Post by Silly Yak on Feb 28, 2011 10:07:47 GMT
Pakistan
Potato curry
When you are not sure what to cook, or you have to prepare a meal in a hurry, potato curry is always the answer. You can eat it for breakfast on toast, topped with a couple of fried eggs, lunch or dinner, alone or as part of a meal. It's great as a left-over too. All varieties of potatoes can be used, even young. This is true comfort food. It can be made in advance and reheated in the pan on a low heat or in a microwave.
Serves 3-4
2 tbs sunflower oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large plum tomatoes, skinned and chopped
8 red chillies
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
salt
500g potatoes, peeled and diced, or whole new potatoes
chopped coriander leaves to garnish
Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook until slightly browned. Add the chopped tomatoes, then stir in the chillies, chilli powder, cumin seeds and salt to taste. Add 125ml water and cook, stirring, until excess liquid has evaporated.
Add the potatoes together with another 125ml water. Stir well to coat the potatoes with the spice mixture, then put the lid on the pan. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender but not breaking up.
Remove the lid and continue cooking until the oil separates out. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.
India
Vegetables with lentils
Sambar is... is the curry always served first at any feast in southern India. It is the dish of the common man.
Serves 4
100g split yellow lentils (toor dal)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
2 onions, cut into small pieces
100g carrots, peeled and cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
100g green beans (frozen or fresh), cut into 2.5cm pieces
3 tomatoes, quartered
100g potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
3-4 tbs tamarind water
salt
For the sauce
100g freshly grated coconut or desiccated coconut
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 dried red chilli
For tempering
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
3 dried red chillies
For the spice paste, roast the coconut and spices until brown. Leave to cool, then grind in a food processor, gradually adding about 250ml water to make a fine paste.
Bring 300ml of water to the boil and add the lentils, turmeric, chilli powder and onions. Simmer until the lentils are well cooked.
Add the carrots, beans, tomatoes and potatoes and stir well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the tamarind water and salt to taste. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in the spice paste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to moderate and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
For tempering, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the mustard seeds. As they begin to pop, add the curry leaves and dried red chillies. Pour this over the curry and gently stir through. Serve hot.
North India
Stir-fry of paneer cheese with peppers
A kadhai, or karahi, is the Indian wok, and this is the Indian answer to a stir-fry. This style of cooking is very versatile and quick if you prepare a basic sauce in advance… …..You may want to keep a jar of this basic kadhai sauce in your fridge.
The kadhai method is becoming particularly popular with youngsters and people who are learning to cook and want to try out different things without spending a lot of time in the kitchen.
Serves 4-6
1 tbs ghee or corn oil
1/2 tsp crushed dried chillies
2 red or yellow peppers, deseeded and cut into strips 1 x 3cm
1 red onion, sliced 1cm thick
600g paneer, cut into 3cm batons
20g coriander leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves, crumbled
juice of 1 lemon
5cm piece fresh root ginger, cut into julienne
For the basic kadhai sauce
80g ghee or corn oil
30g garlic cloves, finely chopped
15g coriander seeds, coarsely pounded
8 red chillies, coarsely pounded in a mortar
2 onions, finely chopped
5cm piece fresh root ginger, finely chopped
3 green chillies, finely chopped
750g fresh ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground garam masala
11/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves, crumbled
1 tsp sugar (optional)
To make the sauce, heat the ghee in a pan, add the garlic and let it colour. Stir, then add the coriander seeds and red chillies. When they release their aromas, add the onions and cook until they start changing to light golden. Stir in the ginger, green chillies and tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low and cook until all excess moisture has evaporated and the fat starts to separate out. Add the salt, garam masala and fenugreek leaves and stir. Add some sugar, if needed.
For the stir-fry, heat the ghee in a kadhai, wok or large frying pan. Add the crushed chillies, pepper strips and red onion. Stir and sauté on a high heat for under a minute, then add the paneer and stir for another minute. Add the sauce and mix well. Once everything is heated through, check the seasoning. Finish with the fresh coriander, fenugreek leaves and lemon juice.
Garnish with the ginger and serve with ..GF naan bread.
observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmont ... 71,00.html
Recipes by Roopa Gulati, David Thompson, Mahmood Akbar, Sri Owen, Vivek Singh, Das Sreedharan and Corinne Trang.
· Extracted from Curry, published by Dorling Kindersley on 5 October 2006, price £16.99. ©Dorling Kindersley 2006.
