A healthy helping of curryWednesday, November 25 2009
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Some of the spices that are combined with various herbs and seeds to make curry powder....
THE REST of the world is finally turning on to a nutritional fact that we in Trinidad and Tobago have known for years – not only is curry delicious, each ingredient contributing to it has health benefits.
For culinary novices, a quick lesson – curry powder is actually a pulverised blend of up to 20 spices, herbs and seeds. The most commonly used are cardamom, chillies, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel seed, fenugreek, mace, nutmeg, red and black pepper, poppy and sesame seeds, saffron, tamarind and turmeric. The latter is what gives curried dishes their characteristic yellow colour. Commercial curry powder comes in two basic styles – standard, and the hotter of the two, “Madras”.
Since curry powder quickly loses its pungency, it should be stored, airtight, no longer than two months.
Cooking with curry is not as simple as adding curry powder to a dish, however, it is the seasoning that does the trick. According to the basic Ayurvedic recommendations, seasoning could be cumin seeds, turmeric powder, coriander powder, ginger powder or slices, fennel seeds, crushed black peppers, mustard seeds and bay leaf.
Now that we have the basics out of the way, try you hand at one of these delightful curry recipes that are slightly different to the ones popular in this country.
Chicken Palak
2 onions, sliced, 1 clove garlic, crushed, 1 tomato, chopped, Pinch of salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 pint milk, 8oz spinach, 4 chicken breasts, 8oz long grain rice, 1 teaspoon salt
Fry the onion and garlic over a gentle heat for ten minutes. Add tomato, salt and spices and cook for five mins. Stir in the milk and spinach and chicken, cover and cook untill the chicken is tender and cooked. Put in the rice, 1 pint of water and salt, bring to the boil and stir, lower the heat to simmer, cover and cook until the rice is cooked. Serve the chicken while hot.
Tandoori Chicken
4 large chicken portions, 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic, skinned and crushed, 1 teaspoon chilli powder salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 inch of fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped, 4 tablespoons natural yoghurt, 2 teaspoons garam masala, ½ teaspoon red or orange food colouring, 50ml ghee or melted butter, Shredded lettuce, onion rings and lemon wedges, to serve.
Cut each chicken portion into half and remove any skin, slash each piece of chicken in several places with a sharp knife. In a bowl mix together lime or lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Rub all over the chicken, then place in a dish and set aside while preparing the other ingredients. Grind the cumin and coriander seeds. Place in to a bowl and mix with the yoghurt, garam masala and food colouring. Brush the marinade all over the chicken, working into the cuts in the flesh.
Cover the dish and place in fridge for 24 hours. When ready to cook, place the chicken pieces on a rack in a roasting tin. Pour in enough water under the rack to just cover the bottom of the tin.
Brush the ghee over the chicken, then roast in the oven at 200°C for one hour turning after 30 minutes, basting with the liquid from the bottom of the tin. To serve, arrange the lettuce and onion rings on a plate, place the chicken on top and garnish with lemon wedges, serve hot.
Mango and Vegetable Curry
You will need approx 100g(4oz) of each of the following, or any other vegetable that you like. Cut all the vegetables into bite-sized pieces; Green beans, Pumpkin, Potato, Onions, Green figs
1 large mango, 2 tablespoons turmeric powder, Salt, Fresh herbs to garnish
For the masala (curry paste)
225g grated fresh coconut, 8 small shallots, peeled and chopped, 5 fresh green chillies 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 6 fresh curry leaves
Put all the ingredients for the masala into a food processor and whiz until you have a paste (add a little water if it’s too dry). Put the vegetables, fig and mango into a pan and add enough water to cover, stir in the turmeric and salt to taste and boil for 5-7 minutes.
When the vegetables are cooked strain off the water and leave to one side. Stir in the masala spices to the cooked vegetables and add a small amount of the reserve water, then continue to cook until you have a thick spicy gravy. Serve sprinkled with a handful of fresh herbs.
This is a fairly hot curry so modify the amount of chillies to suit your taste.
