Chicken Curry and Beyond - The CurryFocus Blog

Hi, Ray again.

Time for another Curry Focus recipe taste test. The recipe for Massaman chicken curry looks great and was chosen.

As usual, I already had most of the ingredients in the house so only a few ingredients needed to be bought in the weekly shop. I had to buy the chicken breasts, fresh cilantro, tomatoes and peanuts. Yes, peanuts. If you have a peanut allergy then this is not the recipe for you to try.

As usual, I prepared all of the ingredients before starting to cook. That way, I can just add the ingredients one after another to the pan.

Everything was quickly ready and the cooking began.

As usual, the cooking started with frying the onions. Hardly any Indian curry recipes that I know don’t have onions in them.

The spices went in once the onions were ready and the kitchen was quickly filled with that great spice fragrance.

Then in went the coconut milk and chicken broth.

Once the liquid was simmering, in went the potatoes.

I washed the rice and started cooking it in the microwave whilst the potatoes were cooking.

Soon the chicken cubes were added to the pan. Boy, they cooked really quickly – the good thing about being the cook is that you get to try things out whilst you’re cooking.

Last, but not least, in went the cilantro, peanuts and tomatoes.

The rice and curry were both ready within a couple of minutes of each other.

I served the meal up which was gleefully received by the seated dinner guests.

No stuffed parathas with the meal this week, but we had a couple of bottles of Kingfisher Indian beer to drink with the great curry.

The dinner guests really enjoyed the delicate flavours in the curry. The curry has a wonderful blend of mild tastes and is ideal for people who don’t like hot, spicy curries.

The overall rating was 8 out of 10. Excellent.

It’s the first time that I’ve tried a Massaman curry and it won’t be the last.

Spices are not cheap, so you need to look after them.

You are probably aware that a spice will lose its power and flavour as time goes by, even when it is stored in an airtight container.

Air gets into a spice container every time that it is opened and the air reacts with the spice, causing it to lose a little of its strength and pungency

What steps can you take to protect your spices?

If you grind spice seeds then you can make only enough powder to last for about a month.

Ground spices can often be kept for three months but you shouldn’t keep them for too long. Aim to use your spices, not to throw them away.

And you can keep your spice seeds for too long as well. Seeds last longer than ground powder but they still lose their power over time.

Try not to buy too much spice at a time. It may be appealing to buy a bumper pack of spice to save money, but it won’t be much of a bargain if you have to throw half of the spice away because it has passed it’s effectiveness date.

Try to buy your spices in airtight jars or containers. My local supermarket sells a wide range of spices in jars, each having about one ounce of spice.

But my local Indian supply store sells their spices in small plastic bags that have about four ounces of spice. And the range of spices in my Indian store is huge – I can’t think of any time when I wanted to buy a spice and it wasn’t available in the store. And the spices from the store cost less than buying them from the supermarket (hardly any packaging to pay for – you just buy the spices).

I go through some spices faster than others. I buy my most often used spices, such as cumin, garam masala, chilli, turmeric and fenugreek from the store and put them into clean recycled jars that I keep in a kitchen cupboard (I never throw away glass jars unless they are really badly contaminated, or broken). And it’s simple to write a label and stick it on the jar to remind me of what’s in there. I’ve got an assortment of jars, at present, which contain ground turmeric, cumin, fenugreek seeds, cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks.

Always keep your spice containers in a dark dry place. Water is bad for spices so make sure you don’t allow any moisture to get into the spices. Always measure your spices in teaspoons away from steam from the frying pan or boiling water. And ensure the teaspoon is dry when scooping spice from a container.

To summarize. Always buy your spices in small quantities and keep the spices in airtight containers. Keep the spice containers in a dark dry place, such as a cupboard. Make sure that moisture does not get into your spice containers.

You’ll get the most use out of your spices if you keep to these simple rules.

One of the main spices used in Indian cooking is turmeric – you’ll find it being added to most curries. More recently its medicinal applications are being investigated.

Earlier this month we wrote about how one of the compounds in turmeric, called curcumin, is being tested for its effectiveness in fighting several types of cancer. The original article is called “Turmeric. Is It a Spice or Medicine?”.

The medical news is currently very active in telling us about more advances with using new synthetic curcumins.

