Curry

TALKING ABOUT CURRY...

with Oded Schwartz

Curry and rice is probably the most widely eaten dish in the world today. But what is curry? Oded Schwartz tells all.

In Tamil – the ancient and indigenous language of India the word kari means ‘a spicy sauce to be eaten with rice’ and that, most historians believe, was the beginning. Curry started its life in the rice fields of Southern India as a spicy gravy that helped to elevate the tedium of a boiled rice diet.

Today the term curry is a bit confusing. In common parlance curry is a powder, a concoction that is purchased and used, indiscriminately, to produce bland, flat, anonymous ‘curry in a hurry’. To the initiate curry is a vast family of dishes, which can be mild and fragrant such as the cream and almond enriched Mogul curries which are eaten in the North of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Curry can be juicy or dry, or fiercely hot and deliciously sour like the Vindaloos and Madras of South India. Curries can be mild or hot, sweet or sour or, sometimes, the combination of all the above.

Talking only about Indian curry is telling only half a story.

With the advance of the Indian Diaspora both to the East and to the West, the Indian Curry spread and changed, evolving into classics like the South Asian green curry which uses galangal, lemon grass, Asian lime leaves (kafir lime) and fish sauce for flavouring.

In many other parts of the world, wherever Indians settle, different curries are being combined, adding their sensibilities to this ever evolving and delicious tradition. To make things even more complicated, curry is also a fragrant leaf which is sometimes used in the making of a curry.

So, after all that, what is a curry?

As a rule of thumb a curry is a cooking technique which is done in two stages. First a paste is made, usually from onions, garlic ginger chilli and some spices. Those are fried in ghee or oil to the required colour and ground into a paste. Then the main ingredients, liquid and some spices are added. The curry is then simmered slowly until the ingredients are tender and the sauce is thickened and glossy.

Traditional curry cooks describe this stage as ‘when the oil floats on top’. Finally the rest of the spices are added, this addition of spices gives the dish its freshness and final aroma.

Reading a curry recipe can be intimidating, the range and quantity of spices seem daunting and the easy way out is using commercially produced masalas.

If you want to experience... the magic of the dish take the time, buy your spices whole, roast them lightly in a dry frying pan just before using and grind them at home.

CHICKEN CURRY

For this delicious curry I like to use chicken thighs, they suit slow cooking better then the breast which tends to dry. To keep them in shape, I skewer each with a toothpick making a neat roll. It is also advisable to have meat on the bone; it adds body to the sauce.

To achieve the vibrant red colour of this sauce be careful not to brown the onions too much, add the tomatoes and liquid just as your basic mix starts to brown.

3 tbsps ground nut or vegetable oil
Small piece of cinnamon quill, broken
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
5cm fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1-2 red chillies (or to taste), finely chopped
1 tsp chilli powder or sweet paprika
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp ground roasted coriander
½ tsp ground roasted fennel
4 tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded and chopped
4 tbsps tomato purée
5-6 curry leaves (optional)
150ml water
500 g chicken pieces, skinned
Salt

To finish:
1 tsp freshly coarsely ground roasted fennel seeds
Fresh coriander leaves

Heat the oil and fry the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli and the spices for about 10 minutes or until it starts to brown.

Add tomatoes, tomato purée, curry leaves (if used) and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened .

Add chicken and simmer for about 45 minutes or until done. Roast funnel seeds in a dry pan until they are fragrant. Either coarsely grind or leave whole and add to the stew. Cook for a minute or so, sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve with rice.

DRY CURRY

Dry curries are a family of dishes which vary in strength and flavour but are based on a basic flavouring paste, which is fried until it is evenly golden brown. Great care should be taken not to burn the mixture otherwise your curry will be bitter. When the right colour is reached a little water and lemon juice or a drop of vinegar is added together with the main ingredient and cooked until tender.

In this vegetarian version I use a variety of vegetables such as carrots, peas, broccoli and cauliflower florets, but any other seasonal mix can be used. To maintain the freshness, colour and texture of the vegetables I steam them, until almost tender before adding them to the curry.

For the paste:
3 medium onion, peeled and chopped
6 cloves of garlic
5cm fresh ginger
2 – 6 thin green chillies stem and seeds removed
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder

For the masala:
1 tsp coriander
4 black or green cardamom pods, roasted and ground
5 cm cinnamon stick or 2-3 pieces of cassia bark, roasted and finely ground
½ tsp fennel seeds, roasted and ground
2 tsp nigella, roasted and left whole (onion seeds)

For the curry:
4 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
250 ml of water mixed with 4 tbsps plain yogurt
750 g mixed vegetables, steamed
Fresh coriander leaves

Method: Place paste ingredients in the food processor and process into a smooth paste.

Heat ghee or oil in a large pan add paste and fry for 2-3 minutes or until the paste is fragrant. Sprinkle with ½ the masala powder and go on frying for 8-10 minutes or until nicely browned.

Reduce the heat, sprinkle with about half of the yogurt mix and simmer very slowly for about 20 minutes adding some more water when the mixture is too dry. Add vegetables turning them well in the sauce add the rest of the yogurt mix and go on cooking until heated trough. Sprinkle with the rest of the masala and mix well. Sprinkle with coriander and serve with rice.

GREEN PRAWN CURRY

I prepare the basic curry paste in large quantity and keep refrigerated to make fish, seafood or chicken curry and add instant flavour to soups, stews and mayonnaise. Covered in thin film of oil (to prevent mould) and tightly sealed it will last for up to a month.

250 g shallots, un-peeled
1 large head of garlic, un-peeled
3 - 6 green chillies
2.5 cm fresh ginger or galingale, peeled and chopped
5 lemon grass stalks, hard outer leaves and removed, chopped
1 large bunch of coriander, roots, stem and leaves, washed, dried well and coarsely chopped
3 - 4 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
1 - 2 tbsp palm sugar or soft brown sugar
4 tbsp ground nut or sesame oil

For the stew:
400 ml coconut milk
500 g peeled and de-veined prawns
2-3 Asian lime leaves (optional)
Fresh coriander

Method: Place shallots and garlic on a baking tray and bake in a pre-heated oven gas mark 7, 220ºC, for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and soft to the touch. Leave to cool.

Peel shallots and squeeze the garlic out of its skin.

Place chillies in a pan with just enough water to cover, bring to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes or until soft. Cool under cold water, remove the stem, halve, de-seed and chop coarsely.

Place shallots, garlic and the rest of the ingredients, except the oil, in a blender (for a smooth paste) or food processor (for a coarser texture) and process. If too dry add a little water.

Heat oil in a wok or a frying pan, add paste and fry for 5 - 8 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the paste has slightly darkened.

Add coconut milk and lime leaves (if used) bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add prawns or other seafood and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the prawns are cooked. If the sauce is too thin remove the prawns, reserve. Bring to the boil and boil hard for a few minutes until thickened.

For details on Oded Schwartz, consultant, food historian and author of the highly acclaimed book 'Preserving', see FLAVOURS OF CITRUS where he shares his bittersweet bounty of winter's treasured fruits and SUMMER BERRIES with SHOWCOOK.
Oded is giving classes and demonstrations on preserving and other specialized subjects. For more information, please contact Oded at odedschwartz@cybersmart.co.za or (021) 426-2397

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