LAMB CURRY
1 large onion, sliced into rings
1 sprig fresh curry leaves
oil
15 ml (1 T) garlic and ginger paste
60 ml (4 T) mixed masala
2 ml (1/2 t) turmeric
2 medium-sized jam tomatoes
1 kg deboned leg of lamb, cubed; or stewing lamb, cubed
4-5 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and quartered
fresh coriander leaves, chopped
Fry the onion and curry leaves in a little heated oil until the onion is soft and golden brown.
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste, masala and turmeric.
Add the tomatoes and braise for about 3 minutes.
Add the meat, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add the potatoes and about 60 ml (1/4 cup) water, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add the chopped coriander leaves towards the end of the cooking time.
Season with salt if necessary.
Serve with rice and sambals such as chopped onion and tomato.
CHICKEN CURRY
1 medium-sized onion, sliced into rings
oil
5 ml (1 t) garlic paste
5 ml (1 t) ginger paste
15 ml (1 T) mixed masala
15 ml (1 T) curry powder
3 ripe jam tomatoes, mashed
1 410g can tomato puree
500 g chicken pieces, skinned and deboned
curry leaves
5 ml (1 t) fennel powder
5 ml (1 t) garam masala
fresh coriander leaves
Fry the onion in a little heated oil until tender.
Add the garlic and ginger pastes, and stir in the masala and curry powder.
Add the tomatoes and tomato puree.
Simmer for a few minutes until fragrant.
Add the chicken pieces and a few curry leaves and simmer slowly until the chicken is done and fragrant.
Stir in the fennel powder and garam masala towards the end of the cooking time and sprinkle the curry with fresh coriander leaves.
Serve with rotis or rice.
FRUITY PORK CURRY
1 kg boneless pork thick rib, cut into cubes
15 ml cooking oil
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
25 ml curry powder
3 large tomatoes, skinned and chopped
250 ml apricot juice (like Liquifruit)
50 ml lemon juice
50 ml chutney (hot fruit chutney adds extra bite)
1 green apple, washed, cored and sliced
75 g dried apricots
3 bay leaves
5 ml salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Brown meat in heated cooking oil in a heavy-based saucepan.
Add onions and garlic and sauté till transparent.
Add curry and fry for 1 minute.
Heat tomato, apricot juice and lemon juice and add to meat with remaining ingredients.
Cover with lid, lower heat and simmer for ± 1 hour.
Remove lid and simmer for an additional 5 minutes or till thick, or thicken sauce with 1 level tablespoon cornflour mixed to a smooth paste with a little juice or stock.
Serve with rice. Serves 4.
VEGETABLE CURRY
My vegetarian friends always ask me to make this curry, but I make extra because it’s not only the vegetarians who tuck in!
15 ml oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large brinjal, cubed
8 courgettes, sliced
250 g button mushrooms, sliced
5 ml crushed garlic
5 ml ground coriander
5 ml ground cumin
2 ml turmeric
1 chilli, chopped
2 ml chilli powder
30 g freshly chopped coriander
Heat oil in a large saucepan, add onions and green pepper and sauté for a minute. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until cooked.
Season to taste and stir in fresh coriander. Serve with basmati rice.
Serves 4.
VEGETABLE AND PRAWN CURRY
To make a vegetable curry, omit the prawns and add 500g peas or green beans.
If using large brinjals, sprinkle them with salt and leave in a colander to drain for about 15 minutes. Pat dry before frying. Add breyani spices to oil for frying to add extra flavour.
500g prawns, shelled
15 ml (1T) mixed masala
oil
Curry Sauce:
Oil
1 large onion, sliced into rings
7 ml (1 ½ t) garlic paste
7 ml (1 ½ t) ginger paste
22-30 ml (1 ½ - 2 T) masala
1 kg ripe tomatoes, mashed to form a puree
a few curry leaves (or bay leaves)
garlic chives
500g baby brinjals, whole, or bigger ones, cubed
500g cooked butter beans
fresh coriander leaves (dhania)
Sprinkle the prawns with the masala and set aside.
To make the basic curry sauce, heat a little oil and fry the onion until glossy.
Stir in the garlic and ginger pastes, and masala. Add the tomatoes, curry leaves and garlic chives, and simmer slowly for about 15-20 minutes until fragrant.
Fry the brinjals in a little heated oil until done. Fry the prawns in oil until they just turn pink. Add the brinjals, prawns and beans to the sauce and simmer until fragrant.
Sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves and serve with yellow rice. Serves 4.
BASIC CURRIED STEW (‘Westernised’!)
