Indian Curry Recipes

Quick, simple Bengali Vegetable Curry recipe

Ryan — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:58:03 +0000

Here’s a quick vegetable curry recipe, not too hot, just very tasty. I like to make this with butternut squash, but you could really use any vegetables you like. You can increase the amount of chili powder used if you want to make it hotter.

Prep Time :
15 min
Cook Time :
30 min
Ready Time :
45 min

Servings

4 servings

Ingredients

4 tablespoons ghee or butter
1 pound potato cubed
1 small aubergine cubed
1 cup peas
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar

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1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 bay leaf

Directions

Fry the spices 1 in the ghee until the mustard seeds start to sputter.
Add the cubes of potato and fry for just a few minutes.
Add the rest of the vegetables and stir fry for 5 minutes.
Add the salt and sugar
Add enough water to just cover the vegetables and simmer until the vegetables are soft and tender.

Serve with your choice of rice and side dishes.

How to make your own Ghee (clarified butter recipe)

Ryan — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 11:30:06 +0000

A lot of the indian recipes you will see on this site or in recipe books will call for the use of ghee, or clarified butter. While you can substitute regular butter for the real thing, the extra effort involved in making your own ghee will pay off with a richer flavour in your curry dishes. Once you have made your ghee, it will keep for several months.

Cook Time :
60 min
Ready Time :
60 min

Servings

4 cups

Ingredients

2 pounds unsalted butter (or lightly salted)

Directions

Heat the butter slowly in a non-stick pan over a very low heat until it has all melted.
Raise the heat slightly, but do not allow the butter to brown, and continue to heat on a low heat for around 1 hour. Check on it regularly and do not allow it to burn.
Do not stir the butter as what you want to happen is for the solids (whey) and other impurities to separate from the clear part (the ghee). The whey will sink to the bottom and float on the surface. Skim off the floating solids from the top but do not disturb the solids at the bottom.
Turn off the heat and allow the ghee to cool a little.
Put a muslin cloth or paper kitchen towel over an airtight jar and sieve the ghee through the cloth into the jar. Discard the residue.
When the ghee cools it will solidify, but remain quite soft and will have a lemony colour with a toffee-like smell. If you have burned it then it will have a much darker colour.

Keep until required.

Lamb Keema Aloo (minced lamb curry with potato)

Ryan — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:01:21 +0000

This is a variation on the lamb keema curry recipe that I presented last time. Once again, the end result should be a dry curry with no sauce, but the addition of potato makes this a very filling curry. You can leave out the chillies if you don’t want it to be too hot.

Cook Time :
50 min
Ready Time :
50 min

Servings

4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound lean minced lamb
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 green and red chillies
1 medium onion
4 medium tomatoes
1 tablespoon chilli powder
1 tablespoon tandoori masala powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed ginger
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
4 medium potatoes

Directions

Chop the tomatoes, onions and chillies and put into a pot with a few drops of olive oil. Stir over a medium heat for a few minutes. If you prefer a milder dish, omit the chillies. If you prefer a more spicy dish, add a couple more.
Add the spices and two tablespoons of olive oil and heat for around 5 minutes.
Add the mince. If required, add another drop of olive oil and stir for about 5 minutes until the mince looks uniformly cooked.
Meanwhile peel and slice the potatoes and add to the mince.
Finely chop the coriander and add to the mince. Place a lid on top of the pan, and allow time for the potatoes to cook right through. About 50 minutes.

Serve with yoghurt or raita, & maybe with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Ideal with chapatis or naan bread.

Lamb Keema with Peas recipe

Ryan — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:01:19 +0000

Keema curry is probably the indian dish that I make most often, because it is so simple and the end result is extremely versatile. You can serve it with breads, with rice, as a filling for dosa and samosas or it can even be formed into kebabs. I’ve been known to use this as an omelette filling in the morning!

This is a simple version using lamb, but I often use ground beef or turkey instead.

The end result should be dryer than you would expect for a curry, as there is no sauce, but you can add a little more liquid if you prefer.

If you’re feeling extravagant, try making the keema then using it as a filling for stuffed tikka chicken breasts. Absolutely delicious.

Cook Time :
50 min
Ready Time :
50 min

Servings

4 none

Ingredients

1 pound lean minced lamb
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon mixed herbs and spices of your choice (e.g. Coriander)
3 clove garlic
1 inch piece ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
4 medium tomatoes
1 cup peas
1 teaspoon garam masala

Directions

Chop the onion, herbs, ginger & garlic.
In a medium-sized saucepan, add a little oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
Fry the onion mixture on a low heat for a minute or two.
Add salt, turmeric & chilli powder.
Sizzle the mixture for a few minutes on a low heat.
Add sliced tomatoes, mix well, and continue on a low heat for about 3 more minutes.
Add the minced meat, mix well, & keep on a low heat for a few minutes.
Cover the pan with a tight lid, & cook gently for 30 minutes, with an occasional stir.
Add the peas, mix and replace the lid, cooking for another 20 minutes.
Add garam masala, & cook without the lid until the excess liquid has dried up.
If preferred, remove the tomato skins as they rise during cooking.

