The Curry Club

From Dhaka to Dudley

There is no actual word on the Indian continent for 'curry'. It's an English term for the spicy sauces created during Clive's boisterous activities in 17th Century India.

The concept gravitated west to Britain where the first curry recipe was published in a cookbook in 1747.

Roll forward many years and particular demands of the British palate created curry dishes never seen east of Hull.

Chicken Tikka Masala (British), Madras (British), Vindaloo (very British)...

... and as for the Balti - that was invented and developed in Birmingham in the early 70's and now even has EU Protected Name Status !

 For Demanding British Palates

CURRIES MADE BETTER

'Ping' Curry Made Better

Takeaway, Roo'd, Ubered, dining out or cooking in?

If you like your curries, but don't have time to make your own, this might be for you.

Most supermarkets have ready meals offering 'authentic Indian flavours'. A lot of them are pretty good on their own - but - can be made even better in moments:

The next time you buy one, tip it into a pan, add natural yogurt, garam masala and Stokes Curry Ketchup (or Stokes Tomato Ketchup and 1 tbsp of Curry Powder).

Let this simmer gently for about 20 minutes. This gives you more, thicker gravy, enhances the taste, and softens the meat.

Chilli Beef Curry

TOP TIP: our favourite combination of spices for an Indian-styled curry include equal amounts of the seeds of - cumin, coriander, fennel, cardamom all ground in a pestle and mortar.

Make about 2 to 3 tsp of this to combine with 2 to 3 tsp of curry powder, adding a similar amount of garam masala towards the end of the cooking process - works every time.

Soften 2 roughly chopped onions in a large casserole dish then add about 800 kg of cubed rump steak.

Slice a couple of carrots into the pot and 3 red chillis.

[TIP: cut a slice into each chilli to release the flavours but leave them whole. This way when you taste the curry, you can easily remove them before it gets too hot.]

Add 2 to 3 tsp of the ground spice and curry powder (as above), 1 inch of grated ginger and 3 grated garlic cloves. Now add 3 tbsp of Stokes Chilli Ketchup, 2 tsp of Stokes Chilli Jam and 1 tin of chopped tomatoes.

Mix everything together and top it up with beef stock to just cover the meat. Lid on now and simmer gently 45 minutes. Remove the lid, stir in 2 to 3 tsp of garam masala and simmer without the lid for a further 15 minutes.

Chicken Bhuna

The Bhuna is wonderfully spicy thick sauce with a moderate heat. It is intensely flavoursome and easy to recreate at home.

You'll need:

• 4 skinless chicken thighs
• 3 onions, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp of grated ginger
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp of Stokes Chilli Jam
• 3 tbsp of Stokes Curry Ketchup
• 1 tbsp of Stokes Classic English Mustard
• 1 tbsp of medium curry powder
• 1 tsp of coriander, ground
• 1 tsp cumin, ground
• 1 lime, juice only 
• 1 tbsp of garam masala 
• 125ml of natural yogurt 
• a bunch or coriander leaves, chopped

Here's how:

Brown the chicken pieces then set them aside.

In the same pan, cook the onion for several minutes until it has softened. Add the garlic, ginger, all the spices, chilli jam, mustard and ketchup, cooking for 5 minutes before adding the tomatoes, covering and reducing the heat for 5 minutes more.

Put the chicken and juices back in the pan with the yogurt, 300ml of water, garam masala and lime juice, stirring everything well together. Bring the heat up and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the coriander, cover and set the curry aside for the flavours to become better acquainted.

Lamb Rogan Josh

You'll need:

• 1 bunch of coriander leaves, chopped and stalks reserved
• 1 tbsp of Stokes Chilli Jam
• 3 tbsp of Stokes Curry Ketchup
• 2 tsp coriander seeds, ground
• 2 tsp cumin seeds, ground
• 2 tbsp of garam masala
• 5 cardamom pods, seeds only, ground
• 2 onions, chopped
• 600g lamb steak, cut into large chunks
• 3 cloves of garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp of grated ginger 
• 4 tomatoes, quartered
• 125g of natural yogurt

Here's how:

Blend the coriander stalks, chilli jam, spices and ketchup to a paste. Fry the onions until soft, then add the garlic, ginger, cardamom and lamb.

Cook the lamb, turning frequently for 5 minutes to brown the outside. Now stir in the wet spice paste, cooking it through for a further 5 minutes.

Pour 400 ml of water into the pan, stir, cover and simmer for 45 minutes on a low heat. Add the yogurt, tomatoes and coriander leaves, stir and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it rest.

The longer you leave it, the better it is. 

Smoky Pork Chilli

Cooked slowly, this chilli pork dish melts in your mouth releasing smokey heat from the Chipotle Ketchup.

Cut about 8 kg of pork shoulder steaks into 2 to 3 cm chunks and brown them in a casserole dish with a large chopped onion, 2 grated garlic cloves and 1 tsp of ground cumin.

Add 2 tbsp of flour, 4 tbsp of Stokes Chipotle Ketchup, 2 tins of chopped tomatoes and 1 tin of rinsed, drained kidney beans. Mix everything together well then top the casserole up with beef stock to just cover the meat.

Bring it to a gentle simmer then, with the lid on, transfer the dish to a medium low oven for 2 hours, checking on the liquid from time to time.

Winter Warmers from Sizzling Stokes

Order your own little heatwave - here

More foodie thoughts for the week:

 


Tasty Tuna - 
From the tin to the table in minutes, these are all simple and delicious - here.







Chilli Sensations - 
Chillis are used across the globe to add that something extra, turning 'ok' to 'wow' in an instant - here.

 


 


Creative Sharing - 
There's lots to see in the social sharing section of this week's Newsletter - here.

If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150