Recipes

General information:
● Source​:
○ Adding baking soda to the onions helps them break down and caramelize faster.
○ Grinding the garlic in lemon juice helps prevent it from turning too sharp and
pungent, while still allowing its aroma to shine.
○ Simmering canned chickpeas lends them plenty of flavor.
○ Ginger garlic paste:
■ Combine garlic, ginger, chilies, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/2
teaspoon kosher salt in a mortar and pestle or in the small work bowl of a
food processor and pound or process until a fine paste is produced. Set
aside.
○ How to make tomato-onion masala base:
■ Heat oil or ghee in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high
heat until shimmering. All at once, add mustard seed and cumin. They will
sputter and spit for a few seconds.
■ As soon as they are aromatic (about 15 seconds), add onion all at once,
along with baking soda. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions start to
leave a brown coating on bottom of pan, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon
water, scrape up browned bits from pan, and continue cooking. Repeat
this process until onions are a deep brown, about 10 minutes total.
■ Immediately add garlic/ginger/chili paste all at once and stir to combine.
Add coriander, black pepper, turmeric, and 1 teaspoon garam masala.
Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and crush them using
a whisk or potato masher.
● The Curry Guy by Dan Toombs
○ I feel that great-tasting BIR food is 90% down to the products you put into it and
10% down to how it is cooked.
● Only use the freshest ingredients you can get your hands on.
○ Order of ingredients added:
■ oil + whole spices (if using) + chopped vegetables can be added and fried
+ aromatics like garlic and ginger
■ Some ingredients burn faster than others, which is why they need to be
added in a specific order to the hot oil. Inexpensive spices such as
turmeric, chilli, cumin and coriander powder can withstand heat and cook
happily from the beginning of cooking.
■ More expensive and delicate spices such as ground cardamom seeds,
nutmeg, saffron, mace, dried fenugreek (methi) leaves and homemade
 garam masala are best added at the end of cooking just before serving,
as prolonged cooking results in them losing a lot of their flavour.
○ General ingredients:
■ Paneer:
● Paneer is often added raw to curries just before serving, as you
can’t cook it in a sauce long or it will begin to break up.
● Here is another option. The crispy exterior that the paneer gets
when shallow-fried helps stop it from disintegrating in the sauce,
and it’s also delicious.
● Plain paneer doesn’t have a lot of flavour so marinating for about a
half hour before frying will make it more interesting.
○ Whisk the garlic and ginger paste, chilli powder, garam
masala and yoghurt together in a bowl. Using a fork or
toothpick, pierce the paneer cubes all over so that the
marinade can penetrate. Add the paneer and leave to
marinate for about 30 minutes.
○ Usage of spices:
■ An extra teaspoon of curry powder or a little less garlic and ginger paste
than called for won’t ruin your curry. One exception to this is when adding
chilli powder and fresh chillies. If you’re not sure about the spiciness,
always use less than called for. You can always add more to taste but it is
difficult to cool a curry down once added.
■ It’s best to purchase whole spices and then roast and grind them as
required.​ ​Once the spices have been roasted and ground, they lose their
aroma and flavour quickly.
■ Spice blends can be roasted and ground in minutes, and they can be
stored in airtight containers in a cool, dark location such as a cupboard for
up to two months without losing much flavour. That spectacular aroma
you get from freshly ground spices will mellow substantially faster though.
■ When single ground ingredients are called for, such as ground cumin and
ground coriander, it is always best to roast the whole seeds first as
described in the following recipes. I always have home roasted and
ground cumin and coriander on hand.
■ Another way to store large batches of spice masalas is to make them into
a paste. To do th is, mix your masala in a pan with enough water to form
a thick paste. Add about 125ml (½ cup) rapeseed oil and fry over a
medium-high heat for about 30–60 seconds. Be extra careful not to burn
the spices, and stir continuously. Store in an airtight, sterilized glass jar in
a cool, dark location like a cupboard or the fridge.
■ You can make a paste out of any spice masala recipes in this book.
These pastes can be added to curries and marinades in the same way
you add dry spice masalas.
■ Spice grinder yields very fine powders.
 ■ Amchoor (dried mango powder) gives a nice citric flavour.
■ Fenugreek is quite strong and bitter.
■ Garam Masala:
