Hair Bikers curries

[debih]

Thanks WM.

And thanks in advance to Di.

[Diflower]

You'd better like this Debih, I've had to copy it out - book too big to copy from on here - then type it...

For 16 portions, ie 4x4. Once made it can be left as is, or blitzed/blended, so for variety leave half, blend half.
Will keep for 3 days in fridge.
Can easily be halved to make 8 portions.

6 tbs oil
8 med onions, halved/sliced
12 cloves garlic, finely chopped
80g fresh ginger, ditto
2 big green chillies, ditto
4 teasp cumin seeds
4 teasp ground coriander
2 teasp turmeric
1 teasp garam masala
2 x 400g tins tomatoes
500ml cold water
2 teasp sea salt

Heat oil, add onion, garlic, ginger & chillies. Cover & cook on low 20-25 min, till v soft; uncover & stir occasionally.
Lid off, turn up heat, cook 10-15 min, stirring often, till nice and brown.
Add spices, cook 2 min.
Add toms, water & salt; bring to boil, simmer 20 mins, stirring regularly.
Remove from heat, blitz/blend or leave as is.

[Workingman]

It's almost the same as Madhur's tomato version, Di, except that the spices are in the basic curry paste.

Here that is:

Basic curry paste

3 chopped garlic cloves
1 Tbs cumin
2 dsp coriander
2 dsp paprika
1 dsp turmeric
1 tsp fenugreek
2 or 3 cloves
2 seeds from cardamom pods, husk removed
6 dried chillies
salt

2 dsp tomato purée
veg oil

The above are all seeds so it's a mortar and pestle job unless you have something like a coffee grinder. Grind the dry spice ingredients to a rough powder. Add the chopped garlic and salt and grind a bit more. Add the tomato purée and a glop of oil and mix everything thoroughly. Transfer the paste to a pan with a little more oil and heat slowly mixing all the time till the oil starts to separate from the paste. Put in a sterilised jar and keep in the fridge once cooled.

[Diflower]

It would end up about the same, wouldn't it?
Personally I reckon the Bikers have looked at several and come up with a slightly more user-friendly version, ie for theirs you don't have to make the paste first.

Actually they also had asefoetida as an optional extra but I would never tell someone to add it unless they had either an industrial-strength extractor, or no sense of smell whatsoever. Which is a shame as it adds a lovely taste, but that smell just can't be eradicated. Ever.

[Workingman]

Di, asefoetida is one of my secret ingredients, along with ajwain seeds, but your dead right about the smell! I use only the tip of a teaspoon handleful for a four portion curry and then have to cook it with the windows open.

Ajwain give a hint of thyme to dishes without all the little stringy bits.

[Diflower]

WM I was once helping clean/clear a shop.
It had been a general newsagent/tobacconist/gift shop for years and years, for the last 5 run by an Indian family but had been empty for about 6 months.
There were no cooking facilities, and no-one lived above either. It had been almost completely emptied; there were no carpets.
The entire place smelt of asefoetida, it sort of crept up on you after a few minutes of being inside. As you scrubbed a wall, the smell got stronger...and they only ran the shop there.

I do still use it once in a while because it does add a certain something, but as you say, very very carefully, and always with door/window open, and extractor fan on!
As soon as we're finished, I use my spray of Stardrops mixed with vinegar and water, all over the cooker, worktop, tiles and cooker hood/extractor...it still takes a day or so to fade away

[Ally]

Ooooh just spotted this thread.

Mr Patel..from Mr Patel's Indian Spice Emporium in Erdington, Birmingham, very kindly told me (on one of my mammoth spice shopping days) that when using Asafoetida I must:

a) Use a teeny weeny amount

b) Have all windows, doors...and minds open!

c) Wash your hands after contact!

I really enjoy making a curry.