Hyperdata Blog

Generic Curry Recipe

I can usually turn out a fairly presentable approximation of an [insert style here] curry, my mother just asked for a recipe. But it’s not really a recipe, just an order of doing things that I’ve wound up at through trial & error. Only essentials are onions, garlic, curry powder (coriander, cumin, turmeric, chili etc) & stock cube or salt.

I won’t pretend the result will be remotely like proper Indian cuisine, but it can easily turn out better than some of the stuff you get in English curry houses.

doing rice? – stick on first. Long-grain is better, Basmati best!
doing eggs? – ditto

lots of veg oil in frying pan/wok on fairly low heat
keep stirring

1. any seeds – mustard seeds, coriander, cardamom…give ‘em till they start popping
2. finely chopped onion…give it until it’s fairly clear
3. any other veg except toms…until they (and onions) are just starting to brown
4. fish or meat (can’t remember the last time I used meat) until it’s lost its water
5. garlic…half a minute maybe
6. curry powder, stock cube or salt, just a few seconds for them to mix in with oil
7. toms and/or tom puree – toms until they’ve lost most of their water, puree just until it’s mixed
8. eggs, just get ‘em covered
9. coconut powder if you want a kurma – until it’s well mixed
10. fresh coriander, if you can get it
11. a cup or two of water, to make it runny (if you put in any big lumps of anything, put in quite a bit of water to make sure it gets cooked through)

simmer until it’s the consistency you want – done.

lower heat, less oil, no water for dry style stuff

more oil and finer-chopped stuff for Mumbai slob-out

if you want to be fancy, do more than one mix with different veg/spices combination (e.g. brinjal with coriander seeds)

for dal I usually fry mustard seeds (if available) well-brown onions then garlic and ginger, maybe a bit of chili, turmeric or something then dump in lentils & water & salt/stock cube, curry leaves (if available) and simmer until a nice consistency

chapatis aren’t too hard (thin bread dough, fairly dry-fried), parathas ditto (fry in lots of oil) though best bought ready-made

somosas, bhajis etc are a nightmare to make from scratch (expect a pan full of oily goo), so buy ready-made, the microwave is your friend

popadums definitely buy ready-made, cooking under grill works well for low-fat version

sweets are virtually impossible for a Westerner to get right, buy if possible

dosas – forget it

raita etc dead easy, and makes a lot of difference, as will stocking up on chutneys

overall result depends mostly on the quality of ingredients and the attention you give it

PS. for something more authentic, try Mutton & Potato Curry