Serve hot with vegetable curries and paratha or naan bread.

Chicken Makhani (Butter chicken)

Ryan — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:22:38 +0000

Chicken Makhani or Butter Chicken is a delicious curry in it’s own right, but you will find it an excellent way to use up leftover cooked chicken. I often find this in my local Indian Restaurant’s lunchtime buffet selection, but it is definitely worth ordering a la carte, and even better made at home.

Prep Time :
10 min
Cook Time :
80 min
Ready Time :
1 hour, 30 min

Servings

4 servings

Ingredients

1/4 pint plain youghurt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red food colouring
3 pounds chicken, skinless, jointed
oil
2 ounce butter
1 stick of cinnamon
6 cloves
6 green cardamom
1/4 pint sour cream
1/4 teaspoon saffron, crushed
1/4 pint cream
salt to taste
2 teaspoons ground almonds
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

Directions

Mix yogurt, ginger, salt and red coloring and rub into chicken. Let it marinate overnight.
Place in an ovenproof dish and brush with oil. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40-50 minutes. Save the liquid, if any.
In a saucepan, melt butter and fry cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms and bayleaf for 1 minute.
Add sour cream and chicken liquid. Add crushed saffron, and cream. Cover and simmer gently for 5-6 minutes.
Add chicken pieces and adjust seasoning. Add ground almonds. Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to the chicken.
Let it thicken. Cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

How to make a basic chicken curry

Ryan — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:01:00 +0000

This is a basic chicken curry that you could also use to make a beef or lamb curry. The sauce is made using the an onion, garlic and ginger puree. I have used peas in this recipe, you can use whatever vegatables you want to, cauliflower, potatoes and peppers work well. I have also added red bell peppers to the onion puree, for a bit of extra flavor, but you can leave this step out. If you don’t want to make your own curry paste, then bottled paste such as Pataks can be used. It’s often an ideal choice when you’re in a hurry.

Cook Time :
60 min
Ready Time :
60 min

Servings

4 servings

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts cut into cubes
1 cup garden peas
vegetable oil

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2 large onions chopped
5 clove garlic chopped
2 inch piece ginger peeled and chopped
1 large red bell pepper sliced

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2 tablespoons tomato puree
3 tablespoons curry paste (mild, medium or madras, your choice)

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1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon dry fenugreek leaves
salt to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375F.
Add three or four tablespoons of vegetable oil to a wok or large pan and heat. Roughly chop the onions, garlic, ginger and bell pepper and add to the pan. Fry them until the onions are translucent, but not burnt, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Transfer the onions, garlic, ginger and peppers to a blender or food processor and roughly puree.
Add a couple tablespoons of oil to the wok and pour the puree back into the wok. Now you’re going to stir fry for 5-10 minutes on a low heat.
Add the curry paste and the the tomato puree to the pan and mix it together well. Continue frying for about 5 minutes. This is the bhoona stage of the cooking process.
Place the cubed chicken and the peas into a casserole or pyrex dish. Pour the puree mixture from the pan over the chicken and vegetables and mix around to make sure that everything is covered with sauce.
Put the casserole or pyrex dish into the oven and allow it to cook for 40 minutes. I like to cover the dish with some tin foil to retain the moisture and to prevent any burning on the surface of the curry.
After 40 minutes, add Spices 2, stir to mix well, and continue cooking in the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve hot. You can add salt to your personal preference, but i prefer without.

Serve with a rice dish and your choice of vegetables and breads.

A fast Chicken Vindaloo recipe without overnight marination

Ryan — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:01:00 +0000

This is a version of chicken vindaloo that does not need overnight marination. It is more like a very spicy hot curry than a true vindaloo but it’s useful when you’re in a hurry and you have a craving for a hot spicy curry.

Cook Time :
70 min
Ready Time :
1 hour, 10 min

Servings

4 servings

Ingredients

2 teaspoons cumin seeds whole
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
3 sticks cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
10 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions peeled and sliced
6 tablespoons water
1 inch cube of ginger chopped
10 clove garlic chopped
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 pounds chicken breast boneless, diced
8 ounce tomato puree
1/2 pound potatoes peeled and diced

Directions

Grind cumin seeds, black pepper, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, black mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds together in a spice grinder. In a small bowl, combine ground spices, vinegar, salt, cayenne pepper and brown sugar. Set aside.
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Fry onions, stirring frequently, until they are a rich, dark brown. Remove onions with a slotted spoon and put them in a blender. Turn off the heat, but do not discard the oil. Add about 3 T water (or more if necessary) to the onions and blend until you have a smooth paste. Add this onion paste to the spices in the bowl. This mixture is the vindaloo paste.
Put the ginger and garlic in a blender. Add about 3 T water and blend until you have a smooth paste.
Heat the remaining oil in the saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the ginger, garlic paste. Stir until the paste browns slightly. Add the coriander and turmeric. Stir a few seconds. Add the chicken, a little at a time, and brown lightly.
Add the vindaloo paste, tomato sauce and potatoes to the chicken in the saucepan. Stir and bring to a slight boil. Cover the saucepan, reduce heat to low and simmer for about an hour, or until potatoes are tender.