Some Japanese scientists have created synthetic curcumins and have found them to be more effective at treating cancers than the natural curcumin.

One problem with natural curcumin is that it loses its effectiveness when taken orally. But it appears that the synthetic curcumins do not have this problem.

The synthetic curcumins have been tested on mice with colorectal (bowel) cancer with results that are better than with using natural curcumin.

There is an expectation that the synthetic curcumins will also be effective in treating other cancers (such as gastric, breast, pancreas and lung cancers).

Natural curcumin is effective in treating Alheimer’s and it will be interesting to see if the synthetic product also has similar results with this other terrible disease.

These are exciting developments and we will be keeping an eye open to see how they develop.

You can read some of the posts about the new synthetic curcumins by following these links.

New versions of curry ingredient to fight cancer

Curry Offers Hope for Cancer and Alzheimer’s Victims

Curry-derived molecules may help stave off colorectal cancers

Time for another dish from the Curry Focus website recipes.

A few weeks ago I made a great dhal and decided to try the Tarka Dhal recipe and see how this compared to my previous effort.

I already had everything that I needed for the recipe but went to my favorite Indian supply store to pick up two of their delicious large stuffed paratha – they are to die for.

I decided to make more dhal than I needed for the meal so that I could freeze the extra for another day.

The lentils soaked during afternoon whilst I did some work out in the back yard.

I started to cook the meal in the evening.

I quickly worked out that I could probably cook the whole meal in 40 minutes if my timing was correct.

I drained the lentils and added the required water and heated them up. Once the mixture was boiling, I turned the heat down so that the lentils were simmering well and turned to the onions.

I chopped up the onions and garlic and then started to cook the onions.

The onions were ready in about 15 minutes and I put them aside.

Then I cooked the spices and mixed in the previously cooked onions.

The lentils were finished cooking at about the same time so I added most of the onions and spice mixture and mixed it up really well.

I chopped up the last of my fresh cilantro that I got from my long serving cilantro plant whilst the paratha were being microwaved.

Then the dhal was served with a garnishing of the remaining onion (which sank straight into the dhal) and some chopped cilantro.

There was only the two of us for dinner and the dhal was quickly eaten. It was another successful meal from the catalog of Curry Focus recipes.

The voting resulted in a rating of 7.5 out of 10, which is pretty good.

The extra dhal was put into containers when it was cool and went into the freezer for another day, which probably won’t be too far into the future.

Garam masala is a mix of several spices and there are lots of different garam masala recipes.

The Curry Focus website so far has two recipes for garam masala, and you can check them out here and here.

You’ll find that garam masala recipes are all slightly different so how do you know which one is best? It is really a matter of taste. The way to see which one you like best is to try them all out and compare them. You will almost certainly find a recipe that you like.

Making garam masala is really easy. You cook spice for a couple of minutes, in an oven or saucepan, and then turn them into a powder. Then you keep the powder in an airtight container for use when you are making a curry.

There are two ways to grind the garam masala into a powder. You can use a mortar and pestle. Or you can use a spice grinder.

A mortar is a little bowl and a pestle is a little club-like utensil with a round end. You grind the spices in the bowl with the pestle. It is manual process but it doesn’t take too long.

A spice grinder is usually just a coffee grinder that you use only for grinding spices. You must keep your spice grinder separate to your coffee grinder. It doesn’t matter how carefully you clean your spice grinder, there’s always going to be a spice taste lingering in it. If you grind spices and then grind coffee in the same grinder, the coffee is going to get some of the spice taste. As time goes by, the spice taste will get stronger and stronger.

So what is the better way to grind spices? Really, it doesn’t matter. Most people use a spice grinder but some people always use a mortar and pestle. It’s up to you.

The one thing to be aware of is that spices begin to lose their flavor and effectiveness once they have been made into a powder. You shouldn’t make too much garam masala in a batch. I try to make enough for a month at a time. Make sure that you store your garam masala in an airtight container and you will be able to keep it for up to three months.

If you don’t want to make your own garam masala, you can easily buy it at a store or supermarket. But you’d miss out on the fun of making your own, and making your own is so easy.

Once again, Thanksgiving is nearly upon us and plans are being made, and finalized, as to who hosts the traditional family meal and what to do over the long weekend.

