MADHUR JEFFREY: The Mistress of Spices

It's nice to hear a woman's great dedication and passion for the world's famous CURRY.
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Indian food expert Madhur Jaffrey tells Lucy Corry why she's never too busy to cook.

The phrase "time poor" could have been invented for Madhur Jaffrey. As a celebrated actress, award-winning writer, culinary expert, public speaker, teacher and grandmother, the 77-year-old has a schedule that would tire someone half her age. But rather than retire or rest on her laurels, Jaffrey has been busy reinventing herself.

Her latest book, Curry Easy, is the culmination of more than a decade of research and recipe testing to find shortcuts to cooking the cuisines from the subcontinent without sacrificing flavour.

"People say they love Indian food and cook it on weekends but feel they can't do it on the spur of the moment," she says, on the phone from her home in New York.

"I know what that's like because I'm pressed for time too, and I don't like being rushed. So I thought I would look for simpler dishes - every country has complex dishes and simple ones - of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and develop techniques to cook them.

"For curry you usually have to brown the spices, then the ginger and garlic, then the meat, so it can be quite a complicated process. So I did a little experimenting.

"I rubbed all the spices nicely into the meat and let it marinate overnight in the fridge, then the next day I put it in a hot oven and let it get nice and brown on the top and on the bottom. Then I covered it and let it braise and the end result was a lovely curry. That technique works beautifully for many dishes.

"Stir fries can be done using the same process, of letting all the dry spices marinate the meat before you stir-fry it. Indians never used to have refrigerators or ovens, but they would have come across these techniques if they did."

Purists may be aghast at the thought of curry in a hurry, but Jaffrey has the pedigree to get away with it. After growing up in Delhi, Jaffrey learned to cook as a homesick drama student in London, using handwritten recipes her mother sent her in the post.

While her acting garnered good reviews, her talents in the kitchen were even more sought after. Jaffrey's first book, An Invitation to Indian Cooking was first published in 1973 and remains in print today. She's written almost 30 more cookbooks since then, as well as a volume of memoir and several books for children.

"There are three generations of people cooking from my books now," she laughs. "I think there are some people who learn from their parents but, for many people, cookbooks are the only way they learn to cook."

These days they also learn from watching TV - Jaffrey has presented several BBC cooking shows and is quick to see the good side. "Part of me detests the idea of food as a game show and I know that there are a lot of couch potatoes out there who don't ever cook, but you can see the good it is doing," she says.

As well as cooking - and writing - Jaffrey continues to have a busy acting career, with more than 20 films to her name. She's recently finished filming her latest project, A Late Quartet, in which she stars alongside Christopher Walken and Philip Seymour Hoffman. "Life is a real mixture of things, cooking, writing, acting, doing cooking demonstrations, speaking at film screenings, teaching."

She and her second husband, violinist Sanford Allen, eat at home most of the time because it's easier than dining out. "New York is a wonderful place for eating out but we are very busy and we don't have the time to spend three hours in a restaurant. Also, we prefer the food at home. There's nothing that a restaurant has that I can't make at home," she says.

"We eat everything at home, but it's very simple and easy."

- The Dominion Post

(source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/4987486/Meet-the-mistress-of-spices)

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Battle for the best Indian Chef

Here's the article of the great curry battle. Enjoy!

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IT MAY be Britain’s favourite dish, but chicken tikka masala was strictly off the menu at the Indian Chef of the Year 2011 contest.

Instead, top curry chefs from across the country created a range of innovative dishes to show just how far the cuisine has come.

Traditional curry menu items like onion bhajee and lamb bhuna made way for dishes like Batera shakuti (whole quail with chick peas) and Bangladeshi ayre chula (boneless fish steaks cooked in lime and mixed spices).

Seven cooks went head-to-head at Oxford and Cherwell Valley College yesterday for the first leg of the inaugural contest.

And with temperatures soaring above 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the kitchen, they had to perform at their best, even under the eagle eyes of the judging panel.

The four winners of the heat were Arzoo Miah, from Arzoo’s in Bicester, Nazrul Islam from Malika’s in Cowley, Sajal Debnath from Raburchi in Gloucester and Rama Miah, from Rufa’s in Swindon.

The competition was launched last month by Muhammed Ali, head chef of Karma restaurant in Cowley.

He said: “It was a brilliant start to the competition. The standard was so high and the modern Indian food on display showed just how much it has evolved over the years.

“When I won the International Indian Chef of the Year Competition last year I was amazed by the response I got and the way it raised my profile.

“I want this national contest to do the same for these cooks, and many more in the future as it gets bigger and bigger.”

Out of the 27 entrants – there are two subsequent legs in Banbury – nine will go through to a grand final on June 29 at Oxford and Cherwell Valley College’s Banbury campus.

