cc0104007

what is the easiest Indian recipe for someone who has never cooked Indian
food before? Looking for a meat curry thing.


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pandamonium

It's hard to say, but if your definition of Indian is quite flexible
then...

1st level are microwave ready meals - I don't think you mean this.
Next level are cook-in sauces such as Chicken Tonight and other such stuff.
I don't think you mean this either. So...

Why not try some of the already made up pastes? Pataks do some OK ones that
are generally easy to get hold of. I used to use the Bhuna paste. I know I
will get shouted at by some of the purists in here but I don't care...

Chop an onion. Fry this very gently in oil - don't let it burn and keep
stirring it until it becomes transparent. Keep it going until a lot of the
moisture has gone. Now add some meat that has been cut into bite sized
pieces, keep it all stirring so that it doesn't burn. When it's looking
cooked, and again when most of the moisture has gone add some crushed
garlic and a couple of spoonfuls of paste - keep it all moving for a couple
of minutes. Take some chopped tomatoes, or tinned, chopped tomatoes and
keep it all moving still. The tomatoes should break down and provide some
moisture. Add a little water and some tomato puree and get it to the
consistency you want. Leave it simmering for about 15 minutes and have a
taste. If you want it hotter then add a splash of Encona. If you want, you
could add more water earlier and put in a few potatoes, allowing it to
simmer. Just remember not to allow it to become too watery.

The above is very basic but it's how I started cooking "Indian" style food.
After I got good results from that I started to become more ambitious by
using individual spices to enhance the paste. Eventually I did away with
the paste and just used the spices themselves. There are probably hundreds
of different dishes with different methods of cooking, but I think the
fried meat in a spicy gravy is probably the easiest to start with.

When you become more confident with what you're doing then move onto more
ambitious stuff. Don't be surprised to find that some dishes can take 6 or
more hours to prepare and cook!

When you get on to using individual spices and learning their merits I
think Wazza can be very helpful here.

HTH

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cc0104007

what is the easiest Indian recipe for someone who has never cooked Indian
food before? Looking for a meat curry thing.


--

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com

pandamonium

It's hard to say, but if your definition of Indian is quite flexible
then...

1st level are microwave ready meals - I don't think you mean this.
Next level are cook-in sauces such as Chicken Tonight and other such stuff.
I don't think you mean this either. So...

Why not try some of the already made up pastes? Pataks do some OK ones that
are generally easy to get hold of. I used to use the Bhuna paste. I know I
will get shouted at by some of the purists in here but I don't care...

Chop an onion. Fry this very gently in oil - don't let it burn and keep
stirring it until it becomes transparent. Keep it going until a lot of the
moisture has gone. Now add some meat that has been cut into bite sized
pieces, keep it all stirring so that it doesn't burn. When it's looking
cooked, and again when most of the moisture has gone add some crushed
garlic and a couple of spoonfuls of paste - keep it all moving for a couple
of minutes. Take some chopped tomatoes, or tinned, chopped tomatoes and
keep it all moving still. The tomatoes should break down and provide some
moisture. Add a little water and some tomato puree and get it to the
consistency you want. Leave it simmering for about 15 minutes and have a
taste. If you want it hotter then add a splash of Encona. If you want, you
could add more water earlier and put in a few potatoes, allowing it to
simmer. Just remember not to allow it to become too watery.

The above is very basic but it's how I started cooking "Indian" style food.
After I got good results from that I started to become more ambitious by
using individual spices to enhance the paste. Eventually I did away with
the paste and just used the spices themselves. There are probably hundreds
of different dishes with different methods of cooking, but I think the
fried meat in a spicy gravy is probably the easiest to start with.

When you become more confident with what you're doing then move onto more
ambitious stuff. Don't be surprised to find that some dishes can take 6 or
more hours to prepare and cook!

When you get on to using individual spices and learning their merits I
think Wazza can be very helpful here.

HTH

--
Email replies to this message are dumped to dev/null or some other black
void
Replace NOSPAM with liam if you really want to email me
Rubbish website - may cure insomnia http://www.eggwhisk.co.uk

ja682

Curried Beef

Take a piece of ginger and 3 garlic cloves and pound them to a paste in a
mortar and pestle. Set aside.

Take a good size piece of chuck steak and cup it up into medium size pieces.
Season well with salt and pepper.

Brown the meat in oil - in batches until well seared. Set aside in a bowl.

Take 1 onion and chop it into cubes. Add more oil to the pan if needed and
cook the onion adding also the ginger and garlic paste until the onion start
to become somewhat translucent.

When the onion starts to soften add 3 tablespoons of curry powder along with
a teaspoon of coriander and a teaspoon of ***in. Mix the spices well with
the onions and stir for about a minute or so until everything thing gets
incorporated. One can also use their favorite green or red South East Asian
curry pastes in lieu of the curry powder.