My family is much the same as most, I guess. We’ll spend most of the day snacking and drinking before the main meal of the day arrives. And, yes, it’s turkey again. And, as usual, the turkey will be huge.

So what do you do with leftover turkey?

I don’t know about you, but I get fed up with turkey sandwiches.

What I like is turkey curry. It’s really easy to make with Thanksgiving turkey leftovers because the turkey has already been cooked. All that has to be done is heat up the meat in a good curry sauce and then serve it on rice. The whole cooking process only takes about 20 minutes, and that included cooking the rice.

There’s a great turkey curry recipe on the Curry Focus web site and you can check it out here.

Why not try it out? It’s easy and the results are delicious.

Chile peppers are used in a wide variety of hot and spicy foods, especially curries.

Chile peppers originally came from South and Central America and they are used worldwide today in different cooking styles.

India produces the largest amount of chiles with production currently running at around 100 million tons each year.

The “heat” in chile peppers is caused by an active compound, called capsaicin. Capsaicin is an irritant to mammals, including people and it is believed that capsaicin developed as a natural defense mechanism for the chile peppers.

Capsaicin is found in the membrane of a chile pepper and this is where the seeds are also found. The seeds themselves do not produce any capsaicin, although the membrane capsaicin can leak out of the membrane and into the seeds. If you want to reduce the “heat” from a chile pepper then slice the pepper open, cut away the membrane, and seeds, and then discard them. This cuts the “heat” of a chile pepper to about 50% of what it would be if the whole chile were used.

You must take great care when handling chile peppers. I recommend that you wear kitchen gloves. You should certainly be wary of handling chile peppers if you have any cuts or abrasions on your hands, even if they are protected with sticking plasters, as the capsaicin can really make the cuts sting, sometimes extremely painfully. You should never, never, ever rub your eyes after handling chile peppers because the pain can be excruciating.

The “heat” of chile peppers has been measured on the Scoville Scale. Read here for a Curry Focus article on the Scoville Scale. The Scoville Scale is not an exact science so the numbers for a particular chile pepper can vary from publication to publication. However, the relative “heat” of the chile peppers can be understood by looking at the numbers.

There is a wide range of chile peppers, with the main ones being described below. The Scoville Rating is shown with the letters SR (the bigger the number, the hotter the chile pepper).

Bell (SR 0). This is a squarish pepper that has no heat with sides averaging about 4 inches. Comes in lots of colours with the main ones being green, red and yellow.

Paprika (SR 0 – 500). There are really two types of paprika chile pepper. The sweet kind is used in the United States and has a 0 Scoville Rating. The hot kind is linked with Hungary and has a Scoville Rating of 100 – 500).

Anaheim (SR 500 – 2,500). This is a red narrow chile that can be up to 6 inches long. Also known as the Colorado.

Poblano (SR 1,000 – 5,000). This is a large, flat, green chile pepper that can be up to 5 inches long. It is very popular in Mexico. The Poblano is called an Ancho when it has been dried.

Jalapeno (SR 2,500 – 16000). This is a thin green chile peppers that can be about 3 inches long. This chile pepper is widely used in the United States.

Cayenne (SR 5,000 – 60,000). This a long, thin, chile pepper that can be up to 5 inches long. This chile pepper s usually green, but can be yellow or purple, and is often bought in powder form.

Serrano (SR 5,000 – 60,000). This is a small chile (around 2 inches) that turns red (from green) when ripe. This chile pepper is widely used in Mexico.

Tabasco (SR 30,000 – 50,000). This is a small, thin, chile pepper of about 1.5 inches. It is a main component of Tabasco sauce.

Aji (SR 30,000 – 50,000). This is a roundish chile pepper of about 3 inches. It is popular and widely used in Peru.

Habanero (SR 100,000 – 300,000). This is a small, lantern-shaped, chile of around 2 inches. It may be small but it packs a big punch – check out its SR rating.

Scotch Bonnet (SR 150,000 – 325,000). This is also a small, roundish, chile of about 2 inches. Like the Habanero, it packs a big punch. The Scotch Bonnet is a favourite in Caribbean cooking.

Chile peppers are one of the most well known cooking additives.

There are numerous books written about chile peppers if you want to read up more.

And the New Mexico State University even has a Chile Pepper Institute. You can find their website here.

