Second to naan

Second toNaan

Balti Chicken Vindaloo

This was the fi rst curry I cooked and the beauty of this is, once you have these spices on your shelf, you can turn your hand to most curry recipes. Don't be scared by the 'Vindaloo' in the title, it isn't scarily spicy (unless you want it to be) it's merely referring to the fact that vinegar is added to the spices, to enhance their fl avours. Also, this is technically a 'dry' curry as this recipe stands, but if you want a sauce, just add tinned tomatoes or coconut milk (or both) at the end, and leave it to simmer for 30 minutes.

Serves 4, cooking time 30-40 minutes (plus overnight marinating)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds • 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds • 1 cinnamon stick • 3 whole cloves • 1 teaspoon peppercorns • 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut • 3 tablespoons unsalted peanuts • 6 tablespoons vinegar (any type is fi ne) • 2 garlic cloves (crushed) • 1 thumb sized knob of fresh ginger (grated) • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric • 2 teaspoons mild chilli powder • 2 teaspoons salt • 4-5 skinless chicken breast fi llets (trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces) • vegetable oil • small handful of fresh curry leaves • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds METHOD:

Dry roast (in a small frying pan) the coriander, cumin, fenugreek, mustard seeds, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, coconut & peanuts until toasty and aromatic (keep an eye on the coconut as that will tend to brown fi rst). Crush or grind the mixture and combine with the vinegar, garlic, ginger, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and a splash of oil. Place the chicken in a non metallic dish (or a ziploc bag works too) and pour over the marinade. Stir and leave overnight to marinade.

Heat some vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok and add the curry leaves and cumin seeds. Cook for about 10-15 seconds (or until the seeds start to 'pop' and add the marinated chicken (and the marinade), fry for about 15 minutes, turning the chicken regularly. Cover and continue cooking for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender. If you fancy a sauce, now's the time to follow the tip above. Done.

4th-10th October National Curry Week

The nation's favourite food is showcased this month in National Curry Week, why not create that authentic taste at home with this spicy banquet?

by Russell Stretch

INGREDIENTS: Vegetable curry

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds • 1 dried red chilli • vegetable oil • 1 thumb sized knob of fresh ginger (grated) • 2 garlic cloves (crushed / fi nely chopped) • 1 large potato / 2 large carrots (chopped into small chunks) • 200g Greek yoghurt • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric • 1 teaspoon mild chilli powder • 1 cinnamon stick • 1-2 tablespoons tamarind paste • 1/2 caulifl ower (broken into fl orets) • 150g frozen peas • 400g can of chickpeas (drained) • Some fresh coriander leaves to garnish.

with tamarind

Serve with chickpeas and rice for

a great vegetarian meal (with just as much protein as a meat curry !)

Serves 4, cooking time 50 minutes METHOD:

In a heavy based saucepan (large enough to hold all the ingredients), dry fry the cumin, coriander and chilli until fragrant. Then, add a splash of vegetable oil along with the ginger and garlic and fry until softened (not coloured). Stir in the potato/carrots, yoghurt, chilli powder and turmeric, followed by 800ml of cold water, the tamarind, cinnamon stick, salt and pepper. Give it a stir and bring to the boil, then cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the caulifl ower to the pan, stir and leave for a further 10 minutes. Then add the chickpeas and frozen peas and leave simmering for a fi nal 10 minutes. Done.

Tarka Dhal Chapatis

Simple and healthy, yet delicious. Ideally served with plain rice or a naan bread for dipping, or both. Making your own bread is a winner with curry and this recipe is so easy, you'll never buy the store made stuff again.

Serves 4, cooking time 50 minutes Serves 4, cooking time 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 100g yellow split peas • 100g red lentils • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric • 1 litre water • 1 teaspoon salt • 3 tablespoons olive oil (or another fl avourless oil such as groundnut) • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds • 1 -2 dried red chillies (depending on your tolerance to heat) • 1 garlic clove, smashed then peeled Serves 4, cooking time 10 minutes (prep time 45 minutes) Serves 4, cooking time 10 minutes (prep time 45 minutes)

INGREDIENTS:

• 250g wholemeal fl our • 1 teaspoon salt • Approx. 200ml cold water • Vegetable oil

METHOD:

METHOD:

Wash the split peas and lentils in cold water and drain. Add to a heavy-based saucepan with the turmeric and water. Stir and bring to the boil, then partially cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Leave to simmer for around 40 minutes, then stir in the salt and turn off the heat, cover and leave to one side. Put the oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat, when the oil is hot, add the cumin and chillies, cook for a few seconds (they will burn quickly) and then add the garlic. Let the garlic colour slightly, then add the contents of the frying pan to the lentils, pop the lid back on (to trap the aromas) and take to lentils, pop the lid back on (to trap the aromas) and take to the table. Done. Place the fl our and salt in a bowl, mix and make a well in the centre, then gradually add the water, stirring to make a soft dough. Remove to a surface and knead for 10 minutes (add more fl our if it's too sticky). Place back in the bowl, cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

After it has rested, remove and knead again thoroughly before dividing the dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece out to about the thickness of a pancake on a fl oured surface.

Lightly grease a large frying pan with the oil and place over Lightly grease a large frying pan with the oil and place over a medium heat. Add a chapati and cook until the bread starts a medium heat. Add a chapati and cook until the bread starts to 'blister' (this won't take long). Press down with a fi sh slice and then fl ip and cook the other side until lightly coloured. Remove from the pan and keep warm while you cook the others. You're looking at about 2 minutes per chapati. Done.

Did you know?

Curry or kari?

There are several theories of the origin of the word "curry", however most believe that it derives from the Tamil word “kari”, which is soup-like spiced sauce. Popular but not authentic.

One in seven dishes served in the UK is a Chicken Tikka Masala, however this is not an original or traditional Indian curry. The original dish is rumoured to have been created by Pakistani chef Ali Ahmed Aslam, owner of the Shish Mahal restaurant at the West End of Glasgow, in 1971. Some like it hot.

Some research shows that Glaswegians consume the most spicy dishes per-person in the entire country. However research conducted by the beer company Kingfi sher found that Britain’s favourite curry is a korma, so maybe most of us have a slightly cooler palate. Fruit or citrus beers always go well with spicy foods. This superbly refreshing, straw coloured beer has English Pale malts combined with Challenger and Goldings hops which provide a slight bitterness, followed by a distinct zesty and pithy grapefruit aroma with a citrus fi nish.

Citrus Beer ABV: 4.7% 8 x 500ml £17 stpetersbrewery.co.uk