Curry Night

Tonight I made four curries, or made three and put together a chicken korma with bought sauce because that's what Arya eats, as well as making pilau rice. Aside from the korma, this whole lot is vegetarian, and probably vegan. It was also a roaring success.

Sag aloo
1/2 tbsp oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp ginger, chopped
500g potatoes, cut to roughly 2cm cubes
1 large chilli, chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
250g spinach

For this recipe, I used a chilli from the garden, and home grown beetroot greens instead of the spinach.

1. Heat the oil on a medium heat and fry the onion, garlic and ginger for about 3 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes, chilli and spices; stir and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Add a splash of water, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the potatioes are soft through, but not disintegrating.
4. Add the greens and wilt before stirring together.

Red lentil dahl
1/2 tbsp oil
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp ginger, chopped
1/2 chilli, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
200g red lentils
400g chopped tomatoes
400ml coconut milk
500ml vegetable stock
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 handfuls spinach

Again, this used the home grown chilli and beetroot greens (in lieu of spinach.) Be aware, this recipe makes a lot of dahl.

1. Heat the oil and fry the onions for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the spices and cook for another minute.
4. Add the lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk and stock and cook for 15-20 minutes.
5. Add the lemon juice and greens and allow to wilt.

Curried beetroot
1/2 tbsp oil
450g beetroot
1/2 onion
2 chillies
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cumin
120ml coconut milk
120ml water

A late addition to the lineup intended to use the home-grown beetroot, I actually made about half this much because the beetroots were very small.

Mix all the ingredients together in a pan. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes covered, then 10 minutes open.

Chicken and Lentil Curry

Curry
1/2 tbsp oil
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 chilli
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
3 cracked cardamom pods2-3 chicken thigh fillets
100g lentils
1 tin chopped tomatoes
250ml chicken stock

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then add the spices and fry briefly.

Fry the onions, garlic and chilli until soft.

Add the chicken and seal, stirring well.

Stir in the lentils, then the tomatoes and the chicken stock. Simmer until the stock is reduced and the lentils are soft.

Pilau Rice
1/2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup rice
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cumin
3 cracked cardamom pods

Heat the oil and fry the spices briefly, then stir through the rice.

Add 1 1/2 cups of boiled water and simmer until the water is absorbed, adding more water as needed to bring the rice to a good consistency.

Chicken Rendang Tandoori

This was a first attempt at using my new tandoori pot, which I got for Christmas.

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion (I used 2 small)
1 clove garlic
3 chicken thighs
1 pot rendang paste (came with the pot, I'll look up the spice mix later)
1 green chilli
1 dried, red chilli (ground up with my new pestle and mortar)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 courgette, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
2 tbsp basmati rice
2 tbsp water

Heat the oven to c. 180C.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and soften, then add the paste and heat through.

Add the chicken thighs, sealing on both sides in the spices.

Pour the tomatoes into the tandoori pot. Add the courgette, peppers, water and rice, and stir.

Layer the chicken mix over the top of the pot and cover.

Place in the oven for about 50 minutes.