Chicken & Spinach Curry

I was at the library the other day and came across a book called 50 Great Curries of India by Camellia Panjabi. It had lots of great photos in it with clear instructions, as well as descriptions and photos of all the ingredients you would be likely to use in Indian cuisine. A brief history is also given of Indian cooking and the variations between the different regions. I loved the big, glossy photos as I really like being able to visualise the recipes. My mouth was watering as I was glancing though the book. So I tucked it under my arm with firm intentions of cooking a curry that night.

It was really hard to decide which one to make. Some interesting recipes...Watermelon Curry for example, which is a summer curry, along with the more familiar curries like Rogan Josh and Pork Vindaloo. And of course, recipes for all the side dishes and breads. What is an Indian meal with some type of roti to mop up all that yummy juice so I settled on chapatis first

I really wanted to make the Chicken Cooked with Lentils and Vegetables but I didn't have all the ingredients so decided to make just a "Simple Homestyle Curry" that Camellia recommends as being very easy and delicious. As a PS, I went and bought all the ingredients for the previous dish and made it last night. It was divine and gobbled up so fast, there wasn't even time to take photos!! In fact, everyone was scrapping over who was going to get the last bit of juice in the bottom of the dish!! I served the Simple Homestyle Curry with basmati rice and the chapattis that were so easy to make.

I will definitely be purchasing this book, and I see she has a more recent edition out. I would be interested in knowing which are some of your favourite Indian cookbooks?

Simple Homestyle Curry
2 chicken breast fillets (or whatever meat you want)
4 tbsps oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ inch square piece of fresh ginger, chopped
¾ tsp coriander powder
pinch of turmeric
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
2 tomatoes, chopped
salt
chopped coriander to garnish

Heat oil in pan. Add onion and saute over medium heat for about 20-25 mins or until deep brown.

Add garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute. Add coriander powder and stir for a further minute.Add remainder of spices and saute for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of water and cook for 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Add chicken. I also added spinach. Add 1-2 cups of water, depending on how thick you like your curries, and cook for further 15 mintes.

Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves.


Chapatis
1 cup chapati flour or wholemeal flour
⅓ cup warm water
2 tsps oil

Mix all ingredients together to make a dough. I used my stand mixer with the dough hook. Mix for about 8 minutes as this will make the final product softer in texture.

Preheat griddle or pan to a high heat. Break into 12 balls and roll out on floured surface. They should stretch to a thin pancake about 6 inches in diameter.

Cook until brown spots appear, then flip chapati over til the other side is cooked.

Egg Korma & Cauliflower Palya

After all the sweet things I have been eating lately, I had a real craving for something savoury tonight for dinner. I didn't get much sleep today...something to do with the cat squeaking, "talking" and purring at various stages throughout the day. The kids had gone to thir dad's for the weekend so I should have been able to have a great sleep without any of them coming in and saying " Mum, he looked at me funny when I was reading quietly" or, "Mum, can I have a sandwich?" or "Mum, are you getting up soon". That is always the killer!! I don't do night shift that often, but the whole family knows a tired mummy is not a happy mummy. They should know by now it is like waking a sleeping bear!!

Anyway, I was not in the mood to spend hours in the kitchen after 4 hours sleep. I wanted something quick and easy, but with a bite to it. Allyson Gofton soon came to the rescue with an adaptation of her Tikka Masala Eggs. The hens have started laying again so have got lots of fresh free range eggs on hand. I only had Korma paste on hand so used that instead. I wanted to team it with some accompaniments, but did not have much on hand and was too lazy to whip up something from scratch, so found a cauliflower palya to go with it instead.

Korma Eggs
6-8 eggs
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
3-4 tablespoons of korma paste (or other curry paste)
400 gram can Indian spiced tomatoes
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup yoghurt
fresh coriander

Hard boil eggs. Peel and quarter.

Cook the red onion with a dash of oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat for about 5 minutes or until tender.

Stir in the korma paste and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

Add the tomatoes and water. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Fold through the eggs, youghurt and coriander. Do not boil.

Serve with rice, naan, raita, chutneys etc.

Source: Allyson Gofton's After Work Cookbook

The cauliflower palya was easy to make. I steamed the cauliflower first. Heated a smidgeon of oil in a pan, then added mustard seeds. Once they started popping, I added about a teaspoon of tumeric and about half a teaspoon of salt, then the cauliflower. The florets were quite soft, not usually like I have my cauliflower, but I don't think crisper florets would have worked so well.