Cooking Curry—An Indian Delight
Daily cooking presents a challenge for housewives everywhere. To the extent possible, they want variety in the dishes that they serve. And food should be appetizing. But it is not easy to do it day after day, week in and week out.
Perhaps, for a change, would you like to serve your family curry this week? We would like to share with you some suggestions from housewives in India. You may wish to prepare a simple rice and vegetable curry, which may also help your budget.
First, to obtain your spices you may need to find a store that specializes in food items from India. Now we can check some of the ingredients: three to four carrots, a handful of French beans, a small cabbage, two large eggplants, two tomatoes, three onions and a bulb of garlic. Adjust quantities according to the number you are cooking for. You will also need curds of milk, or natural unsweetened yogurt.
To make the cumin paste you will need, grind a quarter teaspoon of cumin seeds with three garlic cloves and a chopped onion, and keep it until needed. Dice into equal sizes all the vegetables except the tomatoes and onions, and mix them together in a pan. Add one and a half cups of water, a quarter teaspoon of turmeric powder, four fresh green and one dried red chili pods, one chopped onion, salt to taste, and cook. Soon your mouth should be watering!
Mix in two diced tomatoes, a few curry leaves, the prepared cumin paste and half a coconut grated finely. When your curry boils add two tablespoons of curds or yogurt, remove it from the stove and leave it until needed.
Next, heat a small quantity of cooking oil in a frying pan and when it is really hot add a pinch of whole mustard seeds. When the seeds burst add half a chopped onion and when it is completely browned pour the contents into the vegetable curry and stir thoroughly. By now your kitchen will be filled with the spicy aromas of the East. Of course, you will serve your hungry family an adequate amount of nicely boiled rice with your newly created, savory curry.
For mutton curry, first cut about two pounds (nearly one kg) of meat into about one-inch (2.5-cm) cube pieces, wash them and set them aside. You can buy curry powder, but you may wish to know how Indian housewives grind their own fresh curry powder. Grind and mix four dried red chilies, two tablespoons of coriander seeds, half teaspoon turmeric powder, two teaspoons aniseeds and four black peppercorns—the result is curry powder! Next grind into a paste one and a half ounce (42 gm) of root ginger, six garlic cloves and one onion. Steep the grated meat of a coconut for two minutes in a cup of boiling water, squeeze out the rich extract of “milk.” Then steep the residue in three cups of boiling water and leave it for some minutes. Squeeze it out for later use.
At this point heat five tablespoons of cooking oil in a heavy-bottomed pan, and when the oil is very hot add four cloves and an inch of cinnamon bark. Simultaneously, brown three chopped onions and mix in your ginger-garlic-onion paste for two minutes. Next add your ground spices or your commercial curry powder (not both), plus three split green chilies. Stir the whole mixture for two minutes, then add the mutton pieces, cook them for five minutes, stirring constantly, and savor the fragrant spice harmony of the Indies. Your next step is to stir in three cups of coconut “milk,” a few curry leaves and salt to taste. Place the lid on your pan and let the contents simmer on a low heat until the meat is cooked. When the meat is ready, add the rich coconut “milk,” but do not boil it. Remove it from the stove, add a few drops of lime juice and serve with boiled rice and vegetables, and your household is in for an Eastern experience!