What does this have to do with writing, you ask? Good question: absolutely nothing. With that out of the way, some folks have expressed interest in making Indian curry the JDB way. And who am I to deny them the knowledge of my years of wisdom? What you need to know up front: I have very idiosyncratic tastes. I hate everything, and so I have to adjust my recipes accordingly. That is why you will find no onion in my curry - which may sound odd to... just about everybody. Secondly: I don't measure. So this is not a recipe. It's just a vague description of my cooking process. So there. Prep I start by skinning a 1" piece of ginger root, and enough cloves of garlic to equal that volume (4 or 5 or so depending on their size) and grating those together with a smidge of water to make a paste. Also, I like to use some fresh peppers - especially serrano peppers. Chop 'em up real small. This last time I forgot, so I used some dried ghost peppers which was still nice. Then I dice some tomatoes (let's say 4) into small chunks, too. Or use a can of crushed tomatoes when I don't have money - which is always. The cooking part of the cooking So: heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Dump in the chopped chilis and the ginger-garlic paste. Stir together for 1 minute or so. I also like to use a splash of soy sauce. (Yes: soy sauce!) I'm weird. I know it. Next, add in the tomatoes and keep 'em on the heat (stirring often and squishing them down) for, like, 6 or 7 minutes? Yeah, that sounds good. Here's where you sprinkle in... stuff. I put probably a couple teaspoons of coriander. Maybe 1/2 of turmeric? Ish? A couple teaspoons of chili powder and maybe some pepper flakes, too. A good sprinkling of salt (descriptive, no?) and a dash of cinnamon, tiny wee bit of ground cloves, some dried fenugreek leaves, and an eensy bit of asafoetida powder. Sometimes a splash of vinegar, too, if I feel like it. Oh, and a smidge of sugar, since I had no onions. Is that everything? Maybe. I just put in what seems good. (Hope you're paying attention to these instructions...) Stir it all up, then dump in chunks of whatever meat I found cheap that week. About a pound and half or so. Anywheres from one pound to two, really. Y'know. Coat the meat in the sauce and spices, browning it, for a few minutes. Stir, stir, stir. Then cover, turn the heat down low, and simmer for about an hour. If you have some, chop a bit of cilantro to add when the curry comes off the stove. I serve it over basmati rice flavored with salt and turmeric. The eating of the food This "recipe" makes two very large servings, if I'm having no side dishes. More if I augment it with some kind of roti. Save the leftovers (if any) in an airtight container in the fridge. Tastes even better the next day!
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J Douglas BurtonAuthor of "The Sleepwar Saga" YA fantasy series. Also Victorian pulp SF series "The Star Travels of Dr. Jeremiah Fothering-Smythe". Archives
August 2020
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