A public black-tie dinner will be held that night in Oxford, where the winner will receive their award.

Chefs flying the flag for Oxfordshire battled rivals who travelled to Oxford for the contest.

Majidul Hoque, head chef of the Bengal Tandoori in Botley Road, Oxford, said he was putting everything in to the competition. He said: “I am excited to be here. I am confident about the quality of my food and I have worked very hard getting it prepared.”

Lord Mayor of Oxford John Goddard, who was one of the judges, said the competition was setting a very high standard.

(source: http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/yourtown/oxford/9016577.Tikka_s_off_the_menu_as_chefs_battle_for_curry_prize/)

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Potato-Tomato Curry Recipe

Are you a potato, tomato, and a curry lover? Then this recipe is the perfect fit for you! Try this vegetarian curry recipe: POTATO-TOMATO CURRY. 

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Ingredients (serves 6)

• 2 large tomatoes
• 4 potatoes medium
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp red chili powder per taste
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 green chili
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cup of water
• 4-5 leaves cadipatha (optional)

Directions:

Chop tomatoes and green chilies and keep aside. Chop potatoes and keep them covered in a bowl of cold water. This is so they do not turn black.

Take oil in a pan and heat on medium flame. When oil is hot add hing. Wait 30 seconds and add cumin and mustard seeds. Wait until the mustard seeds start to crackle then add the green chili,tomatoes, and cadipatha leaves (optional) to the oil mixture. Put 2 tbsp or 1/8 of water to the mixture. Wait until the tomatoes soften. Next, add all the potatoes, salt to taste, half of the chopped cilantro, and the remaining water. Let it cook on a slow fire. When the potatoes are cooked, mash about 6 to 8 potatoes slices against the side of the pot in order to allow the gravy to thicken. Then, add remaining of the cilantro and serve hot.

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Octopus Curry

I always thought that curry can be done with chicken and a couple of vegetables only but I stumbled upon this very unique recipe and I thought it's great! Check this out and try it!
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Octopus Curry

These are the ingredients you need for a traditional Seychellois octopus curry. Quantities are enough for four persons:

- 1 kg octopus (raw or pre-cooked)
- 5 dl coconut milk
- 1 eggplant
- 1 small onion
- 1/2 garlic
- oil for cooking (for example sunflower)
- 3-4 spoons masala
- 1 spoon turmeric powder
- 10-15 cinnamon leaves (or a knife's edge of cinnamon)
- salt
- fresh chilli (optional)
- 1 large breadfruit, potatoes or rice as side dish

Preparations before cooking
If you buy fresh octopus, it needs some careful beating (like a good beef) to make sure the meat gets nice and tender. Cut the octopus in small slices and boil it for at least one hour (better 90 minutes). You can also buy the octopus pre-prepared in some shops, but it will not be as good.

Cut the pealed breadfruit into large pieces (approx 5x5 cm) and cook like potatoes. Otherwise, prepare boiled potatoes or rice as side dish.

Prepare by cutting eggplant into cubes, finely cutting onion and garlic and coarsely cutting the amount of fresh chilli you want.

Cooking the octopus curry
Start with around 3-4 spoons of neutral cooking oil in a hot pan or wok. Add the chopped onion, garlic and eggplant and fry for around five minutes under constant stirring.

In the still hot pan, now add the pre-prepared octopus, making sure the heat is being kept high. Stir and, after a time, add the spice powders (masala and turmeric) and the cinnamon (leaves).

Within some time, the powders will make the food stick and burn to the pan. Let this process begin, but control it by slowly adding coconut milk, thus dissolving the spicy mass. After a while, add the rest of the milk. Add the amount of salt and chilli of your choice. Hot and

The papaya chutney is shortly fried in a wok-like pan spicy would be the real Seychellois way.

Give the pan another 10-15 minutes' cooking on moderate heat. Make sure to stir from time to time!

Serve hot with breadfruit, potatoes or rice. Possible leftovers should be kept cold, to be heated with some additional coconut milk the next day (tasting equally good).

(source: http://www.afrol.com/features/37683)

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Twin Falls’ Indian market brings new ingredients to your culinary adventures

If you don'y know anything about Indian food but you are very eager to learn then try following these tips in the article...
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On Monday, Dadhi Ram Biswa wandered the aisles of India Foods. Many of the ingredients he searched for weren’t available in Twin Falls before India Foods’ March opening, Biswa said. And though most of the customers at the store are from Bhutan, Nepal and India, the shelves offer plenty of culinary possibilities for Western dishes.

“I think I like this store,” the Bhutanese refugee said as he and his wife, Nirmala, looked for fruit, rice and curries.

Hasmukh Patel, owner of India Foods, said he decided to open the store after discovering many of his customers came to his Boise store from Twin Falls and Sun Valley.

