Tandoori Masala Bean Curry

A bean curry with fried diced potato and half of a red pepper. The simplest way to make this curry is to start with half a tin of baked beans, and add a dessert spoonful of Tandoori Masala powder. Stir thoroughly, and cook at a medium heat. 

The potato pieces and the diced red pepper were fried separately in sunflower oil under glass for twenty minutes, also at a medium heat. 

 

Ground Beef with Spring Onion and Curried Rice

5% fat ground beef, browned for twenty-five minutes in some sunflower oil. Eight chopped spring onions (cybes) plus two diced carrots were caramelised in a separate small pan at the same time.

Added together, along with some Sainsbury's gravy granules, and with some boiling water, and beef stock. Actually inferior to the traditional way of thickening beef mince, which is to use cornflour. Sainsbury's granules contain wheat flour, which I try to avoid. Always read the label before buying.

Simmered for at least an hour under glass at a low heat. Longer is better, if you like your beef tender.

The rice was cooked for ten minutes with curry powder, salt, turmeric and a green chilli. Drained, and the whole green chilli was removed before serving. 

Baked Bean Curry

An ideal student dish (inexpensive, easy to prepare, and tasty). Made with half a medium sized leek, eight chopped baby plum tomatoes (or similar), about 120g of tomato passata (or paste), half a standard tin of baked beans, half a dessert spoonful of curry powder, half a teaspoonful of powdered ginger, half a teaspoonful of dried coriander, one red chilli (deseeded), plus a pinch of cumin seeds (or powdered cumin).

The leek was divided lengthwise, and the halves were further divided, then diced. Added to a small pan with a drizzle of sunflower oil, and cooked at a medium heat until the leek pieces soften and begin to brown. The the chopped tomatoes were added and stirred through. Cooked until thoroughly softened (about ten minutes or so).

Add a little water. Add the tomato passata, and stir. Allow to simmer until the mixture thickens (watch carefully). Add the curry powder, the red chilli, the cumin seeds, the coriander, and the ginger. Stir through for a minute or so.

Finally, add the half tin of beans. Allow to heat close to boiling, then serve with a halved garlic and coriander naan bread, cooked in a toaster until it begins to sizzle!

Cabbage, Beansprouts and Green Bean StirFry

Made with julienned red onion, two colours of cabbage, sliced carrot, diced green beans, beansprouts, curried rice boiled with turmeric (drained), and a whole red red chilli.

Stir-fried for ten minutes altogether in some sunflower oil, first at a high heat, and then turned down to a low to medium heat.

Served on a spiral of dark soy sauce.

Pork Curry with Jasmine Rice

A curry based on ground pork, browned for twenty minutes or so, and stirred frequently. After adding water to the pot, I added one diced onion, three desert spoonfuls of oats, a diced Bramley apple, a deseeded green chilli, and one red, and five Brussels sprouts, finely diced, Italian style. Simmer for half an hour to forty-five minutes.

I also added some pre-boiled pieces of potato, left over from another meal.

Add three squirts of tomato puree, or otherwise six dessert spoonfuls of a passata, a pinch of paprika, and half a teaspoonful of turmeric. Add a desert spoonful of a hot curry powder (Asda brand), and three diced cloves of garlic. Add the pork and vegetable stocks. Simmer for another twenty minutes, and add a pinch of coriander leaf ten minutes before serving.

Serve with  Basmati rice infused with jasmine essence. Add some lime pickle if desired.

Beef and Mushroom Curry, with Garlic and Coriander Naan Bread

The cubed beef was browned in a saute pan with a drizzle of sunflower oil. Started at a high heat, and then lowered, stirring regularly.

After ten to fifteen minutes I added two medium sized diced onions, and two diced carrots. Stir-fried for fifteen minutes or so until the onions became semi-transparent.

I added half a green bell pepper, cut into strips. Cooked for another five minutes before I added about half a pint of boiling water, a little tomato puree, and vegetable and beef stock. I added diced pieces of three large mushrooms.

Stirred thoroughly, and simmered under glass at a low heat for another hour and a half, until the beef is deliciously tender.

I added some powdered cumin and cardamom, some turmeric (teaspoonful), a dessert spoonful of hot curry powder from ASDA, and some dried coriander leaf. Simmered for another half an hour before serving.

The Garlic and Coriander Naan bread was made commercially. It had been in the fridge for a few days, so I dampened it on both sides, and allowed it to stand for ten minutes on a drainer, while I fired up the grill. Cook for three or four minutes on both sides, watching carefully to prevent burning the naan.

The combo was served with a dusting of coriander, and a teaspoonful of lime pickle. Delicious!

Chicken Dopiaza

Made with 3 cardamom pods, chopped chicken breast, or chicken legs, chicken stock, coriander leaf (desert spoonful), cumin (tsp), hot Madras curry powder (desert spoonful), garlic, ginger (tsp), honey, lemon juice, onion, Peanut Butter, Tomato, Turmeric (a dash), Yoghurt. Served with white basmati rice, black pepper, and yoghurt. 

Make the sauce/marinade first. Mix together the contents of the cardamom pods, the coriander, cumin, curry powder, powdered ginger, garlic, and the turmeric. Open a can of chopped tomatoes and decant into a pan. Add the spices to the pot, and the chicken stock. Add a dessert spoonful of peanut butter, a dessert spoonful of honey, and three dessert spoonfuls of yoghurt. Stir thoroughly. Add the juice of half a lemon, or a whole lime. Bring to the boil and simmer. 

The chicken should be precooked. Chop into chunks, and add to the sauce. Simmer the chicken and sauce for at least thirty minutes under glass. 

Caramelise three large chopped onions in goose fat, or sunflower oil if you prefer, stirring continuously in a skillet for fifteen minutes, until golden brown. Add the onions to to the curry sauce, and stir thoroughly. Cook for a further fifteen minutes at a low heat, and serve. Utterly delicious!