Curry One-liner

How to cook… Fish Vindaye

Recipes

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

Recipes

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.

How to cook… Egg and Potato Curry

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

Egg and Potato Curry is a hugely popular dish in India yet it’s difficult to find outside the sub-continent. This Punjabi-style recipe is easy to make. Boiled eggs are sealed in oil then added to a tomato sauce that has been infused with aromatic whole spices.

What you need…
• 8 eggs
• 3 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• salt to taste
• 3 Tablespoon oil
• 1.5 onions, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoon garlic, roughly chopped
• 2–3cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 400g chopped tomatoes
• small handful coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish if you want garnish).

Spice Mix 1
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods (cracked open but not crushed)
• 6 peppercorns
• 3 whole dried red chillies (or a teaspoon of crushed dried chillies)
• 1 bay leaf

Spice Mix 2
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 0.5 teaspoon chilli powder (more if you like your curries hot)

How you make it…
1. Hard boil the eggs and remove the shells. Set aside.
2. Pat dry the potatoes with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
3. Heat the oil to medium-hot in a pan and fry the potatoes until they are cooked through and just start to brown. Set aside.
4. Fry the eggs in the same oil for about 5 minutes, rolling them frequently to avoid them crisping. Remove eggs and set aside.
5. Turn up the heat to ensure the oil is piping hot. Add the whole spices and cook for 15 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding a cardamom pod. You want to infuse the oil with the flavours of the whole spices but if they burn you will have to do stage 5 again.
6. Add the onion, garlic and ginger, mix well, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add the tomatoes, Spice Mix 2, coriander stems, mix well and cook for 10 minutes. Add water, as needed, to keep the sauce pourable.
8. Add the potatoes and eggs. Make sure the eggs are coated with the sauce but be careful not to break them up. Heat through for about 5 minutes.
9. Serve, garnished with the (optional) coriander leaves.

CHEF’S TIP
We’ve worked on two eggs per person. If people with larger appetites are coming for dinner then simply boil extra eggs.

If you like this you should try our…
Sindhi Biryani • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona

Why did the chicken cross the road? … To chat to the egg and see who crossed first.