View Full Version : Cooking with Jonny69: CURRY!!!
Something for the weekend sir? Why yes Jonny. How about a curry recipe? Of course sir, I'll take you through how to cook this beautiful tiger prawn curry:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2273.jpg
I have made this over and over and over again to perfect the recipe trying to mirror curries you get in Indian restaurants. The secret is to make a paste which acts as the base of the curry and then you add various ingredients to it for taste. This is by far the most adventurous of my cooking escapades so far but it's a lot simpler than you'd first think and the results are a satisfying rich curry sauce ready for meat, seafood, fish or vegetables and spices to taste. I'll go through what else to add further down.
Ingredients, makes 4 portions:
8-10 cloves of garlic
2 onions
chunk of ginger about the size of your thumb
1 red chilli
Bunch of fresh coriander
Tin of tomatoes
Vegetable oil
Salt
First we make the paste. Into the blender goes all the garlic cloves, half an onion, a piece of peeled ginger about the size of your thumb and a whole red chilli:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2238.jpg
This sounds like a lot of garlic. It is! But the base of the curry is pretty much garlic and onion, very strong flavours to stand up to the heat of the chilli and other hefty spices you may add. You also only want to put in the one chilli at this point as you can bump the heat up later with chilli powder or more fresh chilli. Add to that a handful of washed fresh coriander, a good pinch of salt and about 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2240.jpg
Again that sounds like a lot of oil but without it the paste doesn't cook well. Blitz that up until it's quite smooth:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2242.jpg
Get a wok quite hot and dump it all in and get it frying down until it starts to darken in colour slightly and the oil will just start to come out the paste:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2247.jpg
Add in a whole chopped onion and cook that in until it softens:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2248.jpg
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2250.jpg
Once the onion is soft add about half to 2/3 of a tin of tomatoes and continue to fry down until the colour of the tomatoes has darkened down with the paste:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2252.jpg
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2255.jpg
See how the colour has changed, it now looks like curry and tastes like curry. It's too rough and thick to use as it is so add a small cup of boiling water and allow to simmer down for about 20 minutes. It'll reduce down a little from this:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2257.jpg
To this:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2258.jpg
And basically now it's ready to go. Check the taste at this point. It'll taste like curry, but you'll know how much more seasoning and chilli you need to add. This is your curry base. It's to this that you add meat, seafood, veg or fish and other spices. It's the other ingredients that you add that determine what curry it is you have just cooked.
So to make my prawn curry I have added the following to my pestle and mortar, 1/2tsp coriander seed, 1/2tsp cumin seeds, 1/2tsp turmeric, 1/2tsp garam masala. I ground that up and it goes straight in to the base. I also added 1/2tsp of chilli powder to bring the heat up a bit and about 5 whole cardamom pods.
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2260.jpg
I also added a sliced yellow pepper and the rest of the second onion, again that goes straight in as it is and cooks for about 10 minutes:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2261.jpg
At which point the saucxe should have taken a more rich colour, smooth texture and the vegetables you just put in are still slightly crunchy:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2266.jpg
I got these raw peeled frozen tiger prawns from China town, undeforsted they are going in as they are and the ice on the outside will help add to the taste:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2263.jpg
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2270.jpg
Let that simmer down for about 10 minutes until the prawns are cooked through:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2271.jpg
And now it's ready to serve on a bed of pilau rice with a hunk of nann bread in a large eating bowl:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/curry/IMG_2274.jpg
Have a go at that, it tastes fantastic!
Some further ingedients to add to the base, depending on the curry: Coconut milk, yoghurt, tomatoes, spinach, almond, tamarind. No end, you just experimant and add it to your taste :)
nom nom nom
Looks and sounds very yummy :)
Don't trust my cooking abilities enough to try it though :o
Uncooked prawns are so much tastier than pre-cooked. Meatier.
Yup, these ones are huge delicious things and cheaper than the supermarkets do them. Probably peeled by kids in Vietnam with their feet bound up but I'll try not to think about that... :o
Dymetrie
02-11-2007, 16:48
Definitely reckon I'll give this one a go :)
Not with prawns though, they're yucky :p
Ooooh, looks delicious!! I never know where to start with a curry base, so I'm definitely going to give this one a go and experiment.
