[Closed] Nice simple tasty curry recipe ?

Shardwoods, just buy a jar any and all good depending on your favourites (me Madras, Jalfreizi, Balti). I always have a few in the cupboard even by them to take to gf's place in Paris as French curry houses are not the best. Yes a proper home made curry is special but with these sauces and a few fresh herbs popped in at the end and you are 90% of the way there.

Nah, not Sharwoods: Loyd Grossman. Much more healthy and less junk in em.
Fry an onion and some chillis, fry some meat, chuck in the Loyd Grossman (Balti or Madras), add some chopped fresh toms just before cooking time is up.
I haven't tasted better 🙂

Crap in a jar?

Start with something like this
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/recipe/easy-homemade-curry-pastes
plenty of curry paste recipes out there then your adding stuff to make the sauce

Jamie Oliver korma paste:

2 cloves garlic
1 thumb-sized piece fresh root ginger
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
1 tablespoon tomato puree
2 fresh green chillies
3 tablespoons desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons ground almonds
1 small bunch fresh coriander
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds

Yeah, did you notice the word SIMPLE in the OP's title?! 😆

[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Can-Cook-Indian-Takeaway-ebook/dp/B005GLEQDU ]This book is pretty good.[/url] 83p for the kindle edition.

The method is pretty much the same on every curry. Fry an onion, remove from pan, blitz with a plum tomato or two. Fry your dried spice, then add meat, veg or whatever. Then return the onion tomato mix. Simmer on lowest heat for a while.

The balti and jalfrezi recipes are my fav from the book.

As per DezB, the Grossman ones are really nice. Much better than you would expect.

Dez, I made a jar of the Korma paste and it lasted about 8 meals, going to work through them and make the lot now.

If I am really lazy I would just get Tesco tin curry ... think it's 60p or something.

fry an onion & 4 finely chopped cloves of garlic in some oil for about 5 mins add tsp of turmeric & chilli powder to taste add sliced chicken breast and stir fry on a high heat for about 10-12 minutes. Add a tin of tomatoes and simmer for about 20min with a lid then 10mins without to thicken. Add 1 tbsp ghee, 1 tbsp of fresh grated ginger, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp brown sugar. Cook for another 10mins add lemon juice and serve.

I not only can't be bothered to SHOP for all that, I can't be bothered to do the preparation for all that or make the WASHING UP for all that, for 1 person...
M&S do a Balti paste which is bloody lovely.
And the Loyd Grossman's are great for a quick Friday curry.

Pleny of good reading here for you .....
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/currytrackworld
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/curry-from-scratch

I tend to do one some family friends from the Punjab taught me.

Couple of onions VERY finely chopped, sweat them (don't let them brown) in butter or ghee. Lob in a couple of table spoons of garam masala (preferably buy the whole spice mix, toast the spices and grind it yourself), let that cook a bit then lob in a can or two of tomatoes, put some stock in and whatever meat/veg sounds good. If you want some heat, put whatever chillis you want in it, let it cook until it's thick.

Serve with whatever seems good (I do a type of pilaf and some naan breads). Usually takes about 2 hours.

The garam masala should be available from most asian supermarkets and look a bit like this (without the chilli):

[img] [/img]

A 500g bag will last ages.

Basic sauce:
2 chopped onions
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp salt
chilies to taste
can of chopped tomatoes
can of coconut milk

Fry the onions in a tablespoon of vegetable oil (not olive oil!) until soft, then add the chilies, garlic, ginger and the spices and fry for a minute or two more. Then add the tomatoes and coconut and simmer for 20 minutes or so.

Separately, brown a couple of diced aubergines in a frying pan with a little oil.

When the sauce is done, add the aubergines and 400g of precooked chickpeas and cook for another 5-10 minutes til the aubergines are soft.

The thing that bothers me, a 'from scratch' curry can often cost loads more than a tin of Grossman's, especially when it's on £1 offer.

I like to do a sweet and sour balti chicken (not very authentic I know, but it is damn nice). It requires a carton of Greek yoghurt and a carton of single cream - those two alone cost more than a jar of sauce.

Found [url= http://www.food.com/recipe/sweet-and-sour-balti-chicken-22912 ]this link[/url], slightly different to the recipe I use but basically the same thing.

[i]a 'from scratch' curry can often cost loads more than a tin of Grossman's[/i]

That too! 🙂

Some people's idea of "SIMPLE" is far removed from mine! Toast & grind the spices, me arse!

The thing that bothers me, a 'from scratch' curry can often cost loads more than a tin of Grossman's, especially when it's on £1 offer.

