander, onion, tomatoes and salt, and cook until the chicken pieces are all cooked through. The pepper, onion and tomato should be just soft but not mushy.
7. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves.

**CHEF’S WARNING**
There are a lot of ingredients in this dish so stir gently to avoid breaking them up.

With its tasty mix of onions, tomatoes and peppers **Chicken Jalfrezi** has become one of the most popular restaurant curries.

If you like this you should try our…
Sag Paneer • Chilli Paneer • Butter Chicken • Butter Paneer • Prawn Korma • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Dopiaza
What was the Osmonds big curry hit in 1972? … Jalfrezi Horses.

How to cook… Prawn Dhansak

On July 7, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

Prawns work well with this sweet and sour dish. Dhansak originates from Persia (Iran) although the chefs of the day would have used meat for this dish. Lentils and mixed vegetables are added to some Base Curry Sauce, with sugar and lime (or lemon) juice adding the sweet and sour tastes. Large prawns soak up those flavours nicely.

What you need…
• 120g red split lentils, washed and well rinsed
• 3 Tablespoons ghee
• 600ml Base Curry Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 600g prawns, shelled and deveined
• 400g mixed (frozen or tinned) vegetables, cut into small pieces
• 1 green chilli, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 Tablespoon lime or lemon juice (or vinegar)
• salt, to taste

Spice Mix
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 Tablespoon garam masala

How to make it…
1. Boil the lentils with water until cooked (about 25–30 minutes).
2. Heat the ghee in a pan to a medium heat. Add the Base Curry Sauce and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the Spice Mix and tomato ketchup, and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add the cooked lentils, prawns and the rest of the ingredients, mix well and simmer, allowing the flavours to combine until all the prawns are cooked. Add water during the simmer, if needed.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Frozen or tinned are quick and easy but you can use use fresh vegetables if you par-boil them first before adding them to the Base Curry Sauce.

**Prawns** make an excellent main ingredients in Dhansak, beautifully soaking up the sweet and sour tastes.

If you like this you should try our…
Butter Paneer • Muttar Paneer • Chilli Paneer • Prawn Madras • Prawn Rogan • Prawn Vindaloo • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Butter Chicken • Chicken Dopiaza
How does this dish make some money? … Visits the prawn shop.

How to cook… Basmati Steamed Rice

On July 6, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes

Serves 4 as a side dish

The staple addition to most curries, rice comes in various guises but plain white Basmati Steamed Rice is the go-to option for many people. The simplicity of plain rice works well with many dishes, allowing you to taste the flavours of your main dish rather than having the rice competing for attention. There are lots methods out there for rice: this one cooks it until it’s just cooked then lets it steam dry so the rice separates. Simple.

What you need…
• 300g Basmati rice (the best quality you can get)
• water

How you make it…
1. Wash the rice to remove the starch. Keep rinsing it until the water is no longer milky. This may take 8 or more rinses.
2. In a saucepan add enough water so that the rice is covered by 3cm and bring it to a boil with the lid on.
3. Stir and reduce the heat so the water is at a fast simmer. Gently stir every so often.
4. You need to remove the rice and drain it as soon as the rice grains have cooked. If you remove them too soon they’ll be brittle and if you leave them too long they’ll be mush. This takes from 7–12 minutes, depending how quick you are simmering the water, so at the 7-minute mark remove a grain and bite into it. If it’s brittle let it continue to simmer. Check a grain every 30 seconds until the rice is soft to your bite.
5. As soon as the grain you test is soft then drain all the rice in a colander. Sift it around to make sure all the water is removed. Now put the colander to one side and allow it to steam. After 5 minutes the grains will have separated and are ready to serve. If you are serving after this you can transfer the rice to a serving tray and put it the oven on a very low heat to keep it warm.

**CHEF’S TIP**
A lot of people leave the rice to do it’s own thing while they concentrate on the main dish, which is why so many people say they always overcook rice. But it’s important to pay attention to the rice for a few minutes as removing the rice at the right time is crucial.

If you like this you should try our…
Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Bhundi Shakarkandi) • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona
You’ve got your curry, you’ve got your nan, but sometihing is missing. What do you sing? … Rice, Rice, Baby.

How to cook… Fish Vindaye

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

Serves 4 as a snack

Fish Vindaye is a popular spicy fish pickle from Mauritius. Fresh tuna is shallow fried, then cut up and added to mixture of garlic, onion, chillies and Vindaye spices, then left to cool and pickle. This is delicious served as a snack with chunks of French baguette.

What you need…
• 8 Tablespoons oil
• 250g fresh tuna
• 0.5 teaspoon cracked pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 6–10 chillies, de-stemmed and sliced longways
• 0.5 onion, thickly sliced
• 0.5 Tablespoon vinegar
• salt, to taste

Spice Mix
• 0.5 teaspoon mustard powder
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 0.5 chilli powder
• 0.5 cumin powder
*or 2 teaspoons Vindaye mix powder

How to make it…
1. Sprinkle the pepper over the tuna.
2. Heat 5 Tablespoons oil to a medium heat and shallow fry the tuna pieces whole until they are sealed and brown all over (about 5 minutes). Set the tuna aside.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and once it is safe to do so wipe the pan to get rid of the fish residue.
4. Heat the rest of the oil to a low heat then remove the pan from the heat and add the Spice Mix. Stir for 15 seconds (any longer and it’ll get bitter) then add the garlic, chillies and onion, return to a medium heat and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
6. While the mixture is cooling, cut the tuna into 2cm-square chunks
7. Add the mixture, tuna, vinegar and salt, mix together and add to a jar or bowl.
8. Put into the fridge and leave overnight, or up to two weeks, before eating.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Don’t be tempted to hold back on the chillies. This is supposed to be spicy

**Fish Vindaye**, delicious tuna pickle from Mauritius.

If you like this you should try our…
Sag Paneer • Chilli Paneer • Butter Chicken • Butter Paneer • Prawn Korma • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Dopiaza
Why do musicians refuse to play a fishy instrument? … Because it will be out of tuna.