Okra is the edible green fruit from the okra plant. Amongst other names, okra is also called ladies, or lady’s, fingers and, in the southern United States, it is also known as gumbo.

Bhindi bhaji is a delicious Indain curry that contain okra and there’s a great Curry Focus recipe for bhindi bhaji here.

Originally, okra came from the banks of the Nile, in Africa, and now grows in tropical climates all around the world.

The okra fruit is a pod that grows up to 7 inches with the best ones for cooking being between 3 and 4 inches in length.

Okra pods have a sticky interior and with the seeds in the center.

When cooked, the whole okra fruit is eaten. And it is delicious.

Why are they called ladies fingers, I hear you ask? Because they are slender, smooth and about the length of a finger. But I, for one, don’t really want to meet a lady with green fingers. Do you?

This is the second article in a short series about your health and Indian curry spices. The first article, called “Turmeric. Is It a Spice or Medicine??” and you can read it here.

There are a lot of articles on the Internet about using cinnamon to treat Type 2 Diabetes.

Cinnamon is a spice that is made from the bark of a tree in the Lauaraceae family.

Cassia is also a spice made from the bark of a tree.

Both spices have similar flavours and are very difficult to tell apart when in their powdered form.

And, to confuse matters even more, Cassia is often labelled and sold as being Cinnamon.

Studies have been carried out using Cassia to treat patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

The studies have shown that Cassia reduced the blood sugar levels in people who have Type 2 Diabetes (Type 2 Diabetes is having too much blood sugar whilst Type 1 Diabetes is having too little blood sugar). This is excellent news for the estimated 170 million people who have Diabetes.

The study that is usually referenced was carried out in Pakistan and, as well as reducing the levels of blood sugars, the treatment also reduced levels of LDL (the bad cholesterol).

Good news is that the Cinnamon/Cassia can be taken in tea, drinks and lots of foods (just think how many things you can eat and drink that contain cinnamon).

And the health benefits of using cinnamon do not end with Diabetes. It is claimed that cinnamon is effective in treating flatulence, vomiting, nausea, hypertension, angina, upset stomachs, diarrhoea, infections, kidney problems and even the common cold.

Check the following links to read up on the medicinal uses of cinnamon. Or use your favourite search engine to find the information for yourself.

Cinnamon. What Is It?
The Effects of Cinnamon in Type 2 Diabetes
Cinnamon as Medicine?
Cinnamon
Cinnamon spice produces healthier blood

Hi, Ray here again.

It’s the weekend again so it’s time to cook another delicious curry from the Curry Focus website. The Beef Dopiaza recipe looks pretty easy so that’s the choice for this weekend.

All I needed to buy was the beef and fresh chillies.

I saw that it takes 60 minutes to cook the beef and so I began to prepare the ingredients 90 minutes before dinner was scheduled to be ready.

I chopped the beef up into small cubes and then peeled and sliced up 2 medium onions.

I preheated the oven whilst the onions were cooking and also prepared the spice paste and the chopped garlic.

I put the onions onto a plate when they were done and did a quick stir-fry of the garlic and then the spice paste.

I put the beef and water into my casserole and added the stir-fry mix. I mixed it all up and put the casserole into the oven.

Then I peeled the last medium onion and finely chopped it. After that, I chopped the two chillies.

I then added the chopped chillies and onion to the casserole.

This recipe is so easy to follow.

I chopped up the fresh cilantro and went and relaxed whilst the casserole was cooking.

When it was time, I added the cilantro and garam masala and put the casserole back into the oven.

We were having rice with the dopiaza so I washed some basmati and put it, along with the correct amount of water, into a bowl ready for the microwave.

I added the cooked onion to the casserole and cooked the casserole for another 10 minutes with the casserole cover on.

Finally I removed the casserole lid, turned the oven off and started to microwave the rice.

The meal was soon ready and the beef dopiaza was served on a bed of rice with a glass of good wine.

The diners gave the dopiaza a rating of 7 out of 10, which is pretty good.

There is a lot of onion in this dish. If you don’t like a lot of onion then an alternative would be to only cook one, instead of two, onions at the beginning of the recipe. I can’t imagine that this would detract from the dish.

I really liked the subtle flavors and will be cooking beef dopiaza again sometime in the near future.