Probably, but then I like cooking 🙂

This [url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lamb_dhansak_79850 ]lamb dhansak[/url] is excellent - you could just leave out the meat and cook the sauce for 20 minutes or so, then add the chickpeas at the end.

Yes but the spice collection lasts for a good number of meals.

I much prefer the things I make from scratch, it's not exactly hard once you get into the habit of cooking rather than reheating.

Probably, but then I like cooking

[url= http://www.mrsshah.co.uk/index.html ]These are very good too...[/url] Just the mix of powder, just add tomatoes and meat/veg. The Extra Hot ones are lovely.

Yes but the spice collection lasts for a good number of meals.

I do have a pretty extensive selection... 😉

[img] ?_subject_uid=19700080&w=AADyXXCMGiJWm_JakI0bxhqeSJUQmCgj2rnQ_hpG4w2W_w[/img]

I was really hoping to see a drawer full of Loyd Grossman jars.

I also like to cook everything from scratch where possible but curry is something I've never cracked (i.e. having it taste as nice as a restaurant/takeaway one).

Recipes with few ingredients just don't taste right and recipes such as J.O.'s with a lot of ingredients are a ball ache.

However I'd not thought of making up a jar of paste which would last multiple meals. Great idea! How long do you think it would keep in the fridge? I tend to make up one big curry per week on average so if I could make a months worth of paste at a time that would cut down on the hassle. Will definitely give it a go.

[i]I was really hoping to see a drawer full of Loyd Grossman jars.[/i]

I'll get you a photo when I get home 😉

Love this:

Yes but the spice collection lasts for a good number of meals.

I got bored of making my curry powder every time I made curry, so I made a batch substituting "teaspoon" for "jar". I've now got a Tupperware box full, should be good for months.

Thai curry is easy, onions, peppers, chicken, whatever thai curry paste (I like this Mae Ploy Panang paste), coconut milk and lemongrass dead simple.

I've now got a Tupperware box full, should be good for months.

True enough, but the spices I've used are from supermarket jars anyway. They're going to be no less fresh sealed in a box as they were in the overpriced jar they came in. If I was grinding from fresh then I might well approach it differently as you say, but that's heading into the realms of too much effort for my liking.

If anyone cares, I'll post my recipe when I get home (I have it on OneNote but the current version has hand-written tweaks). I was like Zilog for ages, never quite tasted 'right' but I think I'm somewhere near now.

Used this one a few times and it's really tasty - not actually that hot, despite being a Vindaloo - we always spice it up, but you can also tame it down too...

Chicken Vindaloo Ingredients:

Vindaloo Paste
•1 tsp ground cumin
•1 tsp ground turmeric
•1 or 2 tsp Garam Masala
•1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (you can add more cinnamon, but if can be over-powering, so be careful!)
•2 tsp mustard powder
•1 tsp ground coriander
•1 tsp cayenne pepper
•2cm cube of peeled ginger
•3 tbsp white wine vinegar
•1 tsp sugar

Vindaloo Base
•150ml vegetable oil
•4-8 garlic cloves, crushed or blended
•3 red onions, sliced finely or preferably blended

Other Ingredients
•4+ red chillies, chopped finely. This is what gives the heat, so you can use less if you like and also de-seed before chopping if you want to make a milder vindaloo (but why?)
•4 skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
•500g good quality chopped tomatoes or chopped tinned tomatoes
•1-2 tbsp of tomato purée to taste
•1-4 tsp Hot Chilli Powder to taste – This is optional and if you do want to make it hotter, I’d suggest adding a bit at a time
•Salt and pepper to taste

Chicken Vindaloo Recipe – The Method

1.Grate or slice the ginger finely and add the cumin, cinnamon, mustard, coriander turmeric, garam masala and cayenne pepper into a bowl and add the vinegar and sugar and mix thoroughly.

2.Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the garlic and the onion and cook over a medium heat until they have softened for approx 5-7 mins, but take care not to let them burn or brown too much.

3.Once the onion and garlic have softened, add the chicken pieces and cook for approx 2-3 minutes until the chicken starts to colour.

4.Now add the chillies, tomatoes, tomato purée, and begin to stir in the pre-prepared Vindaloo paste.

5.Add salt and pepper to taste, and bring to the boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer whilst stirring occasionally for approx 1 hour. during this period, it’s important not to let the chicken vindaloo dry out, so add a 1/2 cup of water as necessary. If you do want to make it hotter than the recipe, then during the simmering time is the right time to gradually add the chilli powder to taste.

If you want lazy and simple here I am.