How to cook… Chicken Dhansak

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

Serves 4 as a main dish

A thick, sweet and sour dish, Dhansak originates from Persia (Iran). The dish was introduced to India by a group of Parsees (from Persia) spread south to Gujarat to escape persecution in 1500BC. Lentils and mixed vegetables are added to some Base Curry Sauce, with sugar and lime (or lemon) juice adding the sweet and sour tastes.

What you need…
• 120g red split lentils, washed and well rinsed
• 3 Tablespoons ghee
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 600ml Base Curry Sauce
• 400g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 400g mixed (frozen or tinned) vegetables, cut into small pieces
• 1 green chilli, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 Tablespoon garam masala
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 Tablespoon lime or lemon juice
• salt, to taste

How to make it…
1. Boil the lentils with water until cooked (about 25–30 minutes).
2. While they are cooking heat the ghee in a pan to a medium heat. Add the turmeric and 3 Tablespoons of the Base Curry Sauce. Once warmed through add the chicken and stir fry until all the pieces are sealed (about 2 minutes).
3. Add the rest of the Base Curry Sauce, the cooked lentils and the rest of the ingredients, mix well and simmer for 5 minutes to allow the flavours to combine.
4. Stir, add a little water if needed, and continue cooking until all the chicken pieces are cooked through.

**CHEF’S TIP**
If you are really looking for a really old-school version of this dish you can add a couple of chunks of pineapple.

**Chicken Dhansak**, sweet and sour, and full of flavour.

If you like this you should try our…
Prawn Madras • Prawn Rogan • Prawn Vindaloo • Prawn Dopiaza • Mughlai Malai Kofta • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Butter Chicken • Chicken Dopiaza
Don’t have a food fight with Dhansak. It’s only funny lentil someone gets hurt.

If football teams were curries…

On June 21, 2020July 9, 2020 By In Uncategorized

• Spurs would be a popadom… gets everyone excited by them at the start but is never there at the end.
• Southampton would be a Bombay Potato… no-one dislikes it and everyone else nicks the best potatoes.
• Manchester United would be a Korma… a lot of people adore it but everyone else hates it.
• Chelsea would be a Chicken Tikka Masala… there’s no denying it’s delicious but a lot of people say the dish only has recent history.
• Manchester City would be a King Prawn Karahi… ridiculously expensive but it still doesn’t completely deliver the goods.
• Leicester City would be a Jalfrezi… came from nowhere to become unexpectedly popular.
• Arsenal would be a Fish Curry… one week it tastes great but the next week it’s rubbish.
• West Ham would be a Phall… eat it and you’ll be forever blowing bubbles.
• Sheffield United would be a Keema Muttar… underrated but a lot tastier than you think.
• Aston Villa would be a Ceylon Curry… some older people remember when it was good.
• Burnley would be a Tandoori Mixed Grill… ridiculously tough to eat.
• Bournemouth would be Chicken Tikka starter… small but very impressive.
• Liverpool would be a Biryani… a dish that takes for ever to come good but when it does it’s fantastic.
• Everton would be a Basmati Rice… forever wanting to be as tasty as the Biryani.
• Newcastle United would be a Vegetable Curry… a lot of people keep ordering it every week no matter how much it disappoints them.
• Brighton would be a Bhoona… it’s ok if nothing else is on the menu at lunchtime.
• Watford would be a Vindaloo… capable of causing an upset.
• Wolves would be a Chicken 65… been around for years and still golden.
• Crystal Palace would be a Sizzling Lamb… fans of it make a lot of noise considering the dish rarely does anything.
• Norwich would be a kulfi… usually at the end of the menu.

Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Pexels.com

How to cook… Sag Mushroom

On June 17, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a side dish

Mushroom and spinach made simple. Just the mushrooms and spinach to some Base Curry Sauce, spices and garlic.

What you need…
• 2 Tablespoons ghee
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 red chillies
• 600g mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 160g Base Curry Sauce
• small handful coriander, chopped
• 200g spinach, chopped
• salt, to taste

Spice Mix
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric

How to make it…
1. Heat the ghee to a medium heat. While it is heating mix the Spice Mix with enough water to form a sloppy paste.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the Spice Mix and chilli, and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy.
4. Add the mushrooms and stir fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add the Base Curry Sauce, coriander and spinach, and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add the salt and heat through until the mushrooms are cooked and soft.

**CHEF’S TIP**
If you don’t like wilted spinach you can purée it before adding it instead.

**Sag Mushroom**, add chillies for a kick.

If you like this you should try our…
Sag Paneer • Chilli Paneer • Butter Chicken • Butter Paneer • Prawn Korma • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Dopiaza
What sporting event do the mushrooms play in? … The Champignons League.

The Royal Curry Club

Tag: curry accompanying dishes

How to cook… Malai Sag Muttar

How to cook… Pepper Chicken

How to cook… Chilli Cabbage and Potato Fry

How to cook… Chicken Jalfrezi

How to cook… Prawn Dhansak

How to cook… Basmati Steamed Rice

How to cook… Fish Vindaye

How to cook… Chicken Dhansak

If football teams were curries…

How to cook… Sag Mushroom

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