● is a blend of warming (hence the "garam"), aromatic spices
● essential for achieving that curry-house flavour
● plays an important part of the mixed powder used in most of the
BIR curries, and is also added on its own to a lot of recipes.
● sprinkling it over your finished curries is a good way to add a touch
more excitement to the dish.
● this thread​ briefly discusses warm spices
■ Tandoori Masala:
● Most commercial tandoori masalas taste fantastic because they
are loaded with salt and tangy citric acid powder.
● The spices used are usually quite cheap, like ground coriander
and cumin, and they are made more visually appealing with the
use of red food colouring.
■ Cumin and coriander powders:
● are usually added in equal measures
■ Mixed powder:
● It’s one of the secret ingredients that makes BIR curries what they
are.
● The flavours of cumin, coriander, paprika and turmeric are in most
BIR curries, and mixed powder makes it possible to add these
spices all in one go, along with curry powder and garam masala.
● I would add the spices individually, which works fine, but slows
down the cooking process.
○ Usage of oil:
■ cold-pressed rapeseed oil or canola oil is recommended. It is best to heat
it up until it begins to smoke and let it cool before heating it up again to
use in your cooking
■ normal vegetable oil is used most often at curry houses
■ mustard oil for the sharp and pungent flavour (banned for human
consumption here in the UK)
■ I do cook with a lot of oil, because it’s a great transporter of flavour, but I
try to skim it off at the end and reuse it in place of plain oil – it keeps
forever and brings a great flavour to whatever you make with it. (​source​)
○ Prepared sauces, stocks and pastes
■ Spice stock:
● I usually make a batch of spice stock at the same time I make the
base curry sauce.
● The aromatic strained stock can be added to curries when a little
more liquid is desired to thin the sauce. So could water, for that
matter, but this stock does give curries more depth.
 ● Remains usable upto 3 days when refrigerated.
■ Garlic and ginger paste:
● Garlic and ginger paste is used in almost every curry.
● Remains usable upto 3 days when refrigerated.
■ Green chilli paste:
● Generally speaking, the larger the chilli, the milder it is.
■ Raw cashew paste:
● Raw cashew paste is used in curries – both authentic and BIR – to
thicken the sauce and to add flavour.
● You could really add it to any curry.
● Soak raw cashews (quantity as needed) in cold water for about 30
minutes before blending.
■ Fried onions and onion paste:
● Fried onions taste amazing.
● They are an essential ingredient for dopiaza curries and biryanis
and also work well in marinades.
● You can even blend the onions with a little water or to form a
paste that can be added to almost any curry to make them a little
more interesting.
● Don’t throw the cooking oil out. Use it in your curries instead of
plain oil – remember those layers of flavour I was talking about?
Well this onion-infused cooking oil is a good one.
■ Base curry sauce:
● It lends texture, aroma and flavour that is the BIR curry.
● In the UK, most Indian restaurants will make a base sauce and
use that for almost all their curries, whereas authentic Indian
curries will be made with water. The base sauce is a smooth onion
stock with a few things thrown in and simmered for 90 minutes –
although I have a quick version. It completely changes the flavour
and brings a sweetness British people really enjoy. The onion
stock I use as a base couldn’t be better for you – all the
vegetables with garlic and ginger are really healthy. (​source​)
● Just a little is added at first, which quickly begins to boil down and
caramelize in the pan. There is so much flavour in the caramelized
sauce and it needs to be stirred in before the rest of the base
sauce and stock are added.
● With more liquid in the pan, this second batch can simmer away
untouched unless it looks like it is burning. Some of this batch will
caramelize too, which again can be scraped into the sauce for
even more mouthwatering flavour.
● This smooth curry sauce ‘gravy’, more than any other ingredient,
is what gives British Indian restaurant (BIR) style curries their
distinctive flavour and texture.
 ● I like to describe the base curry sauce as a slow-cooked onion and
vegetable stock.
● It doesn’t have a lot of flavour, although it does taste good.
● Rarely are chillies or chilli powder added, as the base sauce
needs to be used in everything from the mildest korma to the
spiciest vindaloo.
● The finished sauce needs to be runny. it will cook down and
thicken quickly as each curry is prepared over high heat.
● It usually consists of frying finely chopped onions, garlic and
ginger paste, chillies, diced tomatoes and a medley of whole or
ground warming spices.