At this point put the meat back in the pan and continue cooking for several
minutes until it browns some more. You can also add about a ¼ cup of tomato
sauce or freshly chopped tomatoes if you desire. Add either water or stock
at this point making sure it just barely cover the meat. Lower the flame in
order to simmer the meat and cover the pan. Simmer the curry between 2 to 3
hours. You can also place the curry in a 350 degree oven for the same amount
of time.

After about two hours of cooking time you can also add a handful of chopped
carrots and cubed potatoes if you wish.

At the end of the cooking time you can add a pinch of garam masala and a bit
of coconut milk letting the curry cook a few minutes more - however, this is
not necessary. Serve the curry with basmati rice and garnish with chopped
cilantro.

wazza

:
:
:
: Take a piece of ginger and 3 garlic cloves and pound them to a paste in a
: mortar and pestle. Set aside.
:
:
:
: Take a good size piece of chuck steak and cup it up into medium size pieces.
: Season well with salt and pepper.
:
:
:
: Brown the meat in oil - in batches until well seared. Set aside in a bowl.
:
:
:
: Take 1 onion and chop it into cubes. Add more oil to the pan if needed and
: cook the onion adding also the ginger and garlic paste until the onion start
: to become somewhat translucent.
:
:
:
: When the onion starts to soften add 3 tablespoons of curry powder along with
: a teaspoon of coriander and a teaspoon of ***in. Mix the spices well with
: the onions and stir for about a minute or so until everything thing gets
: incorporated. One can also use their favorite green or red South East Asian
: curry pastes in lieu of the curry powder.
:
:
:
: At this point put the meat back in the pan and continue cooking for several
: minutes until it browns some more. You can also add about a ¼ cup of tomato
: sauce or freshly chopped tomatoes if you desire. Add either water or stock
: at this point making sure it just barely cover the meat. Lower the flame in
: order to simmer the meat and cover the pan. Simmer the curry between 2 to 3
: hours. You can also place the curry in a 350 degree oven for the same amount
: of time.
:
:
:
: After about two hours of cooking time you can also add a handful of chopped
: carrots and cubed potatoes if you wish.
:
:
:
: At the end of the cooking time you can add a pinch of garam masala and a bit
: of coconut milk letting the curry cook a few minutes more - however, this is
: not necessary. Serve the curry with basmati rice and garnish with chopped
: cilantro.
:
is this what Americans think of as Indian?
cheers
Wazza

ian hoare

Salut/Hi Wazza,

le/on Tue, 23 Aug 2005 17:21:04 +0000 (UTC), tu disais/you said:-

(over which we'll draw a veil)


Now then Wazza, you mustn't tease our Murican friends like that. It's not
fair.

I note you _didn't_ give a simple recipe, so I will.

If you make your own curry powder mix, this isn't bad at all. The most
difficult part about it is to chop the onions and garlic finely.

@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Keema Curry

indian, lamb/mutton, main dish

500 gm beef or mutton; finely minced
1 sm onion
2 cloves garlic
50 gm cooking fat
1 tb curry powder
1 ts tomato purée; -=or=-
3 lg fresh tomatoes
1 tb yogurt; or one 5 oz bottle

Mince finely two cloves garlic and one small onion, and fry for a few
minutes in cooking fat, till golden. To this add the curry powder and the
tomato purée, or the large fresh tomatoes, finely sliced. Mix thoroughly
and cook mixture on a fairly high flame for 3-4 minutes more; then add the
finely minced fresh beef or mutton and the yogurt (one 5 oz. bottle if you
like), or milk that has curdled and turned almost solid. Mix well and cook
slowly till done, which should be in about an hour and a quarter. This
curry should not be quite dry, but fairly moist, though there should not be
any gravy.

Recipe "The Complete Book of Curries" Harvey Day

Yield: 4 servings

--
All the Best
Ian Hoare
http://www.souvigne.com
mailbox full to avoid spam. try me at website

wazza

: Salut/Hi Wazza,
:
: le/on Tue, 23 Aug 2005 17:21:04 +0000 (UTC), tu disais/you said:- :
: >
: >"ja682" <ja682@rcn.com> wrote in message news:iZ6dnYB5V65VVZfeRVn-sA@rcn.net...
: >: Curried Beef
:
: (over which we'll draw a veil) :
: > is this what Americans think of as Indian?
:
: Now then Wazza, you mustn't tease our Murican friends like that. It's not
: fair.
:
: I note you _didn't_ give a simple recipe, so I will.
<snip>

apologies to our American cousin, and to you, mon ami.

