naan

Easy Does It # 11 – Curry

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Dear Friend’s,
Although most of my followers are culinary professionals, there is also a large segment of followers who are just starting to enjoy cooking on a slightly higher than basic level. I have therefore decided to publish, under the moniker “Easy Does It“, from time to time some very basic recipe variations of dishes which otherwise might seem complicated to some folks. I will break them down to the easiest, most simple instructions, so that those of you who are intimidated by elaborate recipes will be able to prepare these dishes properly, adjusted to your taste and liking, right from the get-go.
Enjoy :-)
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There is a great mystery and misconception surrounding a “proper” Indian, Thai, Malay or Indonesian curry. We are to believe that it is too complicated to be attempted by a less than perfect cook, that you will need 101 ingredients, that the ingredients are hard to find, etc, etc.
Now, while a proper curry can be all that and more, “Easy Does It ” is here to help you find a solution to the difficulties of preparing good food.
I am a huge fan of proper Indian and asian Cooking, curries in particular. I have lived in and visited all of the above mentioned countries (and many more) and although I have learned a lot about the local cuisines, I have never become an expert in any one of them. For my private enjoyment I have rather searched and mostly found preparations which will closely resemble some of my favorite exotic dishes but which I can easily prepare at home without getting a shopping cart full of unusual, expensive and hard to find ingredients every time a new craving hits me. Also, please bear in mind that many of the followers of ChefsOpinion live in remote places and also, not everybody has the means to spend large sums of money on a single meal, yet yearns to taste specialty dishes from around the world.

Here now is a curry sauce which I truly believe will give you that “authentic” taste of India if you add a bit of love and passion while you cook it 🙂
( I have learned a very similar recipe from one of my sous chefs, Said, at his home while I was living and working in Karachi, Pakistan.

The most important ingredient is your garam masala. Please take the time and effort to make it fresh just before you start cooking. It will be so much superior to the store-bought variety that you will probably never buy it in the supermarket again. Rather, buy the whole seeds and keep them airtight in a dark place in individual containers until you use them.

You will need :
Coriander seeds, black cardamom pods, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, bay leaves, peppercorn, small amount of cinnamon bark. Dry roast in pan on low heat until fragrant, about one minute. Put in spice blender until powder fine. Remove to jar, cover airtight.

Next, saute in ghee finely diced onions, garlic paste and grated ginger until onions are soft but not brown, add turmeric, chili powder, salt, a bit of sugar, lots of chopped fresh coriander with stems (cilantro) and lots of chopped, fresh, very ripe tomatoes. Add chopped fresh chili’s according to your tolerance of heat. Simmer for about 30 minutes. There should be enough moisture from the tomatoes so that after 30 minutes you should have a very thick sauce.
You could use this sauce by itself as a dip for naan (as I do), or use it as base for a quick, simple curry of chicken, vegetables, seafood or even beef. I usually make enough for two or three dishes. I let the base /sauce cool and freeze it in individual containers until I use them.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

P.S.
As usual, I have not included measurements, as I firmly believe part of learning how to cook and enjoy food your way at home you must experiment and practice a bit until it tastes just right FOR YOU ! 🙂

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Curry Sauce

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Bone-In Rib Eye, Naan With Gorgonzola, Tomato & Walnut

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This morning at work Gene and I were talking about steaks and how great a good steak would be for lunch. Well, don’t just talk about it, do it ! S0 I went to the market and bought two great bone-in rib eyes, 80 oz in total weight. After work, straight home and put these babies on the heat, seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Got fancy with the naan too. Instead of doing the more traditional thing and putting the gorgonzola on the steak, I put it together with walnuts, grape tomatoes, scallions and lot’s of black pepper , then baked them in the oven for about five minutes. This would have been a great meal just by itself, but together with the meat and all the juices the bread soaked up – unbeatable 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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: Bone-In Rib Eye

: Naan With Gorgonzola, Tomato & Walnut

: Bone-In Rib Eye, Naan With Gorgonzola, Tomato & Walnut

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Pigs Tail And Potato Curry, Naan & Cucumber Raita

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Some folks are probably scratching their head, going “WTF” (what he food 🙂 ) when reading this. But hey, I love pigs tail and curries of any style.

Pigs tails – not everybody’s cup of tea read about Pigs Tail
Real curries – everybody loves those read about Real Curries
European style curries – if you grew up with them…….. read about “European Style” Curries

The good thing is that if you don’t love pig’s tails, you can replace them with any other protein or vegetables.
However, here is what went on in my kitchen for today’s lunch:
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Pigs Tail And Potato Curry, Naan & Cucumber Raita

: Pigs Tail And Potato Curry, Naan & Cucumber Raita

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Curry :

Pigs tails, cut into pieces
Potatoes, peeled, cut into wedges
Bananas, sliced,
Baby carrots,
Peppers, diced,
Celery, sliced
Tomato, diced
Ginger, grated
Garlic, paste
Cilantro, chopped
Vegetable stock,
Coconut milk,
Turmeric,
Curry powder,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Butter,

Saute pigs tails in butter until lightly browned, add vegetables, banana, garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant. Add curry and turmeric, saute for another minute. Add stock, salt and pepper and very slowly simmer until pigs tails are tender. Add coconut milk and potatoes and simmer until potatoes are done but still firm. Adjust seasoning if necessary. To serve, sprinkle curry with plenty of coarsely chopped cilantro.

Naan :

1/2 cup water,
1 pck yeast
2.5 cup a/p flour,
1/4 cup vegetable oil,
1/3 cup greek yogurt,
1 lg egg
Salt

Combine yeast, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve, let sit for a few minutes or until it is frothy on top. At that point, stir in the oil, yogurt and egg until evenly combined.

In another bowl, combine the flour with the salt. Add the bowl of wet ingredients to the flour/salt mixture and stir until well mixed. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).

Turn the ball of dough out onto a well floured counter top. Knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky.

Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 45 minutes). After it rises, gently flatten the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball by stretching the dough back under itself until the top is smooth and round.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the under side is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface (see photos below). Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well. Serve plain or brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with herbs!
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For Raita Recipe, click here
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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” Naan, Veal Ribs & Other Stuff “

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Last night’s dinner made me realize that I eat a lot of comfort food which does
not necessarily fall into a specific group or cuisine. Sometimes, just raiding the
fridge without a grand plan and simply putting some stuff together on the fly
does produce some great dishes. This was one of them :
” Naan with ribs, chilies, onions and yoghurt ”
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Ingredients :

Veal ribs, simmered, bones removed
Naan, Generously buttered and sprinkled with sea salt
Greek yoghurt,
Chilies, finely diced
Lime, juiced
Garlic, paste
Scallion, sliced
Onions, rings
Sesame seeds,
Oyster sauce,
Sriracha,
Soy sauce,
Teriyaki sauce,
Kosher salt,

Water,

Method :

Blend all ingredients except ribs and half of the chilies.
Put a bit of water into a small, rimmed pan, into which
the ribs just fit, one layer only. Add the ribs.
Cover ribs with the sauce, (the sauce should be very watery
at this point) cover airtight and bake in
a low heat oven until very tender, about 3.5 hours.
When the ribs are tender, the sauce should have thickened
and cling nicely to the ribs.
Arrange rib meat on hot naan, drizzle with yoghurt, add onion rings,
sprinkle with chilies, sesame seeds and scallions and serve with a
garnish of spinach salad and sliced lime.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !