Cook in a Curry

It’s a special occasion and we had guests over for dinner. Mum always wanted everything pristine perfect and food undoubtedly topped that list. The house was sparkling clean, fresh flowers in the sitting room with music in the background, all her best china and shiny cutlery was laid out on the table (mind you we NEVER got to use it unless we had guests!). The food warmer was preheated with a few dishes that she had prepped for. An array of curries, boondi raita, fresh salad (or ‘salaaad’ as they called it!) and Ras malai chilled in the fridge to finish off an enchanting evening. But starters with drinks always started off the evening on a high. Drinks and kebabs have a love affair that I know every Indian would vouch for. With heated debates on politics, films or religion; the one thing that all guest unanimously gushed about was how delicious each starter was as an accompaniment to the drinks.

‘Hari Machhi kebab’ or Fish kebabs made with a green dry marinade were a family favourite. The fish mixed in with the marinade culminated in a melt in your mouth kebab. While mum was still frying them off I tuck into this crispy edged fish kebab; still piping hot and moist in the middle with a hint of ginger & spices. Dunking each morsel in a generous portion of tangy chutney. I was always the first in the kitchen to ‘sample’ the kebabs before the guests arrived and sneaking back to the kitchen for more while my parents weren’t around. Cooking them now takes me back to the aromas, sizzles & splutters when mum would make them in her kitchen. And nevertheless keeps me coming back for more.

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I love the smells from my kitchen at the moment; smoky earthy dried whole red chillies that I just fried off in oil. Infusing the chilli heat in the oil; these deep red variety are glistening in the frying pan and filling my home with the roasted aroma.

If you have been reading my post for a while you’d know I love a good hearty curry. Though to my mind an Indian meal made from scratch does not always translate to a lengthy cooking process. Spiced Indian green beans are just that; bright green beans gleaming in the flavoured oils coated in mustard seeds & chillies but still making them the star of the dish rather than a supporting act to one. A dish with very few ingredients to wake up your taste buds. Served warm with a sprinkling of coriander, lime & sea salt I love eating it with some flaky buttery paratha & plain yoghurt or as my mum would serve it with a substantial helping of yoghurt rice.  

Curry leaves, dried red chillies and mustard seeds are all synonymous with Maharashtra, Goa and of course southern Indian cooking. And used generously in most of our traditional home cooked menus. The dried red chillies impart a mild heat but a very distinct flavour. Though if you prefer you can use fresh chillies but make sure to vary quantities based on how hot you like your dish. The recipe also includes a tsp of coriander powder which I feel enhances and blends together the taste of the over all dish.

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Just for a while I’m going to steer away from writing about bog standard curries and introduce you to a part of my world which was full of flavour, enticing; using ingredients that you probably wouldn’t associate with Indian food.

But for me growing up; eating this delectable variety as part of our diet almost felt so normal that I assumed everyone ate Liver Masala (kaleji), Paya Nihari (goat’s trotters in a curry) or Sorpotel (popular Goan dish cooked in spices, vinegar, meat & offal) and even pan fried spiced Fish Roe. The dishes I have mentioned are those I have relished at home, in restaurants and also with family & friends. Most of these have Mughlai, Portuguese and rural Indian influences. But more importantly all delicious and most definitely not something for the faint hearted Indian food lover. These are robust flavours; one that call for full-on spice to bring out the best in them. Rich, exotic, gutsy & earthy are all the things that come to mind with these dishes

Paya are trotters/ feet of goat or lamb. Soups, stews & curries made from paya are usually consumed in India during winter months. With Persian influences this dish was adapted to what it’s known today by Mughlai cooks all over the country primarily in Delhi, Lucknow & Hyderabad. They also believed it to have medicinal properties and are regularly recommended for nutritional purposes.

Mughlai restaurants and small age old cafes serve this dish regularly but depending on where you visit there are quite a few preparations for Paya. A must do if your ever visiting India is to get to these cafe’s as early as possible. Once it’s cooked & served; they are sold out in no time! Traditional paya cooking is a long and slow process, letting the meat cook through; fall off the bone and almost melt in your mouth. Enhancing the flavours further is the gelatinous fat, juicy bones and marrow melting through to form the base for a delicious stock giving a distinct taste and rich meaty gravy to the dish.

Though I have Niamh from Eat like a girl to thank for persuading me to blog this recipe. I know it’s taken me ages. For all those who have requested recipes they’d like to see on Cook in a curry – I’m getting through the list slowly but surely!

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Cheffing at events most of this week has meant that dinner isn’t always a well planned affair. But when all is quiet in the house and I yearn to cook up something that’s ‘a meal for one’, quick, delicious and ticks every late night snack requirement; this is JUST it!

‘Anda Bhurji’ or Indian scrambled eggs are something I know alot of Indians to have cooked at least once. It’s the easiest one pot meal (with very little washing up!) where chucking everything in hot frying pan is the norm. My most distinct memory of cooking this in India has to be late nights with college friends; chopping the onions, beating the eggs, sprinkling the spices was a team effort. Taking a break whilst studying for our exams and rustling up the eggs with crusty toast to satisfy our hunger pangs was the perfect excuse to take ourselves away from all that boring book knowledge.

