curry chronicles

this is really good, and fast! https://ministryofcurry.com/chicken-karahi/
you may want to use less kashmiri chili powder. it's not too hot as is. a substitute would be a much smaller amount of cayenne.
i used chicken breast because that's what i wanted to use up. i thought it would get too dry compared to thighs but it's perfect. these are cheap shitty grocery store chicken breasts, cut in large chunks.

maybe 1/2 teaspoon cayenne would taste equivalent. pretty hot.

this has become my go-to curry recipe
makes a ton of sauce, can stretch to a few days of leftovers by adding more chicken and/or veg if desired

https://www.theflavorbender.com/sri-lankan-chicken-curry/

that looks nice! i love that curry leaf flavor.

yeah it’s really good

the recipes on this site are great great great
http://maunikagowardhan.co.uk/cook-in-a-curry/

these suggestions all look extremely promising, will experiment. I keep fkn around w/ peanut butter as a base making pseudo-satays and the peanut+coconut combination is proving too powerful for me to resist, I can't go back to tomatoes

i got one of those boxed chicken masala mixes from the indian store and i'm about to make it, while my homemade naan dough rises. good luck usa me

update: a little weird. recipe wants you to use a cup of oil (i did not) and up to 3 cups of water. i just used 1 cup of water, but it has too much salt in it. it is also quite spicy but that's ok. i got 2 of these boxes so i have 3 more packets. i would do some more improvisations next time, such as add vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower, peas, chickpeas, idk.

is it something where they want you to cook it for a lot longer so the oil/water boils off? What you're describing reminds of the box recipe on this fish curry box mix ... I think I did what you did, or maybe something similar, and it wasn't what it was supposed to be, I'm pretty sure.

i would have thought so but no, it gives you times like "10 minutes" and i was using a big saute pan with a lot of surface area. i was thinking it might thicken because it contains corn starch but it must have only been a trace amount. and i was using cut-up chicken breast so i didn't want to cook it too long.

i'm not familiar with this masala mix, but the more you cook and stir cornstarch the more likely you are to lose the thickening power. the thickened product will get watery as the network which the starch causes to form breaks. personally i would just make the sauce by hydrating the spice mix and making a slurry, then slowly add that to the simmering water/fat while whisking and finding out how thick it ends up. and cook everything else separately and add it to the sauce. seems that would be more foolproof? sorry for completely unasked-for opinion!

no--that does make sense, but i wouldn't want to cook the meat and then coat it in stuff. i think it's just meant for lazy people. i will try the slurry when i use it with chickpeas though, since they'll already be cooked.

This person's videos have been a revalation for me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV38aaJSlTE&t=222s

The base technique there of ghee, frying off seeds, then onion, then spices, then tomato, is (I'm assured by my indian coworkers) basically the base for any curry. Ive tried it with toor dal, and as a base for saag, and it made such a freaking difference doing it properly.

Its a PITA having so many different packets of spices and seeds though. And they cook everything in pressure cookers so its hard to know how long to cook dal/lentils for.

Oh and watch the mustard seeds. One time I poured wayyyy too many in and also burnt them and the taste was bitter and horrid :(

trayce can you paste link to the video with a space in it to stop the autoembed? "an error occurred"

i am in the middle of rearranging/jarring all my various spices and seeds and it's a mess. i had too many bags in the cabinets.

The base technique there of ghee, frying off seeds, then onion, then spices, then tomato, is (I'm assured by my indian coworkers) basically the base for any curry.

Without being able to see the video I can at least agree with that statement! I did an Indian cuisine cooking class a couple of months ago and the one useful thing was the chef showing us 3 ways of bringing out spice flavors: bloom in ghee (for curry sauce), add to a liquid & simmer (dal), and...I forgot the third one but it must have involved the rice because that's the other thing we made.

Anyway the curry was boring as. She admitted it was just a "base" to be tailored by regional & family preferences.

can vouch for meera sodha's books as great curry recipe tomes; made in india is a bit better than her purely-veg fresh india, and has lots of great veg recipes too.

The base technique there of ghee, frying off seeds, then onion, then spices, then tomato, is (I'm assured by my indian coworkers) basically the base for any curry.

this is pretty much how every curry i make or attempt begins, cannot make any claims for their authenticity but they are often really nice! (Onion section is often a slurry of blitzed onions/garlic/ginger)

Eep I never came back to see the link hadnt worked!

http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=L32CGVxvdVE

Or look up Swasthi's Recipes on YT.

i made chicken tikka masala and a spinach-onion pilaf both from 660 curries

the sauce for the tikka masala was a bit too sweet. i did make my own mistake by putting in one can of tomatoes instead of one CUP of tomatoes. but it has raisins in it (blended up with everything). the marinade is very good. i added lemon juice. pilaf is good, would make again. probably try a different CTK recipe next time but not bad or anything.