It just makes me ****** when someone bungs some curry powder into a very
ordinary dish and its automatically 'a curry', as if this is the only criterion.
The recipe given was neither Indian, nor easy (or quick!). All that effort could
have gone into something much better. But as the poster didn't mention whether
he/she wanted veg or meat dish, they just posted an American version of 'curry',
I saw no reason to humour the person, maybe my mistake.

I have a book by Harvey Day on curries, it didn't make it back onto my
bookshelves after my recent house move, so 'nough said. I notice the one you
posted as lamb/mutton calls for beef, 'nough said, indeed!! Yes, I know in this
made up recipe it wouldn't matter, it's just curry_powder-flavoured mince. I'd
rather have andouille with chocolate sauce ;?)

There are hundreds of simple Indian recipes covering all kinds of dishes, what
do you think is required??

cheers
Wazza

ian hoare

Salut/Hi Wazza,

le/on Wed, 24 Aug 2005 14:53:10 +0000 (UTC), tu disais/you said:-


None needed, I was teasing!


Agreed. I suffered throughout my youth from that. Thursday was "curry" day,
and we had badly prepared beef stew, made from the nastiest bits of beef,
30% gristle, made into "curry" by the addition of poor quality curry powder,
and raisins. Yeuch.

alternative. I admit to keeping a jar of Sarojini Mudnani's carry powder #1
in my store cupboard (recipe below) and use it in this dish. It makes a
surprisingly tasty dish, and I'd hesitate before saying it's entirely ersatz
as keema bhoona is not unknown in indian cooking.

That was more or less my thinking too in posting the recipe.


Good grief.... Andouille (apart from the very atypical ones we have in this
area) is quite unspeakably nasty, and even doing it up with a Mole is
unlikely to redeem it.

Agreed. Any simple meat dish. Why not even a bog standard "chicken curry"?

--
All the Best
Ian Hoare
http://www.souvigne.com
mailbox full to avoid spam. try me at website

wazza

: Salut/Hi Wazza,
:
: le/on Wed, 24 Aug 2005 14:53:10 +0000 (UTC), tu disais/you said:- : :
: >apologies to our American cousin, and to you, mon ami.
:
: None needed, I was teasing! :
: >It just makes me ****** when someone bungs some curry powder into a very
: >ordinary dish and its automatically 'a curry'
:
: Agreed. I suffered throughout my youth from that. Thursday was "curry" day,
: and we had badly prepared beef stew, made from the nastiest bits of beef,
: 30% gristle, made into "curry" by the addition of poor quality curry powder,
: and raisins. Yeuch. :
: >I have a book by Harvey Day on curries, it didn't make it back onto my
: >bookshelves after my recent house move, so 'nough said. I notice the one you
: >posted as lamb/mutton calls for beef, 'nough said, indeed!!
:
: Well to be fair, when HD wrote the book, it wasn't that easy to find minced
: lamb, so rather than have his readers not try it, he gave beef as an
: alternative. I admit to keeping a jar of Sarojini Mudnani's carry powder #1
: in my store cupboard (recipe below) and use it in this dish. It makes a
: surprisingly tasty dish, and I'd hesitate before saying it's entirely ersatz
: as keema bhoona is not unknown in indian cooking.
:
: That was more or less my thinking too in posting the recipe. : :
: >I'd rather have andouille with chocolate sauce ;?)
:
: Good grief.... Andouille (apart from the very atypical ones we have in this
: area) is quite unspeakably nasty, and even doing it up with a Mole is
: unlikely to redeem it. :
: >There are hundreds of simple Indian recipes covering all kinds of dishes, what
: >do you think is required??
:
: Agreed. Any simple meat dish. Why not even a bog standard "chicken curry"?
:
:
:
but that is my point, mon ami, how do you do a 'bog standard chicken curry'.
There are about 30 different 'chicken curries' which can be made with the same '
what one might assume to be typical Indian ingredients', ie:

chicken (obviously) but this may be whole, breasts, legs, mince, etc. (but not
eggs)
onions and garlic
yoghurt
tomatoes, (fresh, whole, minced, paste, or sundried)
red/green chillies (fresh or dry)
ginger root (fresh)
herbage
common spices and mixes (gm, coriander, ***in, chilli powder, turmeric)
lemon/lime juice
salt and black pepper

Each of the 30 'chicken curries' has the same ingredients (albeit in slightly
different forms) but can produce very different dishes according to the method
used. I would say, therefore, that it is very difficult to produce a generic
chicken curry, maybe all those practicing cooks on this ng could have a go, with
the ingredients listed above, and see to which pukka dishes they are closest?

What are your local Andouille like, are they made with the traditional pig's
guts?

cheers
Wazza