Potato curry
When you are not sure what to cook, or you have to prepare a meal in a hurry, potato curry is always the answer. You can eat it for breakfast on toast, topped with a couple of fried eggs, lunch or dinner, alone or as part of a meal. It's great as a left-over too. All varieties of potatoes can be used, even young. This is true comfort food. It can be made in advance and reheated in the pan on a low heat or in a microwave.
Serves 3-4
2 tbs sunflower oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large plum tomatoes, skinned and chopped
8 red chillies
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
salt
500g potatoes, peeled and diced, or whole new potatoes
chopped coriander leaves to garnish
Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook until slightly browned. Add the chopped tomatoes, then stir in the chillies, chilli powder, cumin seeds and salt to taste. Add 125ml water and cook, stirring, until excess liquid has evaporated.
Add the potatoes together with another 125ml water. Stir well to coat the potatoes with the spice mixture, then put the lid on the pan. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender but not breaking up.
Remove the lid and continue cooking until the oil separates out. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.
India
Vegetables with lentils
Sambar is... is the curry always served first at any feast in southern India. It is the dish of the common man.
Serves 4
100g split yellow lentils (toor dal)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
2 onions, cut into small pieces
100g carrots, peeled and cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
100g green beans (frozen or fresh), cut into 2.5cm pieces
3 tomatoes, quartered
100g potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
3-4 tbs tamarind water
salt
For the sauce
100g freshly grated coconut or desiccated coconut
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 dried red chilli
For tempering
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
3 dried red chillies
For the spice paste, roast the coconut and spices until brown. Leave to cool, then grind in a food processor, gradually adding about 250ml water to make a fine paste.
Bring 300ml of water to the boil and add the lentils, turmeric, chilli powder and onions. Simmer until the lentils are well cooked.
Add the carrots, beans, tomatoes and potatoes and stir well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the tamarind water and salt to taste. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in the spice paste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to moderate and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
For tempering, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the mustard seeds. As they begin to pop, add the curry leaves and dried red chillies. Pour this over the curry and gently stir through. Serve hot.
North India
Stir-fry of paneer cheese with peppers
A kadhai, or karahi, is the Indian wok, and this is the Indian answer to a stir-fry. This style of cooking is very versatile and quick if you prepare a basic sauce in advance… …..You may want to keep a jar of this basic kadhai sauce in your fridge.
The kadhai method is becoming particularly popular with youngsters and people who are learning to cook and want to try out different things without spending a lot of time in the kitchen.
Serves 4-6
1 tbs ghee or corn oil
1/2 tsp crushed dried chillies
2 red or yellow peppers, deseeded and cut into strips 1 x 3cm
1 red onion, sliced 1cm thick
600g paneer, cut into 3cm batons
20g coriander leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves, crumbled
juice of 1 lemon
5cm piece fresh root ginger, cut into julienne
For the basic kadhai sauce
80g ghee or corn oil
30g garlic cloves, finely chopped
15g coriander seeds, coarsely pounded
8 red chillies, coarsely pounded in a mortar
2 onions, finely chopped
5cm piece fresh root ginger, finely chopped
3 green chillies, finely chopped
750g fresh ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground garam masala
11/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves, crumbled
1 tsp sugar (optional)
To make the sauce, heat the ghee in a pan, add the garlic and let it colour. Stir, then add the coriander seeds and red chillies. When they release their aromas, add the onions and cook until they start changing to light golden. Stir in the ginger, green chillies and tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low and cook until all excess moisture has evaporated and the fat starts to separate out. Add the salt, garam masala and fenugreek leaves and stir. Add some sugar, if needed.
For the stir-fry, heat the ghee in a kadhai, wok or large frying pan. Add the crushed chillies, pepper strips and red onion. Stir and sauté on a high heat for under a minute, then add the paneer and stir for another minute. Add the sauce and mix well. Once everything is heated through, check the seasoning. Finish with the fresh coriander, fenugreek leaves and lemon juice.
Garnish with the ginger and serve with ..GF naan bread.
observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmont ... 71,00.html
Recipes by Roopa Gulati, David Thompson, Mahmood Akbar, Sri Owen, Vivek Singh, Das Sreedharan and Corinne Trang.
· Extracted from Curry, published by Dorling Kindersley on 5 October 2006, price £16.99. ©Dorling Kindersley 2006.