Indian food

[MINESAPINT]

Have not tried any new methods yet. Maybe today. I will definitely try MKG's method first. I am not particularly trying to cook the rice in X amount of water it is just that the recipies for Pillau rice suggest this. MKG's method does make a lot of sence to me and he seems sure it is how it is made in Indian Restaurants.

Mike

[MINESAPINT]

Me again,

As a matter of interest has anyone found/looked up the recipe for Butter Chicken from Jeenas Kitchen on Video Jug mentioned in my first post?

Also The Riff Raff Element, any chance of posting your recipe for Peshwari Nan?

Minesapint

[Big Al]

I use this site a lot.

http://www.curryhouse.co.uk/index.html

There is free content to get you started but the premium side of the site has the whole cookbook and that is only £7.75. I paid the membership fee WHICH IS FOR LIFE so you get a good deal as far as i see it.

I can whole heartedly recomend this site for their recipies.

HTH

BA

[Mal]

We struggled getting consistency with rice for ages - sometimes soggy, sometimes just right.

Now we do more than twice as much water as rice, boil it for 10 minutes uncovered and then sieve it at the end - put the rice back in the saucepan and let it sit for 2 minutes, covered by a teatowel (obviously, not near a hot hob/flame!).

Seems to work pretty well.

[MINESAPINT]

Hi,

Pleased to say I tried MKG's method this lunchtime with good results. Contrary to what people thought very little of the flavour gets washed out of the rice when rinsing. In fact next time I try it I will not increase the quantity of spices. I thought I once read it is common practice in Indian Restaurants to leave cooked rice in a low oven prior to serving, this dries it a little.

This is roughly what I did

Fried a selection of whole spices cumin, star anise, cinnamon stick, Black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, black peppercorns, bay leaf etc

Added a mug full of rinsed rice fried for a minute or so

Added plenty of boiling water

Boiled until just cooked

Rinsed in boiling water

Put into serving dish then into a cool oven for half an hour. Oven hot enough to keep rice hot enough to eat, dry it a little but not dry it up. Cant tell what temperature cos wood fired.

Big Al. Thanks for the link but I am unable to locate any free recipies on the site. Am I not looking in the right place?

Minesapint

[MKG]

This is ...





... a result.

Mike

EDIT: This place is good if you're looking for restaurant food as opposed to real Indian food (which is what I discovered I was after after bloody years of failed (I thought) recipes) ...

http://www.cr0.co.uk/curry/

[old tree man]

The best way i found to make great rice is to ask my indian friend always works for me and they always use basmati with coconut.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Also The Riff Raff Element, any chance of posting your recipe for Peshwari Nan?

Minesapint

With great pleasure:

• 150ml full fat Milk
• 1 table spoon honey
• 1 sachet fast acting yeast
• 450g white bread flour
• 1 tea spoon salt
• 1 tea spoon powder
• 50 ml vegetable oil
• 150ml natural Yogurt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 50 g each of raisins, ground almonds, ground pistacios combined
• About 50g melted butter

- Warm the milk a little and dissolve the honey, then add the yeast. Leave somewhere warm for about 15 minutes until the mixture is frothy.

- Put the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl, make a well in the middle, and add the milk / yeast mix, the oil, yoghurt & egg and form into a dough. Kneed for a few minutes, then put it back in the bowl and cover with a damp teatowel.

- Prove for about 30 minutes until doubled in size.

- Pre heat your oven to its maximum.

- Divide the dough into four or six equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a lozenge shape and place a portion of the nut / fruit mix onto on half. Fold it over to form a pocket with the mix inside (seal the edge with water if it doesn't stick) then flatten and draw into a tear drop shape.

-Bake for about five minutes until well puffed up and brown, then serve dressed with the butter.

[Millymollymandy]

EDIT: This place is good if you're looking for restaurant food as opposed to real Indian food (which is what I discovered I was after after bloody years of failed (I thought) recipes) ...

http://www.cr0.co.uk/curry/

It's funny isn't it, I have never produced a curry like anything in a restaurant - though sometimes I'd quite like to have something that IS like it came from a restaurant..... I suppose the problem is I use chicken on the bone, not boned breast, so whether one used curry powder or does all the spices and pastes from scratch it will never be the same as chicken breast pieces with curry sauce on it. And none of those bought curry pastes that come in a jar are anything like restaurant food - frankly what I've tried isn't good at all.

Actually my tandoori chicken is just like restaurant food, but only if I can get hold of Sharwood's tandoori powder or paste. Pataks is vile!

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Our "Brit shelves" are very limited here (baked beans at €1,34 per tin, Bird's custard powder and salad cream) so I've evolved some very quick basic pastes to speed things up based around a blend of ginger, garlic and chilli. They freeze well too.

[contadina]

This is the powder and paste recipe we use - it keeps for months in the fridge once opened and makes an authentic curry, as shared by a serious curry-fiend friend.

Whole spices, all measurements are rounded teaspoons unless stated

6 coriander
1 fennel
4 cumin
2 kalonji (onion seed)
2 fenugreek
1 green cardamom
1 black peppercorns
nutmeg (quarter)
cloves (12 cloves)
bay leaf (2 large)

Ground spices, all measurements are rounded teaspoons but use equivalent quantity if you have them whole

* 1 turmeric
* 2 garam masala
* 1 cinnamon
* 1 cayenne

Grind thoroughly and use fresh. Store any left over in an airtight jar in a dark place. Vary the mix to suit your tastes but those listed will give you a robust Indian-style curry.

To then make paste

6oz fresh root ginger
6oz garlic
20oz onion or shallot

Prepare the above and blend thoroughly with enough water to give a smooth thick puree of similar consistency to tomato puree from a tube.

Heat some oil in a pan and stir in the puree. Cook and stir continuously for about 10 minutes then empty in a full-quantity amount of the curry powder above. Cook in the oven for 30mins or so, or simmer for a similar amount of time. Freeze in suitable portions.

[cocobelle]

I always soak the rice before I cook it to wash any rubbish out, and it comes out lovely and fluffy.

[yvette]

This is probably absolute sacriledge, but I cook my basmati rice in the microwave having got into a muddle with other methods. I just put 8oz of rice into a wide bowl, add boiling water to cover and come about I cm above the level of the rice. Cook on full power for about 7 minutes, then stir with a fork and then cook on full power for about another 5 minutes. I know, I know, not the proper way to do it....

[okra]

We cook our rice by the ratio of one measure of rice to two of water and simmering until all water is absorbed - usually about 20 minutes

[oldjerry]

Anyone got a tried and trusted Keema nan??