Oh and for the record, prawns ROCK. Especially cooked shell on from raw. YUM! :cool:
Looks good Jon! I'll have to show that to my little curry monster and see what she says! ;) :D
Looks lovely :D Although I think I'd try it with chicken.
Not with prawns though, they're yucky :p
What he said ;)
Well, I went out and got fresh coriander and chilli so now I've got all the ingredients to cook this tonight :D Using chicken though because I'd already got some out to defrost. Will let you know how it goes :)
Well, I can't get the computer to detect my phone so I can't show a photo of it, but it was absolutely lovely and Leon approved too! Cooking curry is extremely rewarding, because you get delicious smells all the way through so it makes you REALLY hungry. YUM! Have printed out the recipe and put it in my cooking folder in the kitchen. It's where I keep all the bits I've torn out of magazines or printed off the internet. Very useful :)
Struggled a bit with getting the bloody blender to chop up the garlic/chilli etc. into a paste. It was just wizzing around not doing much. I should have used the herb mill attachment instead of the blender, but I didn't think all the coriander would fit in. Added a bit more oil and it managed it though. I also think next time I'll put 2 tins of tomatoes in because I found myself adding water at the end just to keep it at the right consistency... unless you have a better substitute??
Have put 1/2 the curry in the freezer for a bit of microwave comfort food when I next can't be bothered to cook :D
Thanks very much for this recipe. Big thumbs up from Lopkat :)
H'mmmmm Tasty,
Will definately have to try that one....
Beansprout
05-11-2007, 05:12
This looks tasty....I shall try it at some point! :)
I also think next time I'll put 2 tins of tomatoes in because I found myself adding water at the end just to keep it at the right consistency... unless you have a better substitute??
Have put 1/2 the curry in the freezer for a bit of microwave comfort food when I next can't be bothered to cook :D
Thanks very much for this recipe. Big thumbs up from Lopkat :)
Cool!
I think it's called Bhuna when you add lots of tomatoes, you can also use coconut milk or yoghurt depending what you want it to taste like :)
I've got two portions sat in the freezer too. If I had a big enough freezer I estimate I'd only have to cook about twice a week, the rest of the week live off the frozen portions :D
testpattern
05-11-2007, 12:17
thanks for the ideas. i've always been disappointed at my own curries - definitely be trying this paste idea. cheeeeeeeeeeeeers.
i did it and boy was it good!
i'm a budding vege (choice: carrot) so i made the paste then cooked potatoes in it for about an hour. then at the end chucked in some spinach and peas. it was gooooood. so much tastier than the usual!
thanks ever so much for this, no looking back.
very nicely documented sir :)
and great shots all the way through... i might of been looking at the food and how you've done it but couldn't help but be impressed with the quality of photos!!
/god i'm sad....
lol.
LeperousDust
11-11-2007, 14:32
Very nice Jonny, without a blender or pestle and mortor i can't quite have a go of this yet.
My pestle and mortor are two shot glasses - you'd be suprised how well this can work if you get good at it... and my blender is me with a knife - last time i did that i had chilli embedded within my hands for days rendering putting in and taking out contacts painfull...
My kitchen in my student pad up here is woefully short of just about everything, we don't even have a big stew pot yet cause my flat mates are too cheap to put money in on such "wasteful" things?! I was stuck with two pots in the oven the other day plastic handles double wrapped in foil hoping to christ they wouldn't melt ;D
With that in mind i think you should recall what you used to make in your student days in an inadequate kitchen so i can replicate because i'm slowly running out of things to do or improvise... :D
Well I've always had my trusty blender and pestle and mortar but you can just chop it all up finely. Basically you just have to cook it down a bit longer. You can grind up spices and crush garlic pretty well with the back of a spoon (or the bottom of a shot glass) against the chopping board if that helps. Or just buy the spices ready ground :)
No excuse. Get to the kitchen :D
There is a pestle and mortar for £7 in Tesco. Now, go get one :p I had a hand blender at Uni... which was used mainly to make Angel Delight, lol :D
LeperousDust
15-11-2007, 01:52
Sounds cheap, but tbh i'd rather spend £7 on food atm, i'm having a job shortage, and don't have the money to spend on anything right now :p Plus my flat mates (well not all, but apathy sucks too) are too cheap to put towards the most basic things...