750g boneless beef neck, cubed, or beef ‘curry pieces’
30 ml cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
15 ml curry powder
15 ml turmeric
1 chilli, seeded and coarsely chopped
5 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 apple, cut in wedges
1 tomato, skinned and cubed
3 carrots, sliced
200 ml meat stock
15 ml cake flour
Brown meat in heated cooking oil. Add onion and sauté till transparent. Add curry, turmeric and chilli and fry for 1 minute. Add peppercorns, bay leaves, tomato and heated meat stock. Lower heat, cover with lid and simmer for 1 ½ hours or till meat is tender. Thicken with cake flour and water paste if necessary. Serves 4.
FISH BREYANI
Once you’ve tasted this delicious fish breyani, you’ll travel to the ends of the earth (or at least to Durban!) to find all the spices the recipe demands. It’s a bit time-consuming, but well worth the effort in the end and will feed a lot of people.
50 ml oil
1 large onion, sliced into rings
4 cardamom seeds
4 whole cloves
2 pieces stick cinnamon
5 ml chopped fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, crushed
5 ml barishap
5 ml cumin seeds (jeera)
5 ml ground coriander
5 ml leaf masala
5 ml breyani masala
1 kg fresh fish, cubed
salt
5 ml fish masala
6 small potatoes, peeled
200g (500 ml) uncooked rice
5 ml turmeric
125 ml lentils (masoor)
4 hard-boiled eggs
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion, cardamom seeds, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and garlic until the onion is tender and all the flavours have blended together. Add the barishap, cumin seeds, coriander, leaf masala, breyani masala and a little water. Simmer until an aromatic paste is formed.
Season the fish with salt and fish masala and add together with potatoes to the paste. Fry until the mixture acquires a nice yellow colour. Cover and braise until cooked. The potatoes should be soft but still intact. Add extra water if necessary.
Add the rice to boiling salted water along with the turmeric and boil until tender. Drain and set aside. Cook the lentils in boiling water until soft and drain.
Combine the rice and lentils and arrange layers of the breyani mixture and rice in a saucepan. Add a little water, cover with a piece of waxed paper and lid, and steam for about half an hour.
Slice the eggs into quarters and place on top of the breyani just before serving.
Serves 6 – 8.
CRAB CURRY
1 large onion, sliced into rings
oil
30 ml (2 T) garlic and ginger paste
30 ml (2 T) mixed masala
1 ml (1/4 t) turmeric
4 jam tomatoes, peeled and grated
60 ml (1/4 cup) soaked tamarind pulp
3-4 green chillies
1 large crab (about 500g) cleaned and cut into pieces with shell intact
fresh coriander leaves, chopped
Fry the onion in a little heated oil until golden brown.
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste, and add the masala, turmeric, tomatoes, tamarind pulp and chillies.
Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
Season with salt, add the crab pieces, cover and simmer for 10 minutes until done.
Sprinkle with the fresh coriander leaves and serve with rice.
Serves 2 – 3
CREAMY CHICKEN CURRY
Another way to stretch meat is to add pulses such as beans or lentils, which are filling. Red lentils are small and absorb the flavour of meat, so are ideal to add to stews or curries if you are not a bean fan. Pulses are a good source of protein and are cheaper and healthier than meat, so give them a try. In this recipe the chicken meat has been taken off the bone to make it go further. By doing this and by adding lentils, less chicken is needed, making it more economical. Vegetables have been added to stretch the dish even further, and yoghurt instead of coconut or cream, to give it a creamy finish.
30 ml sunflower oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
30-40 ml curry powder
550 ml chicken stock
3 chicken breasts
2 tomatoes, chopped
30 ml desiccated coconut
15 ml vinegar
1 apple, peeled and diced
2 potatoes, quartered
200 ml red lentils
100 g green beans, halved
250 ml butternut, peeled and cubed
250 ml natural yoghurt
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft. Add curry powder and sauté for 30 seconds. Add chicken stock and bring to the boil. Add chicken and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer, covered, for 40 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken from the pot and cool slightly. Pull the meat off the bones and cut into bite-sized pieces. Return chicken meat to the saucepan, along with remaining ingredients, except yoghurt. Simmer, covered, for a further 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in the yoghurt and season to taste. Serve with rice.
Serves 4-6
BEEF ‘N GREEN BEAN CURRY
Add sweet potato to a green bean curry for extra flavour and body, and season with garlic, ginger, lemon juice and brown sugar.