Boiled Potatoes:
● source: Archana
● ingredients:
○ Spices
■ Salt
○ Vegetables
■ 4 Potatoes
● method:
○ Cut potatoes into half
○ Put in cooker + salt + water above the level of potatoes
○ Cook for 2 whistles

South Indian

Raw Mango Rice (mavinkayi anna)

● source: Archana's Mother
● ingredients:
○ Grain:
■ 1 cup rice
○ Spices
■ Hing
■ Salt
○ Vegetables
■ raw mango
○ Fat
■ Oil
● method:
 ○ pressure cook 1 cup of rice with 2 cups of water for two whistles
○ peel and grate 1/2 a raw mango
○ roast 2 seeds of menthya with hing
○ grind coconut gratings, 6 Guntur red chillies, 6 Byadgi red chillies, turmeric, salt
to a coarse powder
○ spread cooked rice on a big bowl for it to cool
○ temper 2 Guntur Red Chillies, mustard, hing, groundnuts
○ mix the coarse powder with rice
○ add the tempering
○ add the fried items with curry leaves after frying them in oil
○ taste frequently as you mix to get the mixture right

Alu Palya (to go with pooris)

● source: Archana
● ingredients:
○ Spices
■ Mustard
■ Turmeric
■ Hing
■ Salt
○ Vegetables
■ Onion
■ Potatoes
■ Green chillies
■ Red chillies
■ Ginger
○ Fat
■ Oil
● method:
○ Oil + mustard + red chillies + Hing
○ Onion
○ Boiled mashed potatoes (should not be pasty since the mouth needs to feel the
lumps)
○ Finely chopped green chillies
○ Grate ginger
○ Turmeric
○ Salt
○ Close the lid, so the flavour of ginger can infuse
North Indian

Khichdi
● source: Archana
● ingredients:
○ spices:
■ Salt
■ Turmeric
■ Mustard
■ Jeera
■ Hing
■ Minced garlic
■ Pepper Corns
■ 1 tsp Aamchur Powder
○ vegetables:
■ 1/2 cup rice
■ 3/4 cup Moong dhal
■ Red chillies (2)
■ Green chilly (3) finely chopped
○ fat:
■ Oil and/or ghee
○ others:
■
● method:
○ 1/2 cup rice,3/4 cup moong dhal
○ Wash it mix it n keep it
○ Oil (ghee us better)
○ Minced garlic(saute till aromatic)
○ Add mustard
○ Little jeera
○ 4 pepper corns
○ Hing
○ Red chilly 2
○ Green chilly 3 finely chopped
○ Dhal n rice
○ Turmeric
○ Water about 5 -6 cups
○ Salt
○ Pressure cook for 4/5 whistles
○ Garnish with coriander leaves
Kadai Paneer
● source: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_h1SIOiIwA&feature=youtu.be
● ingredients:
○ dry Spices
■ 2 cloves
■ 1tsp fennel Seeds
■ 1 tsp Jeera
■ 4 pepper corns
■ 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
■ 2 Cardamoms
○ spices:
■ 1 tsp Aamchur Powder
○ vegetables:
■ 2 onions ( cut lengthwise )
■ 1 big Tomato ( chopped )
■ 1 capsicum ( diced)
■ 1 baby onions (cubed)
■ 2 green Chillies ( cut lengthwise )
■ 1 tsp ginger paste
■ 1 tsp garlic paste
○ fat:
■ 1 tbsp butter
■ 1 tsp oil
○ others:
■ 250 gms Paneer
● method:
○ Dry roast dry spices for a minute
○ peel away the skin of cardamom pods
○ Let the mixture cool
○ Saute onions in preheated oil
○ Gring the dry roasted seeds in a grinder to a smooth powder
○ Once the onions turns brown, add the tomatoes and cook it till the tomatoes turn
soft
○ Add salt and mix
○ Add these to the grinder that has the powdered spices. Add raw mango powder.
Add water if needed. Grind them to a smooth paste.
○ Put butter in a pan and mix ginger and garlic paste before the butter melts
○ Add chillies and saute
○ Add shelled onions, toss them up and cook them for about 2 mins
○ Add diced capsicum
○ Add the masala paste once the onions have turned translucent
 ○ Cook everything for a min and add water to it.
○ Stir it in and let it boil
○ Add the paneer cubes, toss them up and mix well
○ Add salt and coriander leaves to it and mix well
○ The gravy dish is ready to be served

Channa Masala
● source: ​https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/04/channa-masala-recipe.html