For a really rich, vibrant colour in your Kormas use saffron (not turmeric). To extract the colour from the saffron put a few strands of it in warm milk and gently press with the back of a spoon. The same trick works to give a beautiful colour to your Biryanis too.
Tag: Indian food
Curry tip 13
One of the great things about peas in a curry dish, like a great Mutter Paneer, are their bright colour. Ensure you add them at the right time and they are not over-cooked or they will lose that vibrant colour (think mushy peas at the fish ‘n’ chip shop).
Michelin star for Veeraswamy
Veeraswamy, the oldest Indian restaurant in the country, has recently received a Michelin Star, fittingly as it celebrates its 90th birthday. The restaurant, which has hosted Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill, Indira Gandi and, of course, the Greenwich Curry Club, has put on a special menu to celebrate. Here are the highlights …
“The rare Royal Indian dishes we have created to celebrate the 90th anniversary include Asafjahi Lamb Pasanda from legendary kitchens of the Nizam of the Hyderabad, where Edward Palmer [the restaurant’s founder] was born; Shahi Raan from the Patiala Palace and Shahjahani Badami Chicken – a sophisticated Moghul recipe to remember Edward Palmer’s great grandmother, a Moghul princess.”
The Veeraswamy then and now…
Recipe… Okra with coconut and chilli
Makes enough for a side dish for 2 people to share
Ingredients
• 1 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 2-3 small red dried chillies
• 10 lady’s fingers (okra)
• 1 red onion
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt
Method
1. Mix the coconut and chillies and mix together with a small bit of water. This is best done with a pestle. Do not blend as you want a rough mixture. Set aside.
2. Wash okra well and slice into small chunks.
3. Finely chop onion.
4. Heat oil in a non-stick pan until medium hot and add onion. Fry until they start to brown.
5. Add the okra and stir through. Cook until the okra softens.
6. Add salt and some water if the dish is sticking. Cook for a further 2 minutes.
7. Add coconut and chilli mix. Mix well and heat through.
Curry tip 12
For that little bit extra when cooking sweet and sour dishes such as Dhansak and Pathia, use jaggery instead of sugar for your sweetener. If you run out of jaggery then brown sugar is better than white sugar.
Melanie’s Taj Maholla Chicken in Butter Sauce & Bollywood Basmati Rice — The Recipe Hunter
Guy’s Big Bite had a one-on-one with a chef at an Indian restaurant and featured this recipe on his show.
via Melanie’s Taj Maholla Chicken in Butter Sauce & Bollywood Basmati Rice — The Recipe Hunter
Crispy Coriander Pakora — savvysouthindian.com
These tasty fritters made with coriander leaves (cilantro) are incredibly crispy and flavorful. These golden bite size savory snack is a wonderful rainy day comfort food. It is an awesome thing to snack on with your tea or can be a wonderful starter at your cocktail party. Coriander is a quintessential ingredient in Indian cuisine. […]
Curry tip 11
Venturing into the world of using fresh fish for your curries? Fresh fish should have shiny eyes and body and slippery wet skin.
Curry tip 10
Onions form the base of almost all curries so you’ll be chopping a lot of them. Follow these steps for frustration-free chopping.
1. Cut onion in half through the stem before peeling.
2. Cut off stems and peel.
3. Slice the onion long ways but do not cut it all the way through to ensure it is still held together. You can help with this by pinching it together with your thumb and forefinger. The end result, if you were to pick up the onion, would be a fan shape
4. Twist the onion around and slice in the other direction, this time cutting all the way through.
Hey presto, nice small chunks of onion.
Curry tip 9
Put a piece of asafoetida in the same container as your chilli powder to keep it fresh for longer.
The Royal Curry Club 