Amazing Curry
I had am amazing curry today that I planned for my lunches this week. Inspired by Chef Jamie Oliver from his Food Revolution book. Delicious!
I started by making a curry paste:
Spices for toasting:
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
Toast in a dry pan until smelling delicious. Add toasted spices to a pestle and mortar and grind (or whiz to a powder into a food processor). Then add spices to a food processor along with the following ingredients, and pulse until you have a smooth paste:
- 2 cloves of garlic, mined
- 1 thumb-size piece of ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon tumeric powder
- pinch sea salt
- 2 Tbs grape seed oil
- 2 Tbs tomato paste
- 1 fresh green chill, seeded and chopped
Start 1 cup of basmati rice. I use a rice-cooker.
This week I made paneer for the first time. Gosh it’s easy:
- 1 litre milk
- 2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
It’s simple to make and takes less than 30 minutes to complete. Chop when done and add to the curry.
- Boil the milk. Then add the lemon juice or vinegar.
- As soon the milk completely curdles, remove from the heat.
- Strain the milk in the cheesecloth and drain the whey.
- Gather the cheesecloth together. Place it on a plate and keep a heavy weight on top. Check after 30-40 minutes. Cut into cubes when complete.
For the curry dish:
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 fresh chill pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- a thumb-size piece of ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
- 3 ripe tomatoes, diced
- 1 small butternut squash, seeded and chopped (skin on)
- 2 small zucchini
- 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
- ½ lemon, squeezed
- 2 chicken breasts, cubed OR 1 can of chickpeas
- Sweet peas
Put a large casserole pan on medium-high heat. Cook the onions, garlic and ginger for 10 minutes, or until golden and soft. Add the remaining ingredients, and the paste plus ½ cup water. Simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on. When the chicken is tender, stir in 1 cup peas and squeeze over with lemon.
I layered the curry, rice and paneer in a casserole dish. It was enough for 4-6 servings. A fair bit of kick – enough to know you’ve eaten something and certainly enough to feel full. I just loved it! Shown above with steamed cauliflower.
