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Curry sauce 2

This is a curry sauce that lends itself to tougher pieces of meat like stewing beef, goat chops, etc. For the paste I use the mill attachment for my blender but I’ve also use a pestle and mortar which takes a little longer but is more satisfying.

Ingredients

  • Garlic, ½ bulb, crushed
  • Ginger, peeled and grated, ~2 tbsp
  • Coriander seeds, 2 tbsp
  • Cumin seeds, 2 tbsp
  • Cardamom pods, 4
  • Cinnamon bark, 1 stick
  • Black peppercorns, 4
  • Whole tomatoes, 400g tin, broken up
  • Tomato purée, 2 tbsp
  • Beef stock, 300ml
  • Coriander, 2 good handfuls, chopped
  • Red onion, 2 large, minced
  • Stewing beef, 500g, cut into 4cm chonks
  • Olive oil, a glug
  • Salt + pepper

Instructions

  1. Toast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom pods, cinnamon bark and peppercorns in a pan on a medium heat until fragrant.
  2. Set the pan aside to cool then use the flat side of a knife to release the cardamom seeds and discard the shells.
  3. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cadamom seeds and black peppercorns to the mill followed by the chopped coriander, a teaspoon of olive oil, a splash of water and a pinch of salt.
  4. Blend until a fine paste! You can add another splash of water if it’s struggling.
  5. Take a heavy pan, add a glug of olive oil and brown the beef chonks in batches on a medium heat then set aside.
  6. In the same pan, add the curry paste, cinnamon bark and red onion, stir well and cook for 5 minutes, or until fragrant.
  7. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for a few minutes.
  8. Add the beef chonks back into the pan and stir well, ensuring all the chonks are evenly coated in the mixture.
  9. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and beef stock, followed by a good pinch of salt.
  10. Pop a lid on and simmer for 1 hour1, stirring ever so often.
  11. Remove the lid and reduce on a simmer for ½ hour (or more depending on your desired consistency). Stir often to prevent sticking!
  1. Simmer for longer depending on the meat! ↩

Curry sauce 1

I make this curry sauce regularly because it’s tasty and I usually have most of the ingredients to hand — it makes a particularly great egg curry.

Ingredients

  • Cloves, 4
  • Black peppercorns, 8
  • Cardamom pods, 5
  • Cinnamon bark, 1 stick
  • Onion, 3 large, chopped fine
  • Garlic paste, 2 tsp
  • Ginger paste, 2 tsp
  • Chilli powder, 2 tsp
  • Ground coriander, 2 tbsp
  • Ground turmeric, ½ tsp
  • Garam masala, 1 tsp
  • Coriander, good handful, chopped fine
  • Whole tomatoes, 400g tin, broken up
  • Yoghurt, 125g
  • Olive oil, a glug
  • Water, 300ml
  • Salt + pepper

Instructions

  1. Add a glug of olive oil to a good-sized pan on a medium heat followed by the cloves, peppercorns, cardamom pods and cinnamon bark and toast for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
  2. Add the onion and a good pinch of salt and fry until the onions are starting to turn.
  3. Add the garlic and ginger paste, stir well and fry for a couple of minutes.
  4. Add the chilli powder, ground coriander and ground turmeric, stir well and fry for a couple of minutes.
  5. Stir in the broken up tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
  6. Stir in the yoghurt and cook for 5 minutes.
  7. Stir in the water and season with salt and pepper.
  8. Add the chopped coriander followed by the garam masala then stir well.
  9. Pop a lid on and cook on low for at least 1½ hours.
  10. Take the lid off and reduce to desired consistency.

Midnight egg curry

For when you want an egg curry at midnight.

Ingredients

  • Eggs, 4, hard boiled, shelled
  • Onion, 1 large, diced
  • Garlic, 4 cloves, minced
  • Ginger, 1 inch, grated
  • Curry leaves, small handful
  • Ground cumin, 1 teaspoon
  • Ground coriander, 1 teaspoon
  • Ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon
  • Garam masala, 1 teaspoon
  • Cinnamon bark, 2 sticks
  • Chopped tomatoes, 1 tin

Instructions

  1. Take a good-sized pan, add a little olive oil followed by the onion.
  2. Fry on a medium heat until the onion starts to turn translucent.
  3. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a few minutes.
  4. Add the ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and curry leaves and fry until the mixture is of a tacky consistency. Take care not to burn the spices! Add a splash of water if necessary.
  5. Add the tinned tomatoes, followed by a tin of water then give the pan a good stir, dislodging all the spices that may be clinging to the bottom of the pan.
  6. Add the cinnamon sticks and the eggs.
  7. Cook on a low heat with the lid on for 30/40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  8. Remove the lid and gently reduce until thick, stirring occasionally.

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Tag: curry