I do use the chop very finely and back of a spoon bottom of a glass method a lot though :p
Holy thread resurection Batman!
I searched everywhere for a curry recipe yesterday, took one look at this and though 'no, I need a faster, easier recipe'. But now I've actually read this, the one I made is pretty much identical. I did a lot of fine chopping of the chilli and ginger, pressed the garlic and the spices were already ground. Yum-o-matic!
Here was the last homemade I knocked up :)
Didn't get a photo of the sundries, starters or dips but I'll knock up my own thread for the 'complete works' when I'm suitably prepared :D
http://i44.tinypic.com/asf9j.jpg
It's a nice cross between a tikka masala and pasanda made entirely from scratch :) Nearly Zero Fat & Salt content (bar a pinch in the naan mixture and the decorative single cream)
Best accompanied with the following music:
Popadum Preach - Madonna
Korma Chameleon - Culture Club
Bhaji Trousers - Madness
King Prawn Massala Drinks Are Free - Wham
Dansak Queen - Abba
Tikka Chance On Me - Abba
Tears On My Pilau - Kylie Minogue
Dansak on the Ceiling - Lionel Richie
Love me Tandoor - Elvis Presley
Bye Bye Balti - Bay City Rollers
Livin' Dhal - Cliff Richard
Raita Here, Raita Now - Fatboy Slim
Beansprout
30-03-2009, 13:03
Very nice Jonny, without a blender or pestle and mortor i can't quite have a go of this yet.
My pestle and mortor are two shot glasses - you'd be suprised how well this can work if you get good at it... and my blender is me with a knife - last time i did that i had chilli embedded within my hands for days rendering putting in and taking out contacts painfull...
My kitchen in my student pad up here is woefully short of just about everything, we don't even have a big stew pot yet cause my flat mates are too cheap to put money in on such "wasteful" things?! I was stuck with two pots in the oven the other day plastic handles double wrapped in foil hoping to christ they wouldn't melt ;D
With that in mind i think you should recall what you used to make in your student days in an inadequate kitchen so i can replicate because i'm slowly running out of things to do or improvise... :D
I don't have a mortar/pestle and do ok now stop the excuses :d
Yeah LD you pansy! :p
I use two knifes, a wooden spoon, a chopping board and two pans and manage just fine! :smug:
That curry looks hugely pretentious.
I love it.
Edit: Almost forgot:
Satay Night - Whigfield
Oh My Gosht - Basement Jaxx
Cumin Feel The Noize - Slade
That curry looks hugely pretentious.
I love it.
It tastes a hell of a lot better than it looks :)
I always feel curry dishes can look a bit 'uninspired' and as I was doing a romantic meal for my girlfriend I wanted it to look nice :D
Oh My Gosht - Basement Jaxx
Hahahahah! ;D
leowyatt
30-03-2009, 13:50
Well stick up the recipe then ;D
Beautifully presented Jingo :)
I'm rubbish at presentation, too keen on eating it asap :D
I'll have to type up the curry I make which isn't as impressive as some (it uses shop bought curry paste :eek:) but is very fast to make and delicious imo :D
Coriander The Boardwalk?
Should have quit while I was ahead.
Looks fantastic Jingo. Do you do corporate events?! :D
Hahahaha I can cook for 4/5 but best sticking to 2 plates as my Tava for the naan will only fit on two at a time!
and we can't have people waiting for naans now can we ;)
Can you come and cook for me?! :D
LeperousDust
30-03-2009, 17:07
I don't have a mortar/pestle and do ok now stop the excuses :d
Oh i do just fine :p But there are definitely some things where you just need a blender (how do you make some soups with a knife?). Pestle and mortar is more of a personal thing, i love fresh ingrediends blended together. But i just suffice with pre-chopped/dried crap as it'll do. :)
http://www.indian-recipe.org/curryforum/index.php?
:cool:
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