CTM obv
the raisininess is not a bad combo with the hotness of the marinade, it's growing on me

chana masala, i questioned the 660 curries recipe because it had raw onions added at the end. i don't mind the act of eating raw onions but i don't like the aftermath. no thanks. so i went to the old standby smitten kitchen (a madhur jaffrey copy). it has 1 tablespoon of amchur and lemon juice but i need more sweet/sourness. some recipes have anardana, dried pomegranate seeds. i will get the anardana, soon.

I've never tried it with anardana, sounds interesting

I went and made chicken tikka masala for the first time last night. The flavor wasn’t quite right but the texture was perfect and I enjoyed it. Could have been sweeter, actually. Think maybe because I used diluted tomato paste instead of puree/sauce but idk

The new David Chang on netflix has a curry episode that is very good. It's the only episode of the new series that I probably will watch.

xpost raisins!

madhur jaffrey ground lamb and peas curry. i believe i have made it 100 times now and it never fails.

That is a stone cold classic. Haven’t made it in a while but will now.

kheema matar! ive also made various versions of that like a million times

i got the anardana at the chinese store i visited for the first time today, had a very random assortment of indian ingredients. plus more amchur powder.

Threw out a whole, unopened packet of amchur powder last night bc full of MOTHS. THE WASTE.

i have looked for amchur powder at three different Indian grocery stores and haven't found shit, so I bought the pomegranate powder and am about to make another large batch of chana masala because i have a 4 lb bag of dried garbanzos that aren't going to cook themselves

That seems weird that three places would not have had it. In demand!

I don't really know what sort of packaging I am looking for and I haven't asked for help either -- nor did I google to see what packages look like.

wait i just googled -- it's the same as asofoetida powder?!!?!?

no not the same thing, right?!
i am confused
even after googling i don't think i have seen amchur powder in the stores i have shopped in and they are for sure the sort of places that would have such a thing.

it is NOT lol

it has a very unassuming appearance and should come in a bag. every indian store should have it. i can mail some to you?!?

i'm going to make chana masala tonight too. maybe a naan.

i'm probably just looking in the wrong place -- i should have googled to see what it looks like after i failed to find it the first time but here i am!

wrong place in the store i mean

when i bought it in an indian store in london it was actually just labeled mango powder instead. You should ask at the counter, they might have it in a weird bulk bag.

i found amchur powder last weekend hanging out near asafoetida and other spice type things. i had never tasted it before—pretty cool stuff!

after hearing about the moth incident i'd advise against buying bulk. could mess up your whole pantry. = unasked-for $.02
xpost

i think bulk means by the pound in this context

i was just thinking it not being packed in a commercial container. I've never had pantry moths. Is this a common thing?

i had them once about 10 years ago because they got into a bag of pumpkin seeds. then i realized they were elsewhere. a lot of vacuuming up moths and throwing out food.

reporting back about the anardana: tasty but i should look for the powdered form. these are the actual seeds and they were not grindable with mortar and pestle.

Huh, the stuff I found was already powdered/pulverized.

yeah, i forgot to check when i was at the indian store and saw this at the chinese store (indian brand) and grabbed it not thinking too hard about it. i'm sure the indian store has the powdered form.

this look intersting, will try soon https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017746-meera-sodhas-chicken-curry
my mistake reading the comments but idiots are arguing about how "authentic" it is. i will paste in case ppl get paywalled (i don't pay & don't understand why the recipes sometimes work for me and sometimes don't).

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee
1 tablespoon neutral oil, like canola
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cinnamon sticks, approximately 2 inches long
2 large white or yellow onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 2 1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated or minced
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 green cayenne or jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into half-moons
Kosher salt, to taste
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons puréed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
3 tablespoons whole-milk yogurt, plus 1 cup to serve with the meal
1 ¾ to 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 tablespoons slivered almonds
1 teaspoon garam masala
Pinch ground cayenne pepper, or to taste.

PREPARATION
Melt the butter or ghee in the oil in a large Dutch oven set over medium heat, and when it is hot and shimmering, add the cumin seeds and cinnamon sticks. Cook for a minute or two, stirring often, to intensify their flavors, then add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they are golden, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the ginger, garlic and peppers into a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt, and smash them together into a coarse paste. (You can also do this on a cutting board, with a knife.)
Add the paste to the onions, and cook for 2 minutes or so, then pour in the tomatoes, and stir. Allow to cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, then add the tomato paste, ground cumin, ground turmeric and another pinch of salt, and stir to combine.
Add the yogurt slowly to the mixture, using a wooden spoon to whisk it into the sauce. It may be quite thick. When it begins to bubble, add the chicken. Lower the heat, put the lid on the Dutch oven and allow the curry to cook gently for 30 minutes or so, or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the almonds and the garam masala, along with a pinch of cayenne, and cook for 5 minutes more or so. Serve with basmati rice or naan, and the additional yogurt.