how to make a genuine CURRY?????

Question

I'm going shopping and need to know what ingredients/spices i need to make a genuine but basic indian curry using chicken.

I don't want anything ready made like a paste, so no pataks thnx i want to buy the individual spices but am not sure what they are.

Answer 1

From 'Cooking with Mummyji' by Vicky Bhogal

Chicken with sauce

2 tbsp oil
1 large onion - chopped finely
1 garlic clove - chopped finely
1 cup canned tomatoes, wizzed in a blender
2 tsp grated fresh root ginger
2 green chillies, chopped finely
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground tumeric
2 tsp garam masala
2 handfuls chopped fresh coriander
2 chicken legs
2 potatoes, peeled and quartered

1) cut chicken legs into two drumsticks and two thighs. Cut thighs in half. Wash and trim off excess fat

2) Heat oil in large saucepan and add onions and garlic - fry until rich golden colour

3) Turn heat down and add tomatoes and 1/2 cup cold water. Stir well

4) Add ginger, chillies, salt, tumeric. garam masala and a good handful of coriander

5) Stir well to keep crushing onions into tomatoes. When mixture is shiny and oil separates add the chicken. Coat well with mixture.

6) Turn up heat and stir fry for 5 mins

7) Add enough boiling water to fill pan to 3/4 full and totally cover chicken

8) Bring to boil, turn down heat, partly cover and simmer for 10 mins

9) Add potatoes, stir gently, bring to boil again and simmer for 25 mins with pan covered. Sprinkle with another handful of coriander befor serving.

Enjoy.

Answer 2

To give the curry colour use turmeric, saffron or coriander powder.

Spices used mainly for aroma are garam masala, black and green cardamon, nutmeg.

Fenugreek (methi) leaves/powder are only ever used in Indian cooking. It has quite a strong flavour and only a pinch of it should be used in any dish.

Almost all curries incluse garlic and ginger. If possible, use fresh ginger, it keeps well for a couple of months, in a cold place.

A good book to buy (for future reference) is Camellia Panjabi's 50 Great Curries of India. It can be bought cheap from the works and contains a dvd. Camelia has a top Indian resturant in London. Her recipes are fantastic.

A simple chicken curry for two:

2 chicken breasts
4 tbsp oil
1 large onion, very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
5mm square peice of fresh ginger, chopped
3/4 tsp coriander powder
a pinch of turmeric powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/3 tsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika powder
2 tomatoes, chopped
salt
chopped coriander leaves to garnish.

1. Heat the oil in a heavy pan. Add the onion and saute over a medium heat for about 20-25 minutes or until deep brown. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for one minute. Add the coriander powder and stir for a further minute. Add the turmeric, cumin, garam masala and paprika and saute for 30 seconds. Add 200ml water and cook for 10 minutes. Put in the tomatoes, stir well and cook for a further five minutes.

2. Now the curry sauce is ready. Add salt to taste. Put in the chicken. Add 300ml water for the chicken. Cook until done. Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves just before serving.

Eat with rice and pitta bread.

Hints and tips for cooking a curry:

If the onions burn whiole browning, remove all burnt bits, change the pan and add a little fresh oil, otherwise the burnt tast will pervade the curry.

If the curry becomes too hot, and contains tomatoes and/or yogurt, or coconut milk, add an extra tomato or two. Also add tsp sugar.

If the curry is too liquid, boil uncovered for a few minutes.

Cut and prepare all ingredients in advance. Indian recipes generally have so many ingredients.

Meat curries can be frozen well.

Avoid using a sweet variety of onion.

Answer 3

Murgh Kurma (Chicken Curry)
Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients

4 green cardamon pods (up to
-8)
2 lb chicken
1 c plain yogurt
6 cloves, whole (up to 8)
1 ts salt
2 ts cinnamon
1 ts turmeric
1 md onion
6 szechuan peppercorns (up to
-8)
4 tb vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
5 garlic cloves (or less, to
-taste)
1/4 ts ginger root
1 ts black pepper
1/4 c tomato puree
1 c water

Instructions

Thoroughly clean the chicken pieces, then marinate with yogurt and
salt for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the spices. Chop the garlic and ginger, then add
black pepper to this mixture. Set aside in a small bowl.

