Readers' recipe swap: Curries
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Version 0 of 1. With the Indian elections this week, and Thai new year fast approaching, it's a great time to celebrate the joys of curry. My only difficulty was deciding which of your recipes to try, and there's still a veritable feast of choices available on the Guardian Witness site. From a rich Indonesian rendang to a smoky Indian aubergine side dish, the ones I finally picked certainly didn't disappoint, but it was the unusual sweet and sour flavours of Angela Kim's Keralan vegetable sambar that really grabbed my attention – surely the perfect spicy, comforting Sunday supper. The winning recipe: South Indian sambar I make Indian food at least once a week, but south Indian was still a little foreign to me until last year when my Kiwi/Keralan friend showed me her mother's sambar recipe.This is an adapted version. Angela Kim, shortblackcoffee.wordpress.com Serves 4-6For the masala8 curry leaves1 tbsp chana dhal (hulled, split chickpeas)A pinch of fenugreek seeds4 black peppercorns2 tbsp grated frozen or fresh coconut 1 tbsp ground coriander1 tsp chilli powderA pinch of asafoetida1½ tsp sambar powder (at Asian grocers) For the dhal180g toor dhal (yellow pigeon peas)¼ tsp turmeric 1 tsp rapeseed or coconut oil1 red onion, finely chopped2 medium fresh or tinned tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped1-2 tsp salt1-2 handfuls chopped vegetables of your choice1-2 tsp golden syrup1-2 tsp tamarind paste, or pulp For the seasoning 1 tbsp rapeseed or coconut oil1 tsp black mustard seeds10-15 curry leaves, to taste1-2 dried chilliesA pinch of fenugreek seedsFresh coriander, to serve 1 Wash the toor dhal until the water runs clear. Place in a heavy-based saucepan with the turmeric and 950ml water. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for an hour or more, until the lentils are soft and falling apart. For the final 30 minutes of cooking, stir frequently to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom of the pan. 2 For the masala, heat a small frying pan over a medium-low heat and add all the ingredients for the masala, except the sambar powder. Toast until fragrant, but do not burn. Whizz these spices with the sambar powder in a blender with enough water to make a smooth paste. 3 Back to the dhal ingredients: heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Fry the onion until lightly brown. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft. Turn the heat down to medium-low, add the masala paste and cook for 3 minutes. 4 Add the cooked toor dhal – you can add some more water if it seems too thick – then salt to taste. Add the vegetables and cook until tender, then stir in the syrup and tamarind paste, adding the latter gradually, as they vary in concentration. 5 For the seasoning, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a small frying pan. Add the mustard seeds and wait until they pop. Add the curry leaves, chillies and fenugreek seeds and stir around for 20 seconds or so until fragrant. Stir into the sambar. Sprinkle with coriander to serve. Spicy Thai pork coconut curry A typically fragrant northern Thai classic...Peter Jones, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Serves 4400g pork shoulder50g flour1 tbsp turmeric1 tbsp ground coriander1 tbsp curry powder1 tbsp ground cumin1 tbsp ground ginger1 tsp saltOlive oil, for frying2-3 onions, chopped200g carrots, chopped into rounds275ml beer400ml coconut milk570ml chicken stock200g green beans, trimmedFresh coriander, to serve For the curry paste3-4 garlic cloves3 tsp grated fresh ginger2-3 scotch bonnet chillies1 stalk lemongrass, chopped2 tbsp tomato paste1 tbsp fish sauce2 tsp turmeric2 tsp ground coriander2 tsp curry powder2 tsp cumin 1 Blend or mash together all the ingredients for the curry paste. 2 Cut the pork into chunks and toss in the flour and turmeric, coriander, curry powder, cumin and ginger powders and salt. 3 Heat the oil in a pan until very hot. Brown the pork in batches, then set aside. Add the chopped onions and carrots to the pan, with a little extra oil if necessary, and soften. 4 Deglaze the pan with the beer, simmer for a few minutes, then add the curry paste and cook for a further minute or two, stirring. 5 Add the coconut milk and stock to the pan, bring to a simmer and turn down the heat. Stir in the pork and simmer on a low heat for an hour, or until tender. 