Recipe talk:Gujurati Curry

Looks good buddy! I might give this a go at the weekend. Although I think I'd reduce the cloves and ginger a bit and up the garlic an coriander. Do you make your own garam masala? I've been pretty lazy with my curry making lately and have just been using the pastes (or even sauce from a jar - I know) so it'll be good to do some proper Indian cooking again. The last one I 'made' was a "pork chilli pasanda". I just used a jar of Patak's pasanda but added a half a bulb of garlic and four green chillis - you had the lovely rich flavour of the gay curry, but then plenty of heat too. Curry rocks! DeltaStar_{Senior Sysop}^{Speciationspeed!} 11:52, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I used to make my own garam masala, but the mother-in-law bought me a huge bag of it so I've been working my way through that instead. I did make a "quick" curry the other day with one of the pataks pastes but thought it was horrible. It tasted like an indian restaurant curry and had far too much oil and turmeric.

My favorite curry, which I should document at some point, is basically a Keema, but also has Karela stuffed with spiced mince and tied with string cooked in it. The Karela are a really aquired taste, but you get hooked on them the second or third time :) Crundy^{Talk nerdy to me} 11:58, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I put karela in a stir fry once, but really wasn't prepared for quite how bitter it would be. I've since heard that there's some proper way of preparing it (can't remember offhand what it is) that tones it down a bit, but I haven't felt particularly inclined to try it again. Wëäŝëïöïď^{Methinks it is a Weasel} 12:33, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't think you can just quick cook and eat it. You have to either slow cook it or slice it and salt it to draw the bitterness out (like with old-school aubergines). Crundy^{Talk nerdy to me} 12:36, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

It's oooooooooooooon!

I managed to get most of the ingredients, but I couldn't get hing. The guy in the Asian grocers was surprised that I wanted it for a curry, he said it's normally used in traditional medicines... I also just used cinnamon.

I wish you had mentioned that the mustard seeds need to be covered for health and safety reasons, I thought it was purely culinary, so didn't bother. Not good!

I used chicken fillets rather than a jointed whole chicken, and as I'm a bit (over) wary about undercooked chicken, I diced and stir-fried it (with a bit more garlic!) until it was sealed and then added it to the mix. It looks pretty good, I'll let you know how it tastes in an hour or so!

Cheers Crundy! DeltaStar_{Senior Sysop}^{Speciationspeed!} 19:15, 10 June 2010 (UTC)

That's odd, asofateda is definitely a spice: Asafoetida has a pungent, unpleasant smell when raw, but in cooked dishes, it delivers a smooth flavor, reminiscent of leeks. The only comments I'd make are:

1. Yes, mustard seeds pop like popcorn, so you need to cover the pan. Sorry, should have mentioned that!
2. Meat on the bone creates more flavour in the curry, because the bones create their own stock, so if you don't want to joint a chicken then use drumsticks and thighs
3. Don't stir fry the chicken!! A little known fact about Indian cooking, which is applicable to fish and shellfish as well as meat, is that it needs to be cooked "in it's own juices", i.e. you make the curry then add the raw meat / fish

I think you'll be fine, but if it tastes a little disappointing then I'd urge you to try again using meat on the bone cooked in its own juices. It makes a massive difference. Just make sure you cook it for an hour, then leave to cool for 30 mins or so, then reheat to serve.

By the way, I did my favorite the other day, Karela Keema ("khemo", in Gujurati) which is Bitter Melons, spikes peeled off, salted and rinsed, and stuffed with spiced mince, cooked in a mince curry (same curry as above). Was awesome :) Crundy^{Talk nerdy to me} 19:45, 10 June 2010 (UTC)

P.S. If you can't taste the spices when you eat it, add a load more salt. Don't ask me why, but curries need fuckloads of salt to bring out the flavour of the spices. Crundy^{Talk nerdy to me} 19:49, 10 June 2010 (UTC)

Hmmmm, OK, maybe I've stuffed this up then. As I've already gone against a golden-rule of Indian cooking and stir-fried the meat, I think I'll add a bit of cream before serving to make it even less authentic (and good). DeltaStar_{Senior Sysop}^{Speciationspeed!} 20:02, 10 June 2010 (UTC)

Noooooo! At least try it first, if it needs cream then add it afterwards. Crundy^{Talk nerdy to me} 20:16, 10 June 2010 (UTC)

It's all over

I was a bit disappointed with my effort. It was certainly spicy, but I felt it lacked richness and depth of flavour^{whatever the fuck that means} - I'm guessing this was because I didn't cook the meat on the bone as the recipe says. However, my missus is a lot less critical than me, and she described it as "fabulous". (fortunately for me she is easily pleased) Cheers Crundy, I'll give it a shot again soon and will follow the recipe more closely. DeltaStar_{Senior Sysop}^{Speciationspeed!} 20:38, 10 June 2010 (UTC)

It looks like you cooked the spices properly, nice deep brown sauce. I would say give it another go. Add more dhana-jeeru and / or salt if required. Crundy^{Talk nerdy to me} 20:50, 10 June 2010 (UTC)

The gift that keeps on giving

I've just come back from the pub, and when I opened the front door the place smelt like an Indian restaurant - fucking brilliant! That told me that I'd at least done a good job of cooking the spices. I'm now enjoying my pudding.

DeltaStar_{Senior Sysop}^{Speciationspeed!} 23:47, 10 June 2010 (UTC)