Near the end of the hour of marinating, melt the shortening in a
coverable skillet (woks will do). Chop the onion and brown in the
skillet for about 10 minutes.

After the onions are ready, add the garlic/ginger/pepper mixture. Let
simmer for approximately 5 minutes, then add the chicken. Let the
chicken simmer for approximately 30 minutes or until cooked.

Add the cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric and bay leaves. Leave
them whole. Simmer for 5 minutes. Finally, add the tomato puree and
water to the mixture and cook until the mixture has thickened. Serve
with rice and chapati.

Answer 4

Tapestry6 gave you a good link, but your question is SO vague! A "curry" can be interpreted many ways...are you looking for a specific recipe? Chicken "Curry" from a Chinese take-out place is entirely different from a Curry Chicken you'd find at an Indian restaurant, or Afghani restaurant, or Thai restaurant etc. Allrecipes.com is a phenomenal site...you might want to check there for some great curry recipes

Answer 5

If you want to make it truly authentic try using Pat Chapman's curry club books.They tell you how to make the curry bases that the restaurants make.
To explain simply, the key is the texture which you get by blanching quartered spanish onions (about one per person) and pureeing them.
1, Stir fry 2 tsp garlic pureefor 1min,add1 tsp ginger puree and fry for 2 more mins.Use 2 tbs oil.

2 make a paste with tsp each of ground cummin,corriander,chilli powder,turmeric,black pepper and enough water for the consistency of ketchup.Add dst sp tom puree and 1 tbs chopped corriander leaf leave to rest.

3 Add curry paste to pan and fry for 5 mins

4 Add onion puree and fry for 10 mins or untill oil sits on top.

Add stock to keep sauce as liquid as you like

5 Add main ingredient.ie diced chicken breast.
stir fry till cooked through
6 Add 4 chopped fresh toms or tinned.

season to taste and add 1 tbs garam masala
Simmer for 5 mins and top with more chopped corriander leaf.

You can vary this basic recipe in lots of ways.

Answer 6

If you want to cheat a little, you need 1 tin Campbell's condensed chicken soup, cooked chicken and some chicken curry paste. Put soup in pot and heat, do not boil add a dessert spoon of curry paste and cook for 10 or 15 Min's add chicken and continue to cook till chicken is pipping hot. Tastes great.

Answer 7

try http://cuzza.com/

has recipes on there for a basic curry sauce which you can then add different spices etc to make a rang of curry's.

basic ingredients to buy:

mustard seeds, cumin seeds, cardomon pods, fennel seeds, cloves, chili's, garlic, ginger, cinamon sticks, bay leaf, curry leaf.

toast seeds n pods in a hot pan for a few seconds.

put chilli's, garlic, ginger and the toasted stuff into a food processor or coffee grinder. blend to make a paste.

in terms of quantities experiment a bit to find a paste that works for you.

then brown an onion, add meat or veg, pretty much add paste straight away.

seal off the meat, then add half a tin of tomatoes and i like to add half a tin of cocunut milk.

simmer for 20 mins then add a bunch of fresh corriander prior to serving.

Answer 8

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee
2 chicken breasts, skinned and cut into 1 inch cubes
6 whole small dried chillies
half teaspoon hot chilli powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
tin of chopped tomatoes
salt to taste
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, washed in a sieve then left moist for at least 15 minutes.
half teaspoon garam masala

Answer 9

To make a genuine curry here is the receipe:
http://www.recipezaar.com/134756
then for chicken curry you have a few dozen recipes:
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?q=chicken+curry

Answer 10

first cut up some apples and bannan really small, then add some raisins,chop up some onions and garlic, whack in a pan with oil and cook, add a little white wine and the curry of your choice, then add a bit of corflour to thicken and there you have it..done...