The ingredients are basic store cupboard stuff but culminating into a dish bursting with flavours. The moist eggs spiced lightly with turmeric & chilli, fried in onions, coriander & tomatoes. A perfect recipe for the exhausted late night with a fiery kick.

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My trip to a fish monger now a days fills me with excitement, joy, anticipation and this unusual burst of energy which stems back with memories from my childhood that always come flooding back in an instant. My family lived in Mumbai; the coastal region of Maharashtra where seafood was always in abundance, with fishmongers knocking on our door often to sell the fresh catch of the day. Maharashtrians do eat Chicken and mutton but based on the way the region is laid out, a fully fledged meat based diet is consumed within the inner regions where supply of seafood can be scarce.

As a young girl accompanying my mother to the meat and fish market was something I would look forward to, keen to see what fresh produce was up for grabs. This really might not be something everyone enjoys but for me it was unique and special. The market had the distinct ‘fishy’ smell to it as you walked up to the entrance. The rustic colonial style doors leading the way to massive halls with old fashioned bronzed fans dotted about which kept the place slightly cooler and almost gave it that retro feel. We always made sure to carry our own shopping baskets to the stalls as most of the fish bought was wrapped by vendors in newspaper.

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I always strive to cook a meal that is wholesome, delicious and brings out the best flavours in the ingredients. However I’m willing to accept that anything that assists you in making your daily cooking experience a tad bit easier is never a bad thing. When most people think of a ready paste they equate it to the word “instant”. Whereas using ready ingredients as part of your meal to speed up the cooking process does not make it in anyway ‘less authentic’.

Though I am a Pathaks paste virgin – there I’ve said it! I guess this is hugely down to the fact that I grew up as part of a generation in India where there weren’t any posh supermarkets, ready meals or takeaways. But that didn’t steer my mother from giving us freshly made home cooked meals adapting to our surroundings and making the best of all the seasonal vegetables & meats that were in abundance in local markets. An inherent quality that I carry forward with me even today.

With a long standing reputation in the food industry in the UK; the Pathaks brand has evolved and come into its own. Now a day’s using a paste as part of a meal would seem like a quick option especially for those young professionals or busy working families that don’t always have the time to make up the base from scratch. So when the Pathaks team got in touch and asked if I’d like to sample some of their products and work on a recipe using a paste I wanted to make sure it complimented the ingredients in the final dish but also made for a delicious meal that would be part of my repertoire.

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Eating anything with butter and jaggery (unrefined cane sugar) will always make me a happy girl. But when you combine them with whole wheat flour and roast it on the hob the warm, nutty, sweet smells of this dish will make it seem too hard to resist. It’s heavenly! With a hint of cardamom and ginger powder; a topping of roasted sesame seeds this is one dish that has managed to surprise me. To think that I can make anything else apart from breads or cakes with whole grain flour!

My great grandmother was the expert at making this dish and it never really took her long to put it together. In her rustic copper pot she rustled together the flour & butter, stirring away with ease. Not far in the distance everyone waiting with baited breathe to sample some of the goodness. For now though they had to settle for the aromas of the melting jaggery with the roasted flour that were filling the house. I know only too well how my mother relished it. She has always spoken about her fond memories when she ate aaji’s (grandmother’s) Gul papdi and almost certainly declaring that no one has ever made it better.

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I left home at 7.15am promptly making my way straight to college. We would all meet in the college cark park and then walk over to the local south indian coffee house.

Yes. That was my ‘everyday’ ritual. No college for me at 19 but food was most definitely on the agenda. I guess my friends and me skipped classes because breakfast on a frosty morning sounded much more enticing while having a warm cup of tea and a gossip. The bustling coffee house was always filled with students and even office workers scoffing away before they made their way to work.

Dosas, steaming idlis, hot sambar and of course my all time fav was the tomato uttapam. These circular rice flour based beauties were on the menu with a variety of toppings to choose from. Onion, chillies, tomato and even cheese was on offer. I always went for the tomato variety served with sambar (south indian lentils) and coconut chutney. Crisp around the edges and moist and soft when I tucked in. Dunking each bite in the sambar and the chutney; it was bursting with flavours. Cumin, tomatoes, the soft pancake like texture with a spice kick from the sambar & coconuty chutney.

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I have often spoken about eating Indian spiced broths & soups on my radio slot. Stew is such a big part of Indian culture regionally; and something I have grown up eating. Though it’s not quite often you’ll be seen slurping down a bowl in your local Indian.

With Christmas in mind as well this is an easy to rustle up one pot dish and perfect in this weather. You can even swap the chicken for leftover turkey. I can’t think of anything better than coming home to bowl of chicken stew. With each spoonful for me comes through the warmth and comfort of good old home cooking.

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If you’re like me and yearn to cook hearty, homemade and comforting food with the thought of eating something to warm up your senses in this bone chilling wintery weather then this is just the excuse to stroke that indulgence.

Kheema (Minced Lamb) is used so often in Indian food not just as part of a main course but also in breads and starters. I remember my mother cooked kheema mutter (minced lamb with green peas & potatoes) so often for meals when I was young that now I find there is nothing really more satisfying then eating kheema cooked the Indian way. Made so often all over the Indian sub continent; each region has its own unique way of cooking minced lamb. 

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