30 ml (2 T) oil
500g stewing steak, sliced into strips
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
5 ml (1 t) fresh ginger
20 ml (4 t) curry powder
5 ml (1 t) turmeric
15 ml (1 T) brown sugar
5 ml (1 t) lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
250 ml (1 cup) hot water
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 can (410g) green beans (French cut), drained or fresh green beans, sliced
Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and brown the meat strips. Remove from the saucepan and set aside. Fry the onions, garlic and ginger in the remaining oil until tender and fragrant. Return the meat to the saucepan and season with curry powder, turmeric, brown sugar, lemon juice, and salt and black pepper. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes. Add the water, reduce the heat and simmer for about 1-1 ½ hours or until the meat is nearly tender. Add the sweet potato cubes and fresh green beans (if using) and simmer for another 25 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Add the canned green beans (if using) and simmer for another 5 minutes until warmed through. Serves 6-8.
CHICKEN AND PUMPKIN/BUTTERNUT CURRY
50 ml oil
2 large onions, sliced
10 ml garlic, finely chopped
25 ml curry powder
1 chicken, cut into portions
2 large tomatoes, chopped
750 ml pumpkin or butternut, peeled and cubed
salt and pepper to taste
25 ml coriander leaves (optional)
Heat oil and fry onions, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes.
Add curry powder and fry for 1 minute.
Add chicken pieces, tomatoes, pumpkin, salt and pepper.
Stir well with metal spoon.
Cover pan and cook slowly for 30 minutes.
Stir in coriander leaves and serve on rice.
CURRIED PASTA SALAD
Dressing:
15 ml (1 T) oil
60 ml (4 T) white wine, vinegar or lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
5 ml (1 tsp) curry powder
1,5 ml (1/4 tsp) chilli powder
5 ml (1 tsp) brown sugar
Place all ingredients in a screwtop jar and shake well.
Salad:
250g (3 cups) shell pasta
100g cauliflower florets
100g broccoli florets
100g green beans, topped, tailed and sliced
100g carrots, peeled and grated
250g baby corn, drained (try to use fresh, not canned)
15 ml (1 T) toasted sesame seeds
Cook pasta in boiling water until just tender. Drain, rinse under cold water.
Blanch cauliflower, broccoli and beans, and combine in a salad bowl with the carrot and corn. Toss with sesame seeds and dressing; cover and chill.
Serve with wholemeal pita bread for lunch or as an accompaniment to braais or grills.
MASALA CUTLETS WITH CORIANDER-MINT SAUCE
750g firm-fleshed fish cutlets, slightly defrosted
herbal salt
60 ml red or fish masala
30 ml sunflower oil
Sauce:
75 ml low-fat cottage cheese
75 ml low-fat spread, melted
1 bunch (about 30g) fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
60 ml mint, finely chopped
or 10 ml mint sauce
To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients well and chill for at least an hour.
Remove the bones from the fish by making a triangular or square incision around the outer edges of the bones. Push the bones out of the cutlets. Season the cutlets with the salt.
Brush both sides with the masala and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Brush the cutlets with the oil and braai over medium-hot coals or place under a hot grill or in a griller pan, 3 – 4 minutes per side or until cooked. Transfer to a serving platter.
Pipe or spoon a portion of the sauce in the centre of the cutlets. Serve at once with a brown and wild rice pilaf, and a cucumber salad.
Serves 4.
Curried kaiings (crackling)
1 large onion sliced
3 potatoes, diced
2 tomatoes, skinned and diced
5 ml medium curry powder
5 ml turmeric
1 l kaiings
sugar
brown vinegar
salt
pepper
Place the onion, potatoes and. tomatoes in a heavy-based saucepan and add the curry powder and turmeric. Add a little water and simmer until the potatoes are soft. Add the kaiings and season to taste with sugar, brown vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well and cook through. Serve with mealie rice. Serves 4.
Curry oxtail stew...once again one of my personal favorite combinations, oxtail and curry!
1.5 kg oxtail
30 ml curry powder
4 cloves
4 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
250-500 ml meat stock
1 small onion, sliced
1 carrot, chopped
1 turnip, chopped
butter
30 ml cake flour
Cut the oxtail into joints and wash thoroughly.
Place meat in a heavy saucepan and add the spices and boiling water.
Simmer for three to four hours, adding more stock when necessary.
After two hours add salt, pepper, onion, carrot and turnip.
Remove spices and skim off as much fat as possible.
Melt the butter in a pan, add the cake flour and fry until brown.
Add the flour mixture to the meat and gravy in the saucepan and stir until the gravy thickens.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve with rice or mashed potatoes. |
