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Learn to Cook Curries
We will gradually build up a number of simple recipes on these pages which you, might like to try.
Spices Although there are many spices, those we use at home are the most basic ones used for Gujarati cooking. Gujarati food tends to be very simple and therefore it is a good starting point. The main thing to remember is that there are no hard and fast rules about cooking curries. As you become more confident become adventurous and try out new vegetables and different style of curries. There are two types of spices: oil soluble and water soluble Oil Soluble Black mustard seeds Cumin Seeds Coriandar Seeds Whole cardamoms Cloves Cinnamon stick Fresh or Dry chillies Asafoetida (Hing) Water Soluble Cumin powder Coriander powder Turmeric Chilli powder Other Ingredients Onions Garlic Fresh ginger Fresh tomatoes/Tomato paste/Passata The main thing to remember is that you always put oil soluble spices in HOT oil and water soluble spices at the later stages of cooking. Ideally it is best to buy these spices from an Indian shop but you can get them from most major supermarkets. List of Recipes 1 Fried rice with sweet corn and peas 2 Potatoes & peas curry Simple Fried Rice (with sweet corn, peas & red pepper) preparation time 30 minutes for 2 servings Ingredients 150gm Basmati Rice 125gm Frozen peas 150gm Prawns or tuna slices 125gm Sweetcorn 1 Red onion 1 Red Pepper 1 Garlic Vegetable oil Black mustard seeds 1/2 tea spoon Cumin seeds 1/2 tea spoon Asafoetida (HIng) a pinch (optional) Turmeric 1/4 teaspoon Chilli powder to taste 1 Put the Basmati rice in plenty of lightly salted boiling water and simmer it for 10 minutes and then add the frozen peas, bring it back to boil and simmer for further 5 minutes. Drain it in a sieve and rinse with cold water to wash out the starch. 2 While the rice is boiling, finely chop the onion, the red pepper and garlic. 3 Once the rice is ready, heat the oil in a wok or a frying pan. 4 When the oil is really hot sprinkle the black mustard seeds into the oil when they pop add the cumin seeds and when they sizzle, sprinkle the asafoetida and immediately plunge the chopped onion and pepper into the wok. Fry the mixture while stirring and when the onion softens make a little room in the middle of the wok (pan) to fry the garlic until brown. Make sure the garlic does not burn! 5 Tip the drained rice and peas and sweet corn into the wok and fry everything for a few minutes. 6 Add the turmeric, chilli powder and salt (to taste) and fry for a few more minutes, stirring, and finally add the prawns or tuna slices. 7 Make sure that everything is heated thoroughly. We serve this with side dishes of plain yoghurt, salad and pickles. That's it - enjoy, as they say! Potatoes & Peas Curry Ingredients (4 persons) 1kg Potatoes 125gm Frozen peas 1 Onion 1 Garlic Vegetable oil 1 table spoon Black mustard seeds 1/2tsp Cumin seeds 1/2 tea spoon Asafoetida (Hing) a pinch Turmeric 1/2 teaspoon Cuminpowder 1 teaspoon Corriander powder 2 teaspoons Chilli powder to taste Salt to taste 1 Peel and chop the potatoes into 1cm cubes. 2 Finely chop the onion and the garlic. 3 Heat the oil in a frying pan and when it is really hot, add the mustard seeds, turn the heat off when they pop, and add the cumin seeds and when they sizzle add the asafoetida (Hing) and immediately sprinkle in the chopped onion and let the mixture fry gently for a few minutes until the onion is soft. Make sure that the seeds don't burn! 4 Make a little room in the middle of the wok (pan) to fry the garlic until brown. Make sure the garlic does not burn! 5 Put the potatoes in the frying pan and fry the mixture gently for about 10 minutes, stirring all the time. 6 Then add the turmeric and the cumin and the corriandar powders and chilli powder and salt to taste. Also add a little water and fresh tomatoes or a little pasata. 7 Let the potatoes cook for a further ten minutres and then add the peas. 8 Continue to cook until potatoes are ready adding more water or pasata if required. Be careful not to to burn the potatoe or let them get too soft. |