6 Add the green beans and cook for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with coriander to serve. Reethi rah pumpkin curry Reethi Rah is in the Maldives, where most of the chefs are Sri Lankan. I ate the pumpkin curry four nights running – even my carnivorous partner loved it.Chico Kidd, Ruislip Serves 42 tbsp vegetable oil50g onion, sliced4 garlic cloves, squashed2 fresh chillies, chopped1kg pumpkin, cubed½ tsp ground black pepper ½ tsp turmeric 350ml coconut milk100ml coconut cream1 tbsp lime juice For the curry powder3 tbsp coriander seeds 1 tbsp cumin seeds 1 tbsp fennel seeds 1 tbsp dried red chillies 1 cinnamon stick, broken up1 tbsp cardamom pods, seeds only1 tsp cloves 1 tbsp ground turmeric 1 Make the curry powder first. Toast the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds in a dry frying pan until fragrant. Remove from the heat, add the remaining ingredients, except the turmeric, then grind in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Finally mix in the turmeric and store in an airtight jar – you won't need it all. 2 Heat the oil and fry the onion, garlic and chilli together until soft, then stir in 1 tbsp of the curry powder. Add the pumpkin, pepper, turmeric and coconut milk. Simmer until the pumpkin is tender – 10 minutes. 3 Add the coconut cream and bring back to the boil. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with lime juice to serve. Baingan bharta This is a fantastic side dish for an Indian feast; my mum discovered it in Christine Mansfield's Tasting India cookbook and some Indian family friends adapted the recipe for her. If you don't have a gas cooker, char the aubergines on a barbecue or under the grill.theeverydayvegetarian via GuardianWitness Serves 4 as a side1 small red onion, finely chopped3 ripe tomatoesJuice of 1 limeSalt½ tsp turmeric2 auberginesChopped coriander, to serve 1 Finely slice the onion. Cut the tomatoes into little chunks and put in a pan. Add the lime juice, a good grind of salt and the turmeric and set aside while you char the aubergines. 2 Put the aubergines on the gas flames of the hob, turning occasionally until the skin of the aubergine is charred and the flesh sags – make sure it's all cooked. Set aside to cool a little before carefully removing all the skin. 3 Chop up the flesh of the aubergines, add to the onion and tomato mixture and heat gently for about 5 minutes. Add a handful of chopped coriander before you serve. Javanese beef rendang Last year, I made eight main courses for my birthday party – all Indonesian. Everyone's favourite was beef rendang.Bobby Ananta, bobbyananta.com Serves 68 shallots5 garlic cloves6 large red chillies4cm fresh ginger2 tbsp vegetable oil1 lemongrass stalk5 cloves2kg braising steak, cut into 5cm pieces1 tsp ground white pepper2cm tamarind pulp1 tsp salt50g coconut or white sugar3 bay leaves500ml coconut milk5-10 tbsp grated coconut (frozen is fine)½ tsp cumin1 tbsp coriander seeds 1 Whizz the shallots, garlic, chillies and ginger into a food processor, blend to make into a paste, then set aside. 2 Heat the oil in a large casserole dish, add the lemongrass and cloves, curry paste and beef. Add 2 litres water, then cook on a low heat for about an hour. 3 Add the pepper, tamarind, salt, coconut, bay leaves and coconut milk. 4 Fry the grated coconut, cumin and coriander seeds until golden, then grind. Add to the pan and cook for 2 hours on a really low heat, stirring occasionally. Serve with steamed fragrant rice. Masur daal I have been making this daal at least every fortnight for 30 years. It's based on a recipe from Jack Santa Maria's excellent Indian Vegetarian Cookery and never fails to satisfy.Anthony Hardy, Victoria, Australia Serves 220g red lentils, washed1 tsp turmeric2 potatoes, roughly chopped2 carrots, roughly chopped400g tin chopped tomatoes2 onions, finely chopped4cm fresh ginger, finely chopped4 garlic cloves, finely choppedghee or oil, for frying1 tsp cumin seeds1 tsp chilli or chilli flakes2 tsp coriander seeds6 cloves1 cinnamon stick4 green cardamom pods6 black peppercorns75g grated coconut or ¼ pack creamed 1 Bring the lentils to the boil in 480ml water. Add the turmeric, potatoes and carrots. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes. Cook till the veg and lentils are tender, add water if necessary. 2 Fry the onions, ginger and garlic until soft. Meanwhile, grind the spices together. When the onions are golden, melt in the coconut and the spices. 4 Fry on a low heat for a few minutes and stir into the cooked dhal to thicken it up. Send us your peanut recipes and be in with a chance of becoming Guardian home cook of the year. Recipes will appear on Saturday 26 April. Simply email your recipe suggestions to recipes@theguardian.com or upload your recipes and images to theguardian.com/witness by noon on Wednesday 16 April. Please include your name, address and phone number (conditions apply) |