1 or 2 chopped onions
2 chopped cloves of garlic
Small piece of ginger chopped
Chillis chopped (three finger for me, your preference)
1 chopped pepper (colour of choice)
Diced meat (chicken for me)
Dried spices of choice (Turmerick, corriander, cumin, whatever)
1 can of tomato passata

I stick the meat in a pan with some olive oil to brown then add the onion followed by everything else bar the pepper. Once I'm happy it's had long enough I stick in the passata and pepper and let it simmer. By the time my brown rice is cooked it's ready. Not gourmet but quick and easy and minimal washing up.

BTW You can use chopped tomato instead of passata if you prefer, I like the texture.

That's why the idea of making up a paste appeals - you could store it in the fridge with a little layer of oil on top which should keep it nice and fresh.

Alternatively (as suggested by the guy teaching an indonesian cooking course I did), fill up an ice cube tray with the paste and lob it in the freezer and just pop out cubes as and when you need.

ime simple ? nice.

If you're doing it yourself cook double or 4x and freeze.

If you ever see these [url= http://www.curry-sauces.co.uk/ ]Meah curry sauces [/url]around then they're well worth getting as a store cupboard/fridge standyby for a quickish curry.

The jar stuff is meh at best imo.

I've found Thai stuff to be a bit quicker and easier to cook especially using Mae Ploy red/green curry paste, the ultimate Thai meal "cheat"

If anyone cares, I'll post my recipe when I get home (I have it on OneNote but the current version has hand-written tweaks). I was like Zilog for ages, never quite tasted 'right' but I think I'm somewhere near now.

Alternatively (as suggested by the guy teaching an indonesian cooking course I did), fill up an ice cube tray with the paste and lob it in the freezer and just pop out cubes as and when you need.

I was told that ice cube tray idea by a woman who did an 'at home' curry cooking course for me.

You can get ginger and garlic in ice cube portions from Sainsbury's too.

addendum to my recipe ^^, the final ingredients was missing 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp of ground coriander seeds.

TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR - Member
Used this one a few times and it's really tasty - not actually that hot, despite being a Vindaloo - we always spice it up, but you can also tame it down too...

Chicken Vindaloo Ingredients:

Vindaloo Paste
•1 tsp ground cumin
•1 tsp ground turmeric
•1 or 2 tsp Garam Masala
•1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (you can add more cinnamon, but if can be over-powering, so be careful!)

I'll second that warning: Garam Masala often contains a fair amount of cinnamon already.

coriander seeds, cumin seeds, heat till they crackle, turn heat down add onions and garlic, sweat, add some curry powder of choice, then tomatoes, and red peppers, coriander stalks chopped up and any other veg lying about. leave for a bit then remove and blitz to a puree. put into a slow cooker, add some chopped up lamb. Cook for 1/2 a day or so. coriander leaves at end and serve.

Just pick up the phone, order, kick back with a beer, and enjoy.

If you can make a tomato based pasta sauce you can make a curry

Masterchef aside, the basic ingredients are very similar

Onion, Tomato, meat/veg

Switch the spices you might add to that for the indian ones. Veg oil instead of olive oil. Garam masala/curry powder/chilli powder etc for oregano/basil/thyme etc

A Mexican Chilli recipe and a Bolognese recipe are very similar. Switch for indian spices (powders last for ages and less faff than fresh stuff) and its a curry!

wow some tasty things to cook will get cooking in the next couple of days and let you know what one I pick

Thanks all 😉

I love to cook but I do find curry one of the things I tend to be lazy and make / assemble from a jar. I will have to try the Gorssman curries, I use the pasta sauces occasionally.

Can't recommend these highly enough. Simple and very very tasty!

[url= http://www.thetinytakeaway.com/ ]http://www.thetinytakeaway.com/[/url]

We brought some awesome Garam Masala's back from Goa, from a spice merchant in Candolim. Various flavours & colours, so simple to use that you don't need much else apart from onions, tomatoes, creamed coconut etc.
Unfortunately we've got none left so we're going back next January for some more. 😆

We cook quite a lot of curry from scratch, and have numerous books on the subject as well, but by far the best book we have found has been Rick Stein's India... I think every curry we have cooked from there has been fantastic, just be mindful that most of the recipes are Indian hot!

One of my favourites is also one of the most simple and that is the [url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/vegetarian_curry_with_66421 ]Paneer Jalfrazi[/url], however it's nothing like the jalfrazis you normally get in the UK!

We're also in the lazy/cheat category and use the very tasty Anila's sauces... http://anilassauces.com/

It's really satisfying making your own from scratch - especially if you do it over a glass of vino chatting to the other half. Even the one I posted, seemingly one of the more of the involved ones, doesn't take that much effort - and I'm a flapper under pressure in the kitchen!

Google 'A Girl Called Jack banana, tea and chickpea curry'

Very good, different. And easy. You can change it around too. add kiwi, coconut etc.