What’s better than a pot of curry simmering on the stove top? The spicy aromas that simply cannot be ignored making their way through your home on a cold and miserable winter’s day? Nothing!
Everybody loves a good curry, mild or strong – they’re absolute winners and packed full of flavour!
Here are eight Food24 recipes for every taste, sure to give you some warmth and comfort during the winter months.
Braai butter-chicken curry
Butter chicken seems to be the universal curry that everyone loves and for good reason. It’s so damn tasty and this version takes things to a whole new braai level.
- Ingredients (27)
1½ cup double-cream plain yoghurt
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 knob fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 tbsp garam masala
2 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder. 1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground turmeric
fresh lemon juice, to taste
salt and black pepper
2 kg chicken thighs, deboned and skin removed
For the potjie:
oil, for frying
1 knob butter
2 onions, peeled and chopped
1 knob fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp garam marsala
1 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
½ tbsp ground coriander
2 cups tomato purée
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
100 g crème fraîche
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves, crushed
salt and black pepper
To serve:
naan bread or basmati rice
¼ cup flaked almonds, toasted
fresh coriander
- Method:
To make the chicken mix all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a container with a lid, then add the chicken. Give it a good massage, then pop the container into the fridge to marinate overnight. The next day, remove the container from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. Thread the chicken onto the kebab sticks and braai over very hot coals. You are not trying to cook the chicken through; you just need to char and caramelise it. Brush each kebab with extra marinade at each turn, then set aside when you are happy with them. Allow to cool before removing the chicken from the kebab sticks. At this point you can cut the chicken pieces into small pieces or leave as they are.
To make the potjie, preheat a number 3 potjie over medium-high-heat coals. Add a splash of oil and the knob of butter and fry the onions until they soften and start to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a minute until fragrant. Toss in all the spices and fry for another minute.
Stir in the tomato purée, fish sauce and sugar. Bring to a simmer over low-heat coals for 20 minutes to let the flavours make friends.
This next step is optional, but it does give you that awesome curry house gravy result. After 20 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and use a hand blender to blitz the curry sauce until smooth. Return the pot to the heat and add the chicken. Stir in the crème fraîche and fenugreek leaves and simmer for another 15 minutes to cook the chicken. Season to taste, then remove the pot from the heat, cover and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve it with naan bread or basmati rice with a sprinkle of toasted almonds and fresh coriander.
Recipe: extracted from Beer Country’s Pots, Pans & Potjies by Karl Tassendorf and Greg Gilowey.
Lamb curry
Lamb knuckles marinated in a spicy yoghurt and braised in a flavourful stock with fresh coconut. Served with a pomegranate raita and steamed basmati rice.
- Ingredients (31)
Lamb:
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 cup plain yoghurt
1 kg lamb knuckles
1 tsp salt
¼ cup coconut oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds, white
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
4 cardamom pods
½ tsp mango powder
¼ cup curry leaves
1 cup fresh coconut, coarsely grated
1 piece cassia bark
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp paprika
2 cup lamb or chicken stock
1 tin coconut milk
fresh coriander leaves, garnish
toasted coconut flakes, garnish
Raita:
2 cups plain double-cream yoghurt
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
salt
1 lime, juiced
½ cup pomegranate seeds
- Method:
Made in the pressure cooker.
Prepare the lamb curry, by making a smooth paste with the garlic and ginger, using a mortar and pestle. Mix the paste with the yoghurt.
Place the lamb in a non-reactive bowl, season with salt, and cover with the yoghurt mixture on all sides. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Select the sauté setting on the pressure cooker. Heat half the coconut oil, add the onions, and sauté for about 10 minutes, until starting to brown. Set aside.
Dry-fry the mustard, sesame, cumin and coriander seeds in the pressure cooker on the sauté setting. Add the cardamom, mango powder and curry leaves, and continue to dry-fry for about three minutes. Transfer to a blender, add the cooked onion and grated fresh coconut, process to a smooth paste, and set aside.
Heat the remaining coconut oil in the pressure cooker on the sauté setting, add the lamb in batches, and brown all over for about five minutes. Set aside.
Add the cassia bark and spice paste and stir-fry for about three minutes. Mix in the chilli powder and paprika, add the lamb, stock and coconut milk, and bring to the boil.
Seal the pressure cooker. Cook for about 50 minutes. Let it natural pressure release for 20 minutes, then release the remaining pressure.
Prepare the raita by combining the yoghurt, spring onion, ginger, cumin, coriander and parsley. Season with salt and lime juice. Blend all the ingredients. Place in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until required. Just before serving, sprinkle the pomegranate seeds on top.
To serve, garnish the curry with fresh coriander and toasted coconut and serve with steamed basmati rice raita.
Prawn and coconut cream curry
Ingredients (25)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
curry paste — see recipe below
2 tbsp tomato paste
½ cup tomato passata, or tinned chopped tomatoes
½ tsp sugar
400 g coconut milk
500 to 600 g prawns, deveined
½ lime, juice only
salt, to taste
For the spice paste:
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp brown mustard seeds
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 shallots, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cm fresh ginger, grated
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp chilli powder
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
¼ cup water
1 tbsp lime juice
- Method:
Start with the paste. In a dry frying pan (no oil added), toast the cumin, coriander and mustard seeds over a medium heat until fragrant and the mustard seeds start to pop. Transfer to a grinder or place in a mortar and pestle and crush until fine and powdery. In the same pan, heat the vegetable oil and sauté the onion until soft and caramelised. This should take about eight minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for two minutes. Now add in the masala, turmeric, chilli powder, chilli flakes, salt and sugar. Stir through for several minutes. Lastly add the finely ground spices, water and lime juice. Mix to combine.
Transfer the paste to a processor and blitz until smooth. If you’ve made double, store half in a sterilised jar and cover the top of the paste with a tablespoon of vegetable oil to retain it’s flavour and freshness. Store in the refrigerator.
To make the prawn curry, heat one tablespoon vegetable oil in a pan. Add 1 x quantity curry paste, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and sugar. Bring up to a gentle boil and then add the coconut milk. Simmer uncovered on a medium heat for 10-12 minutes. Add the prawns to the sauce and cook for three to five minutes, until cooked through. Add the juice of half a lime and check the seasoning. Serve immediately with your choice of sides.
Recipe: reprinted with permission of Bibby’s Kitchen@36.
