Minimum Viable Curry
It looks intimidating, but seriously, it takes, like, 15 minutes to prep and then you just leave it to simmer for ages and it’s tasty as.
You will need:
Spices:
- 2 tsp Ground coriander
- 2 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 2 tsp Madras Curry Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Salt
(don’t buy these from a supermarket; go to a world foods grocery and buy them in useful sized bags. You may as well buy some fennel seeds, cardamom pods, cloves and whatever other spices you fancy whilst you’re there. They’ll keep for a good few months and you’ll get through them if you make a curry more than once a year)
Other ingredients:
- 1 Medium onion, finely diced. You’re looking for 2-3mm sized bits.
- 3-4 Cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 Tin of chopped tomatoes
- Vegetable oil
Plus whatever you want to go in the curry - meat (cooked or raw) and veg (peppers, okra, chick peas, potatoes, etc).
What to do
Put a decent slug of vegetable oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. What qualifies as a decent slug basically depends on how greasy you like your curry and how much of a health kick you’re on. You at least want to cover the bottom of a medium saucepan. Use more and/or add some butter if you want something less healthy.
Soften the onion and garlic until they go translucent. This’ll take about five minutes over a medium heat, assuming you’ve chopped things finely. You might like to soften the onion first and then add the garlic after a minute or two; garlic tends to burn quickly if you’re not careful.
Now, add all the spices and stir into a paste. If it doesn’t form a paste, you’ve not got enough oil. Add a bit more (or some water, if you’re bothered about the calories) until it forms a soft clay-like texture.
Turn up the heat and fry the spice and onion mixture for a minute or so, stirring continuously. If you want to put some bits of meat or chunky veg (potatoes, peppers, etc) in, now is a good time - fry them with the spices to get a good coating and seal.
Once your kitchen smells basically amazing, tip in a tin of chopped tomatoes. Then half-fill the tin with water, swirl a bit then add that too. Bring to a low boil then reduce to a simmer for however long it takes for it to turn into a big tasty pot of sauce; the longer you can leave it the better but realistically you’re looking at 45 minutes or more.
If you’ve got some pre-cooked meat (leftover chicken or what have you), add it maybe ten minutes before the end to heat through. This is also when I’d add chickpeas, if I’m using them.
And that’s basically it. Serve with rice or chapattis or whatever you fancy. Like I say, it looks like a lot of faff but once you’ve got the spices, it really is only about 15 minutes work.