Serve over rice.

Tandoori Chicken Legs Recipe

Ryan — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 17:01:00 +0000

You can make this tandoori recipe in your oven, but when you’re having friends over for a barbecue, you can change up from the usual burgers and hot dogs and offer your guests something a little different. Barbecuing the tandoori chicken gives it a fantastic taste and colour.

This recipe can either be used on its own, or with a masala sauce to make chicken tandoori masala.

Cook Time :
20 min
Ready Time :
20 min

Servings

4 servings

Ingredients

4 ounce chicken legs skinless
7 ounce Tandoori Marinade (about half the recipe on this site)
juice of one lemon

Directions

Make gashes in the chicken legs and rub in the lemon juice.
Place the chicken legs and the marinade into a bowl or a ziploc bag and refrigerate for 24 hours or overnight (the longer the better).
Either cook the chicken over a barbecue, or on an oven rack above a foil-lined tray over a medium heat. Cook for at least 10 minutes either side, you may need to cook for longer. To test if it is ready, pierce the plumpest part of the leg. If the fluid runs out clear, it is ready. If it is still red or pink, cook for a while longer.
As with the Chicken Tikka, blacken the chicken a little before presenting by raising the heat.
Serve on a bed of salad, with your accompaniments.

Chicken Korma (Mild, creamy, chicken curry)

Ryan — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:01:00 +0000

Chicken Korma is a restaurant favorite and is meant to be a spicy curry, but not hot. Korma is a mughlai dish originating with the Mughal emperors and usually refers to a dish where the meat or vegetables are braised with water, yoghurt, stock or cream, but in the UK it usually refers to a mild curry with a thick, creamy sauce that usually contains almonds.

If you want to make this into a vegetarian korma, just leave out the chicken.

Cook Time :
40 min
Ready Time :
40 min

Servings

4 servings

Ingredients

4 chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup ghee or butter
6 medium onions
3 clove garlic
1 inch fresh ginger
20 whole cloves
12 green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander ground
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste
8 ounce plain yoghurt
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk

Directions

Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and set aside. Peel the onions and chop them fine. You should have about 3 cups of onion. Mince the garlic and add to the bowl of chopped onions.
In a large frying pan, heat the butter and oil, then saute the onions and garlic on a medium high heat for about 10 minutes, until translucent and golden.
Crack the cardamom pods open between your fingers, just to open the shell. Add them to the pan. Add the ginger, cloves, bay leaves and salt. Saute until the onions are nice and brown, about 5 more minutes.
Mix the coriander and red pepper with the yogurt. Add the yogurt to the frying pan, stirring as you pour, slowly so that the onion doesn’t stop bubbling.
When the last of the yogurt dries up, add the chicken pieces and brown them. Add 1/2 cup water, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in the milk and turn off the heat. It needs to sit a few minutes to let the flavors blend. The longer you let it sit after cooking, the better it will taste (up to several hours).

Serve this with some saffron rice and some vegetable side dishes.

Balti Roast Chicken recipe

Ryan — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:01:00 +0000

Another idea for using up left over chicken or even turkey – perfect for the day after thanksgiving. You can buy ready roasted chickens in most supermarkets these days. Simply remove the skin from the chicken, chop it into small chunks, and make this delicious sauce to serve with it. You may add other vegetables if you want to bulk up the ingredients. I’d recommend peas or mushrooms.

Prep Time :
10 min
Cook Time :
20 min
Ready Time :
30 min

Servings

6 servings

Ingredients

2 small ready-roasted chickens meat removed from the bone and cut into chunks or any pre-cooked chicken/turkey
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee
2 small onions chopped
5 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
4 tablespoons balti masala paste
1 tablespoon coriander leaves finely chopped

Directions

Skin and bone the chicken, cutting the meat into chunks
Add the oil or ghee to your karahi, heat, and quickly stirfry the garlic. Before it browns, add the chopped onions and fry until translucent.
Add the chicken, then the masala paste.
Stir-fry for 5 minutes or so. Add the chicken stock, stir, and cook until reduced (usually 10 minutes or thereabouts).
Add coriander leaves and serve in Balti bowls.