Just got a new Indian cookbook yesterday:
The Curry Secret, Indian Restaurant Cookery at Home
These dishes are supposed to be like what you eat in the restaurants, but I haven't tried one yet. PLEASE post your review if you should try it!
Sag Panir
Serves 3-4
Prep and cooking time: 40-45 min.
2 pints (1.15 litres) whole milk
4 tbl. lemon juice
Oil for deep frying
4 tbl. vegetable oil
5 oz. curry sauce (recipe below)
16 oz. (450g) can pureed spinach
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chilli powder
1 tsp. garam masala
Make the milk into curd cheese cubes (below).
Heat the 4 tbl. oil in deep frying pan. When hot, add the curry sauce and cook rapidly for about 5 min. until quite thick.
Add the spinach and stir in the salt, cumin and chilli powder. Simmer, stirring for 10 min.
Now add the cheese cubes and garam masala and continue to cook on gentle heat for another 5 min.
To make the milk cheese cubes:
Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan. Immediately add the lemon juice and stir until the milk appears to curdle. The solids should be visibly separated from the whey.
Strain through muslin or clean tea towel. Place the curds, still in muslin, in a tray. Put something flat on it, like a cutting board, and weight it down with something heavy - a large pan full of water is ideal. Leave for 15 min. to squeeze out all of the liquid. When done, cut the flat slab of curds into approx. 1/2" cubes and deep fry in hot oil until golden on the outside. Drain.
Basic Curry Sauce:
This recipe will make approx. 8 main course dishes, but freezes well.
Prep and cooking time: 1 hour, 30 min.
2 lb. (900g) cooking onions
2 oz (50g) green ginger
2 oz (50g) garlic
2-3/4 pint (1 litre 570ml) water
1 tsp. salt
1 tin (8 oz/225g) tomatoes
8 tbl. vegetable oil
1 tsp. tomato puree
1 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. paprika
1. Peel and rinse onions, ginger and garlic. Slice onions and roughly chop ginger and garlic. Put ginger and garlic into a blender with about 1/2 pint (275ml) of the water and blend until smooth.
Take a large saucepan and put onions in it, blended garlic/ginger mixture, and rest of the water.
Add salt and bring to boil. Turn down to very low and simmer, lid on, for 40-45 min.
Leave to cool.
2. Once cooled, pour about half of the boiled onion mixture into a blender and blend until perfectly smooth (at least 2 minutes)
. Absolute smoothness is essential. Pour this mixture into a clean pan or bowl and repeat with the other half of the onion mixture.
Wash and dry the saucepan. If you intend to freeze all or part of this, it is best done at this stage.
3. Open the can of tomatoes, pour into the rinsed blender jar, and blend about 2 minutes - again, it is important that they are perfectly smooth.
Into the clean saucepan, put the oil, tomato puree, tumeric and paprika. Add the blended tomatoes and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Now add the onion mixture you made in step 2, and bring to a boil again. Turn down to a simmer.
You will notice at this stage that a froth rises to the surface of the sauce. This needs to be skimmed off.
Keep simmering and skimming for 20-25 minutes, stirring now and again to prevent sauce from sticking to bottom of pan.
Use immediately, or cool and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
http://www.londonleben.co.uk/london_leben/images/sagpaneer.jpg
The Curry Secret, Indian Restaurant Cookery at Home
These dishes are supposed to be like what you eat in the restaurants, but I haven't tried one yet. PLEASE post your review if you should try it!
Sag Panir
Serves 3-4
Prep and cooking time: 40-45 min.
2 pints (1.15 litres) whole milk
4 tbl. lemon juice
Oil for deep frying
4 tbl. vegetable oil
5 oz. curry sauce (recipe below)
16 oz. (450g) can pureed spinach
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chilli powder
1 tsp. garam masala
Make the milk into curd cheese cubes (below).
Heat the 4 tbl. oil in deep frying pan. When hot, add the curry sauce and cook rapidly for about 5 min. until quite thick.
Add the spinach and stir in the salt, cumin and chilli powder. Simmer, stirring for 10 min.
Now add the cheese cubes and garam masala and continue to cook on gentle heat for another 5 min.
To make the milk cheese cubes:
Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan. Immediately add the lemon juice and stir until the milk appears to curdle. The solids should be visibly separated from the whey.
Strain through muslin or clean tea towel. Place the curds, still in muslin, in a tray. Put something flat on it, like a cutting board, and weight it down with something heavy - a large pan full of water is ideal. Leave for 15 min. to squeeze out all of the liquid. When done, cut the flat slab of curds into approx. 1/2" cubes and deep fry in hot oil until golden on the outside. Drain.
Basic Curry Sauce:
This recipe will make approx. 8 main course dishes, but freezes well.
Prep and cooking time: 1 hour, 30 min.
2 lb. (900g) cooking onions
2 oz (50g) green ginger
2 oz (50g) garlic
2-3/4 pint (1 litre 570ml) water
1 tsp. salt
1 tin (8 oz/225g) tomatoes
8 tbl. vegetable oil
1 tsp. tomato puree
1 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. paprika
1. Peel and rinse onions, ginger and garlic. Slice onions and roughly chop ginger and garlic. Put ginger and garlic into a blender with about 1/2 pint (275ml) of the water and blend until smooth.
Take a large saucepan and put onions in it, blended garlic/ginger mixture, and rest of the water.
Add salt and bring to boil. Turn down to very low and simmer, lid on, for 40-45 min.
Leave to cool.
2. Once cooled, pour about half of the boiled onion mixture into a blender and blend until perfectly smooth (at least 2 minutes)
. Absolute smoothness is essential. Pour this mixture into a clean pan or bowl and repeat with the other half of the onion mixture.
Wash and dry the saucepan. If you intend to freeze all or part of this, it is best done at this stage.
3. Open the can of tomatoes, pour into the rinsed blender jar, and blend about 2 minutes - again, it is important that they are perfectly smooth.
Into the clean saucepan, put the oil, tomato puree, tumeric and paprika. Add the blended tomatoes and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Now add the onion mixture you made in step 2, and bring to a boil again. Turn down to a simmer.
You will notice at this stage that a froth rises to the surface of the sauce. This needs to be skimmed off.
Keep simmering and skimming for 20-25 minutes, stirring now and again to prevent sauce from sticking to bottom of pan.
Use immediately, or cool and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
http://www.londonleben.co.uk/london_leben/images/sagpaneer.jpg