Curry Masala

A mix of pre-ground spices courtesy of Pat Chapman's The New Curry Bible: The Ultimate Modern Curry House Recipe Book (Curry Club)

Masala means, mix of spices, so curry Masala is a mix of spices used to make a curry.

An alternative blend to the home roast spice method I got from another bible, Madhur Jaffrey's Ultimate Curry Bible, this one is a useful one if you are in a hurry or don't want the grind of the other.

Ingredients

• 60g Ground Coriander
• 30g Cumin
• 20g Fenugreek
• 25g Gram Flour (besan)
• 25g Garlic Powder
• 20g Paprika
• 20g Tumeric
• 20g Garam Masala
• 5g Bay Leaf
• 5g Asofetida
• 5g Ginger
• 5g Chilli Powder
• 5g English Mustard Powder
• 5g Black Pepper
• 5g Cinnamon

Preparation

• Mix well and store in an airtight container in a cool dark place.

Wow, that's some array of spices, but a tasty one.

Garam Masala

The spice blend Garam Masala means 'warm spice' and is used in both Indian and Pakistani cooking. Other variants can be found in countries such as Trinidad and Guyana, where local spices have been added to the blend. As the name implies only spices that heat the body, black cardamon, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin and green cardamon should be used to make it. As these are expensive, however, this can be cut with cheaper spices, such as coriander.

Shop bought Garam Masala doesn't keep as well as home made and is less potent. In view of this additional potency you should therefore use less of the home ground variety than it's mass produced weaker cousin.

Garam Masala is often added to a dish at the end of the cooking process, when the full aroma isn't lost and it can add a wonderful fragrance to your dish.

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Cardamom Seeds
• 1 tsp Black Peppercorns
• 1 tsp Whole Cloves
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1/3 a nutmeg
• 2-3 inch (5 - 7 1/2 cm) piece of Cinnamon Stick

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Preparation

• Grind the spices in batches as finely as possible. The Cinnamon stick is a beast to grind so I'd recommend using a heavy cleaver to chop it finely before you attempt to grind it. This is especially true if you are using a mortar and pestle. For the other spices you can also use the cleaver to take out some of the grunt work. First crush them under the flat of the blade, then rock the blade back and forth over the spices to roughly chop them.
  

• Store in an airtight jar, in a cool dark place. A badger sett would be ideal, but watch out for the badger!

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Chicken Tikka Kebabs

These kebabs can either be served on their own as a starter, when they'll serve 8 people, or with a sauce to make Chicken Tikka Masala, when they'll serve 4. For greedy hungry people change those numbers to 6 and 3.

Ideally these should be marinated overnight, so marinade them up the day before you are going to eat them.

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Ingredients

• 675g (1 1/2 lb) boned & skinned chicken breasts cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic peeled and pulped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 - 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 6 tbsp whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 3 tbsp peanut oil

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Marinading

• Put the chicken in a bowl and rub in the salt and lemon juice.

• Prod the pieces lightly with a knife and rub in again.

• Set aside for 20 minutes.

• Add the: -
• ginger;
• garlic;
• cumin;
• paprika;
• cayenne;
• garam masala;
• cream.

• Mix well, cover and put in the fridge for 6 - 8 hours, or preferably overnight.

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Cooking

• Preheat the grill just before serving (If like me your grill is rubbish, you can cook the chicken on a griddle pan).

• Thread the meat onto 2 - 4 long metal skewers.

• Brush with oil and balance on rim of a small shallow baking tray.

• Place about 13cm (5 inches) from the heat source and grill for about 6 minutes a side until lightly browned and cooked through.
  

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Chicken Tikka Masala

I guess at some point I had to include the nations favourite food. Apart from being very popular, this is also very good.

Please note that the Chicken Tikka Kebabs in this recipe need 6-8 hours to marinade (or preferably overnight), so marinade them before starting in on the masala sauce.

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Ingredients

• 4 tbsp oil peanut or olive
• 140g (5 oz) onions sliced finely into half rings
• 1 tbsp ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic pulped
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tbsp ground tumeric
• 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp paprika (I'd recommend Pimenton de la vera if you can get hold of it)
• 4 tbsp full fat natural yoghurt such as greek (don't use a low fat yoghurt)
• 3 medium tomatoes peeled, seeded and finely chopped
• 350 ml (12 fl oz) chicken stock
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 4 tbsp fresh coriander leaves chopped
• 1 batch of freshly made Chicken Tikka Kebabs

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Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a wok or large non-stick saucepan over a medium-high heat.
2. When it is hot add the onions and stir fry for about 6-7 minutes until they turn light brown.
3. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for another minute.
4. Add the coriander, tumeric, cayenne and paprika.
5. Stir for around ten seconds
6. Add a tablespoon of the yoghurt.
7. Stir until absorbed.
8. Repeat steps 6 -7 until all the yoghurt has been used.
9. Add the tomatoes and fry them for 3-4 minutes, pressing them with a spatula or wooden spoon to turn them into a pulp.
10. Add the stock and season with salt to taste.
11. Reduce to a low heat, cover and continue to simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave it until the kebabs are cooked.
    
12. When the kebabs are cooked reheat the sauce.
13. Stir in the garam masala and coriander leaves and add more salt to taste.
14. Fold in the kebabs and serve.
    

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