“It’s too far, you know, to come to Boise all the way,” he said, adding that most of his Twin Falls customers are Nepali.

The Addison Avenue store is the second for Patel, who has operated his Boise location for nine years. In its three aisles, you’ll find plenty of dry goods — colorful lentils, basmati rice, chickpea flour and large bags of spices — plus jars of pickled mango and chutneys. The store also has a freezer section with samosas, naan, paneer and curries.

So you don’t know the first thing about cooking Indian food? Here are ways you can to expand your culinary lineup.

• Start with the spices. Chef Taylor Dougherty of Twin Falls said Indian spices and curry powders lend themselves well to Western dishes. Try adding curry powder to salad dressing or sprinkling turmeric in fried potatoes. Soups are an especially great template for trying new spices, Taylor said. 

If you like pre-made curry powder from the spice aisle, try making your own from turmeric, coriander, cumin, cloves and cayenne pepper, Taylor suggested. You can tweak the recipe to highlight the flavors you like, and minimize or leave out the ones you don’t.

Her husband, Mike Dougherty, also likes playing with Indian seasonings.

“My wife and I constantly cook with spices that are part of curries, but we make it more familiar,” he said.

• Ask the staff. Chirag Patel, Hasmukh’s nephew, is almost always behind the counter at Twin Falls’ India Foods and is happy to give advice on ingredients. Have no idea what to do with chana dal? He can tell you how to cook the tiny beans (no need to soak them, just boil them in water). Never seen the spice called ajwain? Have no fear, just use it on cooked vegetables. As Chirag said: “Every day, every vegetable.”

• Find new life in familiar snacks. Look for Indian cookies and candies in the middle aisle. Even the potato chips are different, like the bags of Lay’s India’s Magic Masala. If you’re feeling especially brave, try the sugar-coated fennel seeds, located next to the microwaveable meals. They look like sprinkles, but taste them first before putting them on your cupcakes.

• Go for easy. If you’re into the flavors, but you’re not ready to make your own five-course Indian meal, try the prepared gravies, microwave meals and frozen foods. You can use them for a fast lunch, like the microwaveable potato-filled Kashmiri Dum Aloo, or as a supplement to homemade meals. Try adding cubes of paneer, a cheese that you’ll find in the freezer section, to spiced vegetables and rice, or boiling an egg and adding it to a gravy.

• Don’t fear. Even if you’ve never heard of kalijiri seasoning or muth beans, it won’t kill you to try them.

“Be a little more adventurous,” Taylor Dougherty said. 

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Hot to make CURRIED CRAB CAKES

I found some pretty cool curry recipes today but this one definitely caught my attention because it is not something you usually hear nor taste. Here's how you make the very known CURRIED CRAB CAKES

Curried crab cakes


Here's what you need to prepare first:


Ingredients: 
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons curry powder
4 green onions, minced
1 green chili, such as jalapeno, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 piece (1/2-inch long) ginger root, peeled, minced
1 pound claw crab meat
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Canola oil


HERE'S HOW YOU DO IT:


1. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add curry powder; cook until powder darkens slightly and turns fragrant. Add green onion, chili, garlic and ginger; cook until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2. Gently mix crab, eggs, bread crumbs, pistachios, parsley, salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Form mixture into 18 balls; flatten each ball into a cake.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry a few cakes at a time (don't overcrowd the pan), 2 minutes per side. Replenish oil as needed. Keep finished cakes warm while cooking remainder. Serve with chutney on the side.




Easy and yummy, right?




(source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/sc-food-0429-fast-crab-20110504,0,529898.story?page=1&utm_medium=feed&track=rss&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20chicagotribune%2Ffood%20%28chicagotribune.com%20-%20Food%2FGood%20Eating%29&utm_source=feedburner )










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Curry Chicken Recipe for the Diabetics

Diabetes is what the doctors label as "The Silent Killer" because it attacks anytime anywhere. So there are a lot of diabetic curry fans who want to indulge with their favorite curry dishes without risking their health. So you can follow this recipe and enjoy the meal!

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Ingredients

• 6 single chicken breasts, skinned, boned, washed
• 3 teaspoons oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1-1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon tumeric
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• Dash dried fennel
• Dash ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon coconut flavoring

Directions

1. In a large skillet, saute chicken breasts in 2 teaspoons oil until golden on both sides. Remove chicken from pan.
2. Saute garlic and onion in remaining oil 5-7 minutes.
3. Add broth, water, and all of the spices to garlic-onion mixture.
4. When well blended, return chicken pieces to skillet. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes.
5. Stir in coconut flavoring.
6. Serve over rice or rice/grain mixture.

(source: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/68.shtml)

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